E.D.N.Y. Division of Business Rule 3 — Related Civil Cases
A published court requirement that applies in New York. Category: Local Rules. Effective February 17, 2025. Verified against the official source (E.D.N.Y. — Local Rules & Division of Business (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York)) on November 3, 2026.
Summary
E.D.N.Y. Division of Business Rule 3 — Related Civil Cases: the court's own rule, verbatim from Rules for the Division of Business for the Eastern District of New York (Effective February 17, 2025), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: governs the categories, courthouse designation (Brooklyn or Central Islip), assignment and relatedness of cases among the judges of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York; adopted under 28 U.S.C. § 137 for the internal management of the court's case load.
Requirement
(a) “Related” Civil Case Defined. A civil case is “related” to another civil case for purposes of this Rule when, because of the similarity of facts and legal issues or because the cases arise from the same transactions or events, a substantial saving of judicial resources is likely to result from assigning both cases to the same District and/or Magistrate Judge. A civil case shall not be deemed “related” to another civil case merely because the civil case involves identical legal issues or the same parties. Presumptively, and subject to the power of a Judge to determine otherwise pursuant to paragraph (b), civil cases shall not be deemed to be “related” unless each case is still pending before the Court. (b) Judicial Determination That Civil Cases Are “Related.” Other than the cases described in paragraph (d), civil cases shall not be deemed “related” for purposes of this Rule unless and until there has been a determination by a Judge of this court that the standard of paragraph (a) is met, i.e., that because of the similarity of facts and legal issues or because the cases arise from the same transactions or events, a substantial saving of judicial resources is likely to result from assigning both cases to the same District Judge and/or Magistrate Judge. Any party may apply for such a determination by filing a motion in the lowest-numbered case among the applicable cases, and a notice of the filing of such motion in all affected cases. The motion shall be made by letter not to exceed three pages in length, and submitted no later than 30 days after at least a majority of the defendants have been served with the complaint, unless the Judge passing on the application permits a later filing for good cause shown. Before making such a motion, the applicant must confer in good faith with all other parties in an effort to reach an agreement on whether or not the case is “related,” and provide a certification that such efforts were made. After such a motion is made, any other party may serve and file within seven (7) days a letter of no more than three single-spaced pages supporting or opposing the application. Where the Judges presiding over the cases at issue agree on whether cases should be reassigned, the District or Magistrate Judge presiding over the lowest-numbered case may grant or deny the motion. In other cases, the motion shall be decided the Chief Judge. (c) Assignment of Related Cases. Cases which have been judicially determined to be related shall be assigned by the Clerk to the Judge(s) assigned to the case with the lowest docket number in the series of related cases. (d) In the interest of judicial economy, the following categories of civil cases shall be deemed to be “related” without further order of the court: (1) all habeas corpus petitions filed by the same petitioner; and (2) all pro se civil actions filed by the same individual.
Source of truth
(a) “Related” Civil Case Defined. A civil case is “related” to another civil case for purposes of this Rule when, because of the similarity of facts and legal issues or because the cases arise from the same transactions or events, a substantial saving of judicial resources is li
- Official source
- E.D.N.Y. — Local Rules & Division of Business (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York)
- Source health
- Healthy · checked November 14, 2026
- Effective date
- February 17, 2025
- Last verified
- November 3, 2026benchpath-nyfed-rules-2026-11-03
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