Judicial Survey Questions

GAO Q43: When do you set a deadline for the filing of proposed voir dire, proposed jury instructions and/or special verdict form, witness and exhibits lists, motions in limine? Typically, how far in advance of trial are these deadlines?

GAO A43: Typically, the final pretrial conference in civil and criminal cases is held ten days prior to trial. At that conference, deadlines for filing voir dire, witness and exhibit lists, motions in limine, and trial briefs will be established. In civil cases, that will usually be about four or five days before trial. In criminal cases, I require the government to disclose witness and exhibit lists on the Monday before the commencement of trial and the defendant to do so on the Thursday before trial. I typically ask for proposed jury instructions to be filed by the first day of trial.

Related Topics:
* O'Toole, George A. Jr.

United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts