Judge Brad Astrowsky
Individual Rules, Standing Orders & Policies
Adjournments
- A written motion or stipulation is required to schedule, reschedule, continue, or vacate a hearing.
- To seek expedited consideration of a motion to continue, contact the opposing party before filing and state that party’s position in the motion; the Court will not grant it without knowing the opposing party’s position.
Request must include
Communication
Chambers
Phone
Chambers
Document Format Requirements1 rule
The Court prefers proposed jury instructions and verdict forms in Word format and permits them to be emailed directly to the Court.
Court's wording
The Court prefers to receive proposed jury instructions and verdict forms in Word format. These may be directly e-mailed to the Court. In this way, the Court is more easily and quickly able to make modifications prior to printing same for the jurors.
Document Filing Requirements2 rules
Motions and stipulations must be filed with proposed orders, and the Court may reject a motion until an applicable proposed order is submitted.
- Document
- Motion or stipulation
Must include
- •Proposed order
Court's wording
ALL motions or stipulations shall be filed with proposed orders. If a proposed order is applicable to the motion, and it is not submitted with the motion, the Court reserves the right to reject your motion until it is accompanied by a proposed form of order.
I will use an electronic jury questionnaire. Once your trial is assigned to me, please provide me with your proposed jury questionnaire.
Filing & Service rules
Filing Timing and Cure Windows
The judge will have read filings submitted at least two days before a hearing; for a filing within a week of a hearing, the judge requests an emailed copy to the judicial assistant in advance.
I will have read everything that has been filed before the scheduled hearing date and time, so long as it was submitted no later than two days prior to the hearing. If you file something within a week of a hearing, please e-mail a copy of your filing to my judicial assistant, Stephanie Pham (stephanie.pham@jbazmc.maricopa.gov) in advance of the hearing so that I may read it.
Page 1 | General Rules of Practice in this Division
Filing Bundling Requirements
The Court prefers individual submissions and directs that motions be filed separately rather than combined with a response to another party’s motion.
I prefer that all motions, responses, replies, and other filings in this be submitted individually. Do not combine any motion with your response to the other part's motion. All motions are to be filed separately.
Page 1 | Pre-Trial Practice and Management Issues — Motion Practice
Pre-Motion Conference Requirements
Counsel must make a good-faith effort to resolve discovery disputes and be prepared to demonstrate that they met and conferred before bringing the dispute to the Court.
Meet and Confer: Counsel must try in good faith to resolve discovery disputes before bringing it to the Court. It is not enough to say you tried; the Court takes very seriously your duty to meet and confer and will expect you to demonstrate that you have done so.
Page 1 | Discovery or Disclosure Disputes and/or Sanctions
Parties may file a joint discovery-dispute statement to expedite resolution, and the Court strongly encourages doing so even in criminal matters; otherwise, the dispute must begin with an appropriate motion, and a phone or email request will not secure a hearing.
Dispute Resolution: If the parties want to expedite the discovery dispute, they may file a Joint Statement of Discovery Dispute similar to what is required by Rule 26(d) of the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure. The Court strongly encourages the parties to follow this procedure, even in criminal matters. Otherwise, the dispute must commence with a Motion to Compel, or other appropriate discovery or disclosure motion. The Court will not set a discovery dispute hearing based on a telephonic or email request.
Page 1 | Discovery or Disclosure Disputes and/or Sanctions
Adjournment & Extension Requirements
A written motion or stipulation is required to schedule, reschedule, continue, or vacate a hearing.
Motions to Continue/Vacate: The Court requires a written motion or stipulation to schedule, reschedule, continue, or vacate hearings.
Page 1 | Pre-Trial Practice and Management Issues — Motion Practice
To seek expedited consideration of a motion to continue, contact the opposing party before filing and state that party’s position in the motion; the Court will not grant it without knowing the opposing party’s position.
If you want a Motion to Continue to be addressed expeditiously, please reach out to the opposing party before filing the motion, and state the opposing party's position to your motion in the body of your motion. I cannot grant a Motion to Continue before knowing the other party's position.
Page 1 | Pre-Trial Practice and Management Issues — Motion Practice
Chambers Communication Rules
Advise the Court as far in advance as possible of any accommodation needed for a trial or evidentiary hearing.
If an attorney, party, or witness require any accommodations (e.g., an interpreter), please advise the Court with as much advanced notice as possible prior to the scheduled trial or evidentiary hearing.
Page 1 | Trial Practice and Protocol
Please e-mail a settlement conference memorandum or anything else you want me to review prior to the settlement conference.
Please e-mail a settlement conference memorandum or anything else you want me to review prior to the settlement conference.
Page 1 | Other Pre-trial Practice Guidelines or Comments
After a trial is assigned to the Division, attorneys may email the Court about trial-related matters, but must simultaneously send the email to all opposing counsel.
Once a trial is assigned to this Division, the attorneys are free to directly e-mail the Court with issues, jury instructions, verdict forms, trial memos, caselaw, etc. Any such e-mail shall also be simultaneously sent to all opposing counsel.
Page 1 | Other Courtroom Policies and Recommendations
Contact the judicial assistant by email or phone to schedule a settlement conference.
To schedule these, please contact my judicial assistant, Stephanie Pham: stephanie.pham@jbazmc.maricopa.gov; 602-372-2048.
Page 1 | Other Pre-trial Practice Guidelines or Comments