United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey
Chambers - 609-815-2386
Courtroom Deputy - Jamie Quinn, 609-989-2124
Court Reporter - Kimberly Wilson, 609-815-2751
Courtroom 5E
Courtesy Copies: Counsel shall not provide courtesy copies to Chambers unless requested.
Pro se Filings: Parties appearing pro se must file all documents, applications, and motions directly with the Clerk’s Office. Documents mailed to the courthouse must be addressed to the Clerk's Office and NOT to Judge Castner.
Pleadings/Correspondence: All pleadings and correspondence to the Court (with the exception of confidential settlement position letters) must be electronically filed.
Extensions of Time on Consent: All requests for extensions shall be filed via ECF. Any requests for extensions or adjournments shall indicate whether all parties consent.
Motion Day: Unless otherwise notified by the Court via CM/ECF, Judge Castner decides all motions on the papers and no appearances are required on the motion day.
Written Submissions to the Court. Except on emergency matters, all communications with Chambers shall be in writing via CM/ECF.
Pre-Motion Conference: In an effort to resolve cases expeditiously, before bringing a motion to dismiss, motion for a more definite statement, motion to remand, motion for change of venue, or motion for judgment on the pleadings, a party must submit a letter, not to exceed three (3) single-spaced pages, requesting a pre-motion conference. The letter must set forth the basis for the anticipated motion and include citations to relevant authority. Within seven (7) days after receipt of this letter, all adversaries must submit a written response, not to exceed three (3) single-spaced pages. No party may submit a reply letter unless directed by the Court. Affidavits and exhibits are not permitted unless directed by the Court. A proffer by the attorney, however, of the contents of any such affidavit(s) and/or exhibit(s) shall suffice.
The Court will attempt to resolve the dispute(s) at a pre-motion conference (in person or via telephone), to the extent possible. If the dispute cannot be resolved at the pre-motion conference (or if the Court determines that a conference would not be helpful), the moving party may proceed with filing its motion. To be clear, this procedure does not preclude a party from filing any of the above motions pursuant to Local Civil Rule 12.1. Rather, the Court hopes to use this procedure to advance the case efficiently and minimize the costs of litigation to the parties. In addition, compliance with this procedure shall not be deemed a waiver of any parties’ defenses as to lack of personal jurisdiction, improper venue, insufficient process, or insufficient service of process.
A party’s submission of a pre-motion letter will toll that party’s time to file its motion (or answer) through (i) the date of the pre-motion conference or (ii) the Court’s decision not to conduct such a conference. If the Court determines that a pre-motion conference would not be helpful and instructs a party to proceed with filing its proposed motion without a conference, that party shall have an additional seven (7) days to file after its Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(a) deadline, unless additional time is stipulated or the Court so orders.
This letter exchange does not apply in cases in which either side is pro se or in bankruptcy or social security appeals.
Patent Cases
The Court does not permit the filing of summary judgment motions in ANDA patent cases. A party may, however, submit a letter to the Court, not to exceed three (3) single-spaced pages, seeking a waiver of this rule if the party believes that a summary judgment motion would assist the Court in expeditiously resolving the case and would resolve more than mere tangential issues. The letter must set forth the basis for the proposed motion for summary judgment, with citations to relevant authority, and the issue(s) expected to be resolved by the motion. Within five (5) business days after receipt of this letter, all adversaries must submit a written response, not to exceed three (3) single-spaced pages. No party may submit a reply letter unless directed by the Court.
