"The Parties Either Have Not Read, or They Have Read and Do Not Intend to Be Mindful of …"

"the Court's previous comments about unnecessarily contentious pleadings that waste the Court's time and resources."

Words to note, from Judge Amy Berman Jackson today, in Egolf v. Georgetown University:

MINUTE ORDER. Apparently, the parties either have not read, or they have read and do not intend to be mindful of, the Court's previous comments about unnecessarily contentious pleadings that waste the Court's time and resources. See Jan. 12, 2026 Order 32. Defendant Georgetown University's motion to strike 36 plaintiff's reply brief is DENIED, and plaintiff's motion for a short extension of time to file a reply which has already been docketed 35 is GRANTED. The parties should take note that with the reply, the motion to dismiss has been fully briefed, and it is under advisement. Nothing further is needed. And once plaintiff files a timely reply, if any, to the opposition 37 to his motion for reconsideration 34, there will be nothing else to be filed with respect to that or any other matter. No sur-replies will be permitted. SO ORDERED.

And from the cited Order at ECF No. 32:

Finally, given the nature, number, and tone of the pleadings to date, the Court finds it necessary to advise the parties as follows: 1) this case is going to proceed in an orderly manner; 2) pleadings informing the Court that other pleadings will be filed in the future are entirely unnecessary; and 3) caustic pleadings that include personal attacks on other parties or their counsel tend to obscure, rather than advance, legitimate factual and legal arguments, and they should be avoided.

Comments

[Aubrey LaVentana]

This is a sign that Helen Andrews warned us about.

[Eugene Volokh]

If you're suggesting that Judge Jackson wrote this because she's a woman, I'm pretty skeptical: I think she wrote it because she's a judge. Judges generally get quite annoyed when they feel that counsel aren't taking their instructions seriously, and especially when they feel that counsel are wasting their time. Some judges get quite sharp about it, and plenty of that comes from male judges as well as female.

[Aubrey LaVentana]

Quite the contrary. Rather, the parties to the suit.

[James K. Polk]

This is Judge Jackson publicly sharpening her knives for the parties to see. If they don't shape up, those knives will be employed. Now let's sit back and see how 38, 39, and 40 come out.

[Gregory]

The motion to strike was based on the reply being filed a week late without explanation, and that it raised new legal arguments. Neither seem like bonkers arguments (depending on how strict the jurisdiction is on filing deadlines), but definitely petty. Feel like I’d need more context to share the judge’s indignation.