S.D. Tex. LR 16.1 — Civil Initial Pretrial Conference; Scheduling Order

High confidence· verified September 26, 2026Local Rules

Summary

S.D. Tex. LR 16.1 — Civil Initial Pretrial Conference; Scheduling Order: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (EFFECTIVE MAY 1, 2000), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.

Requirement

Within 140 days after the filing of a complaint or notice of removal, the judge will conduct an initial pretrial conference under Fed.R.Civ.P 16 and enter a scheduling order, except in these types of cases: A. Prisoner civil rights; B. State and federal habeas corpus; C. Student and veteran loan; D. Social security appeals; E. Bankruptcy appeals; and F. Forfeiture of seized assets. A judge may conduct an initial pretrial conference and enter a scheduling order in any of the types of cases excepted. A scheduling order setting cut-off dates for new parties, motions, expert witnesses and discovery, setting a trial date, and establishing a time framework for disposition of motions will be entered at the conference. Should there be an earlier Rule 26(f) discovery conference, the scheduling order may be entered at that conference. Additional pretrial/settlement /discovery conferences may be scheduled by the Court as the need is identified. By individual notice, the Court will require attendance at conferences “by an attorney who has the authority to bind that party regarding all matters . . .” 28 U.S.C. § 473(b)(2).

Source of truth

Within 140 days after the filing of a complaint or notice of removal, the judge will conduct an initial pretrial conference under Fed.R.Civ.P 16 and enter a scheduling order, except in these types of cases: A. Prisoner civil rights; B. State and federal habeas corpus; C. Student

Official source: S.D. Tex. — Local & Federal Rules (U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas)
Source health: Healthy · checked October 4, 2026
Effective date: —
Last verified: September 26, 2026benchpath-appfed-rules-2026-09-25

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