6.9 Formatting Requirements for Motions

• Library: Appellate Practice - Virginia and Federal Courts (Virginia CLE) (2016 Ed.)

6.9 FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS FOR MOTIONS

6.901 Fourth Circuit. In federal practice, motions must be in writing and in at least 14-point typeface. ⁶⁴ Four copies of the motion must be filed. ⁶⁵ The motion and the response to the motion cannot exceed 20 pages. ⁶⁶ The response must be filed within 10 days after service unless the court provides otherwise. ⁶⁷ If necessary, the moving party may file a reply to the response, but the reply is limited to 10 pages and it must be filed within

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seven days of the response. ⁶⁸ The court will not wait for a reply before ruling on a motion. ⁶⁹ Therefore, a moving party that wishes to ensure that the reply will be considered should notify the court that a reply will be filed and request that the court not act on the motion until the reply is filed. ⁷⁰ Furthermore, local Fourth Circuit rules require that the corporate affiliations be disclosed along with the motion, if that has not been done previously. ⁷¹

6.902 State Practice. The rules governing motions in state practice are straightforward. Motions must be in writing and in at least 14-point typeface in the Supreme Court of Virginia and at least 12-point...