United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Local Rules & Internal Operating Procedures
December 1, 2023

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FORM OF BRIEFS, APPENDICES, AND OTHER PAPERS

FORM OF BRIEFS, APPENDICES, AND OTHER PAPERS
 
Local Rule 32(a). Reproduction of Appendices.
Double-sided copying of appendices is preferred in all cases. No joint appendix in a court-appointed case should exceed 500 pages without advance permission from the Court; unless such permission is granted, reimbursement of copy expenses will be limited to 500 pages.
Local Rule 32(b). Length of Briefs.
The Fourth Circuit encourages short, concise briefs. Under no circumstances may a brief exceed the length limitations in FRAP 32(a)(7) and FRAP 28.1(e)(2) without the Court's advance permission.
A motion for permission to submit a longer brief must be made to the Court of Appeals at least 10 days prior to the due date of the brief and must be supported by a statement of reasons. These motions are not favored and will be granted only for exceptional reasons.
Local Rule 32(c). Correction of Briefs and Appendices.
If briefs, appendices, or other papers are illegible or are not in the form required by the federal rules or by this Court's local rules or standards when filed, counsel will be required to file corrected copies of the document. If the corrected copies are not submitted within the time allowed by the clerk, they must be accompanied by a motion to file out of time.