Amendments to the Local Rules of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana become effective January 1, 2024. The changes concern: 

•    Rule 7.5 (Response and Memorandum), 
•    Rule 78.1 (Submission Dates and Oral Argument), 
•    Rule 5.6 (Procedure for Filing Documents Under Seal), and 
•    Rule 26.3 (Initial Disclosures in Misappropriation of Trade Secret Cases).

The amendments are available in the Court’s December 20, 2023 Order. The en banc Court approved the amendments in March 2023 and revised them following a period of notice and comment. The Court then provided a second notice period and received approval from the Rules Committee of the Fifth Circuit’s Judicial Council before adopting the final amendments.

In conjunction with the amendments, the process for filing documents under seal in civil cases will also change January 1. Parties in civil cases will now file sealed documents electronically through the Court’s CM/ECF system. Instructions for filing civil documents under seal appear in amended Local Rule 5.6 and the E-Filing Under Seal instructions and FAQs. The process for filing sealed documents in criminal cases remains unchanged.

For further assistance, parties can also contact the Clerk’s Office help desk at (504) 589-7788 or toll-free at (866) 209-7767.