Legal Definitions - law and motion calendar

A law and motion calendar is a specific schedule maintained by a court to manage and hear legal arguments and requests that arise before a trial actually begins. It is essentially a judge's agenda for addressing preliminary legal issues, procedural matters, and formal requests (known as "motions") that do not involve the presentation of evidence or arguments that would typically occur during the main trial itself. These calendars ensure that pre-trial disputes and administrative tasks are handled efficiently, allowing the trial to focus solely on the core facts and legal arguments of the case.

Here are some examples of matters that would typically appear on a judge's law and motion calendar:

• Motion for an Extension of Time: Imagine a situation where an attorney for one of the parties needs more time to gather necessary documents or interview a crucial witness before a court-imposed deadline. The attorney would file a formal request, known as a "motion for an extension of time," asking the judge to grant them additional time. This request is a preliminary procedural matter, not part of the trial itself, and would be scheduled for a hearing on the law and motion calendar for the judge to consider and rule upon.

• Motion to Dismiss: Consider a scenario where a plaintiff files a lawsuit, but the defendant believes that, even if everything the plaintiff claims is true, there is no legal basis for the lawsuit to proceed. The defendant would file a "motion to dismiss" the case. This motion argues that the lawsuit should be thrown out before trial because it fails to state a valid legal claim. The judge would hear arguments from both sides on this motion during a session on the law and motion calendar, deciding whether the case can continue or should be dismissed without ever reaching a full trial.

• Motion to Exclude Evidence (Motion in Limine): In a personal injury case, one party might want to prevent certain potentially inflammatory or irrelevant information from being presented to the jury during the trial. For example, an attorney might argue that the opposing party's past, unrelated minor traffic violations should not be mentioned because they are prejudicial and have no bearing on the current accident. The attorney would file a "motion in limine" (a Latin term meaning "at the threshold") to ask the judge to rule on the admissibility of this evidence beforehand. This pre-trial request to limit or exclude evidence would be heard and decided by the judge on the law and motion calendar.