Motion for Process Instructions

A motion is an application to the court made by the prosecutor or defense attorney, requesting that the court make a decision on a certain issue before the trial begins. The motion can affect the trial, courtroom, defendants, evidence, or testimony. Only judges decide the outcome of motions.

After you complete your motion, you must file it with the court.You must then serve (mail) a copy of your filed motion (including all exhibits and the date, time, and place of hearing) to all other parties in the case. If a party is represented by an attorney, mail the motion directly to the attorney's office.

Create a legal heading for your motion. Capitalize your title head. Declare the facts. Write the memorandum using the law and legal precedent to plead your case. Conclude the motion with a brief summary of your request.

The motion must include a separate "Notice of Motion" which includes a brief summary of the nature of the motion, the deadline for filing a response, and if there is a hearing, the date, time, and location of the hearing.

When you file your motion, the court clerk will insert the date, time, and place of the hearing on your motion. You must then serve (mail) a copy of your filed motion (including all exhibits and the date, time, and place of hearing) to all other parties in the case.

Each judge has her/his own habits and it's difficult to speak to the speed of a judge outside of my personal experience. But as a general rule, you can expect a decision in this type of matter in anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months.

There's no exact time limit on how fast a judge must do his work. In the states and federal courts I am familiar with, the lawyer files a motion and sets it for hearing about six weeks later, more or less, depending on the court's docket.

At a motion hearing, each party can argue its position and the judge can ask specific questions about the fact or law. After hearing the judge decides the motion and this is called an order. However, during a trial or a hearing, an oral motion may also be permitted.