All contested cases shall be placed in the designated trial courtroom(s) by attorneys or pro se parties with approval of the judge, in open court, or by praecipe with agreement of all parties prior to the first return date.  Attorneys and pro se parties with multiple cases shall not schedule more than three trials per day on the contested docket, and estimated total hearing times should not exceed two hours.  Only one personal injury case is allowed per trial date.  Only unlawful detainer actions, distress warrants, and tenant's assertions will be heard on Fridays.

Any contested case that is expected to take two or more hours to complete should be brought to the attention of the judge or clerk's office at the first return or time of selecting a trial date so that special docketing arrangements can be made.  See the Long Trials page for more information.

Available trial dates may be determined by calling the Civil Clerk's Office at 703-246-3012, by checking the calendar of available trial dates in Room 211, or on the podiums in the Civil courtrooms.

All contested cases shall be heard in open court and judgment rendered in open court, or taken under advisement with a subsequent date set for proclamation of judgment or letter of opinion.