E.D. Tex. Local Rule CV-12 — Filing of Answers and Defenses: the court's own rule, verbatim from UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS LOCAL RULES (as of February 9, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
An attorney may request that the deadline be extended for a defendant to answer the complaint or file a motion under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b). Unless otherwise ordered by the court, where the requested extension: (1) is not opposed; and (2) does not result in an overall extension of the defendant’s deadline exceeding forty-five days, the request shall be by application to the clerk, not motion. The application shall be acted upon with dispatch by the clerk on the court’s behalf, and the deadline to answer or otherwise respond is stayed pending action by the clerk.
An attorney may request that the deadline be extended for a defendant to answer the complaint or file a motion under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b). Unless otherwise ordered by the court, where the requested extension: (1) is not opposed; and (2) does not result in an overall extension of