14,000-word brief limit for 7th Circuit means 14,000

Federal Courts

By Jay S. Judge

Jay S. Judge, a name partner of Judge, James, Hoban & Fisher LLC in Park Ridge, is a defense attorney who specializes in trials, appeals and insurance coverage. Judge graduated with honors from The John Marshall Law School and served as editor-in-chief of the school’s law review.

Posted November 6, 2018 10:15 AM

Today’s column examines a ruling on the length of appellate briefs in which 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Frank H. Easterbrook discussed whether footnotes and other ancillary material count against the total word limit.While Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32(a)(7)(B)(i) caps briefs at 13,000 words, 7th Circuit Rule 32 allows another 1,000 words, meaning a principal brief is acceptable if it contains no more than 14,000 words.In the case of Vermillion v. Corizon Health Inc., No. 18-1517 (7th Cir., Oct …

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