District of Arizona Local Rules of Civil Procedure — The Practitioner's Guide

Operating Model — Submission Court (Three-Division Calendar Coordination)

AZ-D is a submission court. Counsel files the motion; the court rules on the papers in its own time. Oral argument is by request — counsel must place 'Oral Argument Requested' immediately below the caption to request argument. Argument may be ordered by the court on its own motion. Telephonic argument is contemplated and used. AZ-D uses the formal motion track for all motions.

The distinctive feature of AZ-D's procedural philosophy is signaled by its opening rule — LRCiv 1.1 governs Court Calendar Management. The District operates across three divisions (Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott), and calendar coordination across divisions and across federal/state courts is treated as foundational rather than incidental. Among our 10-court sample, AZ-D is the only district that places calendar management at the opening rule slot.

For comparative reading on operating models across federal districts, see the operating-model atlas entry.

AZ-D is a submission court with a formal motion track and a request-driven oral argument regime that includes telephonic argument.

Mechanics

• Motion (LRCiv 7.2(a)): All motions, unless made during a hearing or trial, *'shall be in writing.'*
• Memorandum by moving party (LRCiv 7.2(b)): A memorandum setting forth points and authorities is filed with the motion.
• Responsive memorandum (LRCiv 7.2(c)): 14 days after service.
• Reply memorandum (LRCiv 7.2(d)): 7 days after service of the responsive memorandum.
• Page limits (LRCiv 7.2(e)): 17 / 17 / 11 pages (motion / response / reply), exclusive of attachments. See §1 Formatting & Page Limits.
• Oral argument (LRCiv 7.2(f)): Counsel desiring oral argument requests it by placing *'Oral Argument Requested'* immediately below the caption. The court may order or allow argument by speaker telephone in its discretion. Non-compliance with notice may be deemed consent to denial of argument.
• Brief format: Formal motion track.

For the trap on telephonic argument default, see Watchpoints #8.

For the rule, see the D. Ariz. Local Rules of Civil Procedure.

PHV in AZ-D is governed by LRCiv 83.1. The application is presented to the Clerk with payment of the PHV fee; if denied, the fee may be refunded.

Mechanics

• LRCiv 83.1: *'An attorney who is admitted to practice in another [bar]'* may apply for pro hac vice.
• Application format: Presented to the Clerk; payment of the pro hac vice fee accompanies the application.
• Refund: *'If the pro hac vice application is denied, the Court may refund any or all of the [fee].'*
• Local counsel: Not required as a default; *'any judicial officer [may order] that local counsel be associated in any case.'*

For the cross-district PHV comparison, see the Pro Hac Vice field-manual page.

For the trap on the refund-if-denied provision, see Watchpoints #4.

AZ-D's discovery rules follow FRCP defaults with district-specific calibrations.

Mechanics

• Discovery materials filing: Per FRCP — not filed unless used.
• Conferral: See §5 Meet and Confer.
• No district-wide trigger-event deadline.
• No district-wide judicial pre-conference required.

AZ-D uses district-uniform page limits set by LRCiv 7.2(e). Limits are page-based and exclusive of attachments and the separate statement of facts on summary judgment.

Mechanics

• Motion + supporting memorandum (LRCiv 7.2(e)(1)): 17 pages, exclusive of attachments and any required statement of facts.
• Response + supporting memorandum (LRCiv 7.2(e)(1)): 17 pages, exclusive of attachments and any required statement of facts.
• Reply + supporting memorandum (LRCiv 7.2(e)(2)): 11 pages, exclusive of attachments.
• Objection to a Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation (LRCiv 7.2(e)(3)): 10 pages.

For the rule, see the D. Ariz. Local Rules of Civil Procedure.

AZ-D requires CM/ECF filing of all civil documents. Sealed filings require a court order before the document is filed under seal. Surety bonds use Arizona state court form rather than federal default form.

Mechanics

• CM/ECF filing: Mandatory.
• Sealing (LRCiv 5.6): *'No document may be filed under seal in an unsealed [matter]'* without an order. Procedure: lodge the document; obtain order; file.
• Surety bonds (LRCiv 65.1.1): In the form provided for similar surety in Arizona state courts.

For the trap on surety bonds in Arizona state form, see Watchpoints #3.

Briefing Schedule

Computing deadlines: Per FRCP 6.

For the rule, see the D. Ariz. Local Rules of Civil Procedure.

AZ-D's local rules are updated periodically; the current edition is the 2025 Local Rules Master File. The court website lists prior editions back to 2008.

Verification source: azd.uscourts.gov publishes the current local rules and prior editions.

AZ-D requires conferral for discovery motions; the format is telephone-friendly. AZ-D is a discovery-only meet-and-confer scope district with live conferral.

Mechanics

• Discovery conferral: Required before discovery motions.
• Format: Telephonic conferral expressly contemplated. *'Judges involved shall, if necessary, confer personally or by telephone in an effort to [resolve scheduling conflicts].'* The telephone-friendly framing extends to counsel conferral.

AZ-D's three-division structure produces division-level procedural variation that goes beyond individual judge overlay.

Divisions

• Phoenix (PHX): Primary commercial division.
• Tucson (TUC): Southern Arizona.
• Prescott (PCT): Northern Arizona.

Mechanics

• Case numbering (LRCiv 3.2(a)): Includes division designation in the case number (e.g., CV-11-0001-PHX-JAT).
• Division assignment: By venue (county where case arises).
• Cross-division scheduling (LRCiv 1.1(c)): *'Conflicts in scheduling between divisions of this Court may be governed by local rule or general order.'*
• Individual judge pages: azd.uscourts.gov has individual judge pages with current standing orders.

For the trap on division-coded case numbers, see Watchpoints #5.

AZ-D requires a separate Statement of Facts on summary judgment; oral argument on MSJ has its own rule (LRCiv 56.2) that points to LRCiv 7.2(f). AZ-D is a district 56.1 framework jurisdiction.

Movant's filing (LRCiv 56.1(a))

• A separate statement of facts (separate from the motion and memorandum of law).
• Each material fact set forth in a separately numbered paragraph, with a reference to a specific admissible portion of the record (affidavit, deposition, discovery response, etc.).
• Failure to submit a separate statement of facts in this form may constitute grounds for denial of the motion.

Opposing party's filing (LRCiv 56.1(b))

• A controverting statement of facts (separate from the memorandum of law).
• For each paragraph of the moving party's statement, a correspondingly numbered paragraph indicating whether the party disputes the statement and a reference to a specific admissible portion of the record if disputed.
• Any additional facts that establish a genuine issue of material fact, each in a separately numbered paragraph with record citation.
• No reply statement of facts may be filed.

Alternative procedure (LRCiv 56.1(c))

• The movant and opposing party may jointly file a stipulation setting forth stipulated facts in lieu of separate / controverting statements.

Oral argument on MSJ (LRCiv 56.2)

• Separate rule pointing to LRCiv 7.2(f).

For the traps on the SMF framework and the MSJ-specific oral argument rule, see Watchpoints #6 and #7.

For the rule, see the D. Ariz. Local Rules of Civil Procedure.