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11th Cir. R. 31-2 — Briefs and Appendices - Motion to Extend Time: the court's own rule, verbatim from UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS for the ELEVENTH CIRCUIT FEDERAL RULES OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT RULES INTERNAL OPERATING PROCEDURES (effective August 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies to appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit alongside the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.
(a) First Request for an Extension of Time. A party’s first request for an extension of time to file its brief or appendix or to correct a deficiency in the brief or appendix must set forth good cause. A first request for an extension of 30 days or less may be made by telephone or in writing, is not subject to 11th Cir. R. 26-1, and may be granted by the clerk. A first request for an extension of more than 30 days must be made by written motion setting forth with particularity the facts demonstrating good cause, and will only be acted upon by the court. When a briefing schedule has been established by court order, a first request for an extension must be made by written motion and will only be acted upon by the court. Any motion for extension of time by the court shall be subject to 11th Cir. R. 26-1. A request for an extension of time made after any first request under this subsection has been granted shall be subject to 11th Cir. R. 31-2(d). (b) First Request Filed 14 or More Days in Advance. When a party’s first request for an extension of time to file its brief or appendix is filed 14 or more days in advance of the due date for filing the brief or appendix and the requested extension of time is denied in full on a date that is seven or fewer days before the due date or is after the due date has passed, the time for filing the party’s brief or appendix will be extended an additional seven days beyond the initial due date or the date the court order is issued, whichever is later, unless the court orders otherwise. (c) Seven Days in Advance Requirement. If a party’s first request for an extension of time to file its brief or appendix seeks an extension of more than 30 days, the motion must be filed at least seven days in advance of the due date for filing the brief or appendix. Such a motion received by the clerk less than seven days in advance of the due date for filing the brief or appendix will generally be denied by the court, unless the motion demonstrates that the good cause on which the motion is based did not exist earlier or was not and with due diligence could not have been known earlier or communicated to the court earlier. (d) Second Request for an Extension of Time. A party’s second request for an extension of time to file its brief or appendix or to correct a deficiency in its brief or appendix is extremely disfavored and is granted rarely. A party’s second request for an extension will be granted only upon a showing of extraordinary circumstances that were not foreseeable at the time the first request was made. A second request must be made by written motion and will only be acted upon by the court. (e) Extension of Time Must Be Requested Prior to Expiration of Due Date. A request for an extension of time to file the brief or appendix pursuant to this rule must be made or filed prior to the expiration of the due date for filing the brief or appendix. The clerk is without authority to file an appellant’s motion for an extension of time to file the brief or appendix received by the clerk after the expiration of the due date for filing the brief or appendix. A request for an extension of time to correct a deficiency in the brief or appendix pursuant this rule must be made or filed within 14 days of the clerk’s notice as provided in 11th Cir. R. 42-3. The clerk is without authority to file an appellant’s motion for an extension of time to correct a deficiency in the brief or appendix received by the clerk after the expiration of the 14-day period provided by that rule. [See 11th Cir. R. 42-2 and 42-3 concerning dismissal for failure to prosecute in a civil appeal.]
(a) First Request for an Extension of Time. A party’s first request for an extension of time to file its brief or appendix or to correct a deficiency in the brief or appendix must set forth good cause. A first request for an extension of 30 days or less may be made by telephone o