The Volokh Conspiracy
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Burning the Midnight Oil in the Northern District of Texas
"[A] little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man."
From Judge Brantley Starr (N.D. Tex.) yesterday in Richards v. X Corp.:
[Richards'] main argument [in his motion for reconsideration] hinges on the idea that the Court ceases work at 5:00 PM. Richards filed his second reply in support of his request for a temporary restraining order at 8:45 PM on August 5, 2025, and the Court's order, dated August 5, 2025, was docketed around noon on August 6, 2025. Richards insists this means the Court did not properly consider his second reply but had its outcome predetermined.
While the Court appreciates Richards's vision of confining the workday to an agreeable nine-to-five schedule, that is not the reality for the hard workers of the Northern District of Texas. Just as Richards himself filed his reply in the evening, so the Court was hard at work in the waning hours of the day—hence the order's next-day docket entry. {After all, "a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man." Proverbs 6:10–11.} And regardless, Richards is not entitled to multiple reply briefs. {See. Local Rule 7.1(f) ("Unless otherwise directed by the presiding judge, a party who has filed an opposed motion may file a reply brief within 14 days from the date the response is filed." (emphasis added)).} Therefore, the Court DENIES Richards's motion for reconsideration.
