Skip to main content

​
Same Document, Different Judge

This is the core problem the Court Rules Linter solves. Two judges in the same courthouse, same district, same floor — but radically different requirements for the exact same filing.

​
The scenario

You have a 31-page memorandum of law in support of a motion for summary judgment:
  • Page count: 31
  • Word count: 10,000
  • Document type: brief_support
  • Motion type: Rule_56
  • District: EDNY
Let’s check this document against two EDNY judges.

​
Judge Amon: REVIEW (action items, no failures)

curl -X POST https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/check \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "judge_slug": "carol-bagley-amon",
    "district_id": "edny",
    "document_scope": "brief_support",
    "motion_type": "Rule_56",
    "pmc_completed": true,
    "document": {
      "page_count": 31,
      "word_count": 10000
    }
  }'
Result: REVIEW — no page limit violation, but action items. 
{
  "summary": {
    "status": "REVIEW",
    "failures": 0,
    "warnings": 0,
    "passes": 2,
    "action_items": 3
  },
  "results": [
    {
      "severity": "INFO",
      "category": "WORD_LIMIT",
      "message": "10,000 words exceeds 8,750-word limit",
      "source": "EDNY LR 7.1(c)",
      "status": "FAIL"
    },
    {
      "severity": "INFO",
      "category": "COURTESY_COPY",
      "message": "Courtesy copy required: tabbed binder, double-sided",
      "source": "Amon SO",
      "status": "ACTION_REQUIRED"
    },
    {
      "severity": "INFO",
      "category": "FILING_GATE",
      "message": "Must wait for full briefing before filing",
      "source": "Amon SO",
      "status": "ACTION_REQUIRED"
    },
    {
      "severity": "INFO",
      "category": "PMC",
      "message": "Pre-motion conference completed",
      "source": "Amon SO",
      "status": "PASS"
    }
  ]
}
Judge Amon has no judge-specific page limit for briefs. The 31 pages are fine by her standing order. But she requires:
  • Courtesy copies in a tabbed binder, double-sided
  • Motions must be fully briefed before filing
  • A pre-motion conference (which we indicated was completed)

​
Judge Block: NON_COMPLIANT (hard failure)

Same document. Same district. Different judge. 
curl -X POST https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/check \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "judge_slug": "frederic-block",
    "district_id": "edny",
    "document_scope": "brief_support",
    "motion_type": "Rule_56",
    "pmc_completed": true,
    "document": {
      "page_count": 31,
      "word_count": 10000
    }
  }'
Result: NON_COMPLIANT — the same document fails. 
{
  "summary": {
    "status": "NON_COMPLIANT",
    "failures": 1,
    "warnings": 0,
    "passes": 2,
    "action_items": 1
  },
  "results": [
    {
      "severity": "CRITICAL",
      "category": "PAGE_LIMIT",
      "message": "31 pages exceeds 25-page limit",
      "source": "Block SO",
      "status": "FAIL"
    },
    {
      "severity": "INFO",
      "category": "PMC",
      "message": "Pre-motion conference completed (required for represented counsel)",
      "source": "Block SO",
      "status": "PASS"
    }
  ]
}
Judge Block imposes a 25-page limit on briefs. Your 31-page memo is 6 pages over. The court will reject it — not on the merits, but on formatting.

​
The difference

CheckJudge AmonJudge Block
Page limitNo judge-specific limit25 pages (FAIL)
Courtesy copiesTabbed binder, double-sidedNot required
PMCRequired (all parties)Required (counsel only)
Filing gateMust wait for full briefingNo gate
Same document. Same courthouse. Opposite outcomes.

​
Why this happens: three rule layers

Federal court compliance is governed by three layers of authority, each of which can impose different requirements:
  1. FRCP (Federal Rules of Civil Procedure) — National baseline. Covers captions, signatures, privacy redactions, motion content requirements. Same for every federal judge in every district. 15 rules.
  2. Local Rules — District-wide. EDNY has 23 local rules covering formatting (font, margins, spacing), word limits (8,750 words for briefs), timing, and required documents. Every EDNY judge shares these.
  3. Standing Orders — Judge-specific. Each judge publishes a PDF (sometimes called “Individual Practices” or “Individual Rules”) with their personal requirements. This is where page limits, courtesy copy policies, pre-motion conference rules, and filing gates live. This is where the divergence happens.
The API checks all three layers simultaneously and tells you exactly which rule, from which layer, applies to your specific filing.

​
Try it yourself

Pick any two full-coverage judges (Amon, Block, Brown) and run the same document against both. The differences are real, sourced from actual standing order PDFs, and verifiable. 
# Check available judges
curl 'https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/judges?district_id=edny' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

# See the rules for each judge
curl 'https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rules?judge_slug=carol-bagley-amon&district_id=edny' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

curl 'https://api.courtrules.app/api/v1/rules?judge_slug=frederic-block&district_id=edny' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"