General Information General Matters, Communication with Chambers, Facilities, Court Hours and Promptness, Copies of Motions and Briefs

The Standards for Professional Conduct for the Seventh Circuit are followed by this Court. All litigants and counsel, including pro se litigants, are to abide by these procedures and directions. Please consult the Practitioner's Handbook published by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Before trial, all pleadings are to be filed in the Clerk's Office, located on the first floor of the Courthouse. Once trial has commenced, all pleadings are to be presented to the Courtroom Deputy for filing. Courtesy copies of pleadings are not necessary, unless requested by the Court.

If a party files a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), or other emergency motion, which may require an immediate hearing, please advise the Clerk's Office of the request for immediate hearing, and contact the Courtroom Deputy who will then schedule the hearing. If the Courtroom Deputy is unavailable, you may contact one of Judge Stiehl's Law Clerks.

Judge Stiehl does not routinely hear oral argument on motions. If he determines that a matter requires oral argument, he will schedule the hearing. If a party seeks oral argument, the request must be made in the form of a written motion, setting forth the reasons why the matter requires oral argument and cannot simply be decided on the pleadings.

Judge Stiehl adheres to the Local Rules, with limited exceptions. Please familiarize yourself with the Local Rules.

2. Communication with Chambers

You may contact any member of Judge Stiehl's Chambers with respect to the status of a matter pending before the Court. Scheduling matters should be directed to Judge Stiehl's Courtroom Deputy. Matters on pending motions may be addressed to the Law Clerks. Direct communication with Chambers should be with the knowledge and consent of all counsel and any pro se litigants. Litigants and attorneys will be expected to follow the Code of Conduct and must avoid any ex parte communications with any member of Chambers or the Court.

The members of Judge Stiehl's Staff are not permitted to give legal advice or interpret the meaning or impact of the Federal Rules of Civil or Criminal Procedure or the Local Rules. Please review the applicable Local and Federal Rules before contacting Chambers.

3. Facilities

Judge Stiehl's Courtroom is equipped with the latest in electronic evidence presentation technology. Counsel tables are wired for presentation of evidence through counsel's own laptop computer systems. The media cart includes a document camera, video and audio playback systems, and a DVD playback system. These may be accessed through a touchscreen monitor on the media cart. The witness stand and the media cart are equipped to allow a witness or the questioning attorney to highlight documents or other evidence with the touch of a finger, in various colors. The jury box is equipped with multiple viewing monitors, and the Courtroom has a large, flat plasma screen for gallery viewing.

The Court encourages attorneys to utilize this state-of-the-art equipment for presentation of the evidence in the case. Before using the equipment, please check with the Courtroom Deputy for any instructions related to the use of the Courtroom equipment. In addition, all evidence which the parties intend to display over the Courtroom equipment must be presented to opposing counsel before being displayed. If there are any objections, the Court will address them before the evidence is displayed to the jury.

Counsel and parties are not to enter Chambers to use telephones, copiers or computers without prior permission. The Courthouse has an attorneys' conference room on the first floor which is equipped with computers and a copier.

4. Court Hours and Promptness

Judge Stiehl makes every attempt to run his Court proceedings on schedule. Therefore, promptness is expected from everyone involved in the proceedings.

Judge Stiehl generally is in trial on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 A.M to 4:30 P.M. Pleas, sentencings, revocations and other matters are normally scheduled on Mondays and Fridays.

5. Copies of Motions and Briefs

It is not necessary to present courtesy copies of motions or briefs to the Court unless the motion or brief is filed within one week of trial or during the trial.

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