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Telephonic Appearance

Hearings may be conducted by teleconference when deemed appropriate by the Court. In approving a hearing by teleconference, consideration will be given to the nature and scope of the matter before the Court, number of parties seeking to appear by phone, associated time and cost of travel, and equity to all parties.

For telephonic appearances in Judge Davis hearings, parties will no longer file a motion with a proposed order.

Effective immediately, to request a telephonic appearance, counsel will electronically file a Request for Telephonic Appearance at least 48 hours before the hearing.

The Request for Telephonic Appearance event has been created in CM/ECF as a text only entry, there will be no PDF attachment.  It will prompt the filer to include the reason for the request, a direct (not cell) phone number, date and time of hearing, and linkage to the matter being heard.

If Judge Davis approves the request, a Judge's Notice of Party Permitted to Appear Telephonically will be entered in the case.

Party will dial-in number 1-857-232-0155. You will be responsible for your own long-distance charges. This dial-in number should be used regardless of the location of the hearing.
You will be asked to key in the conference room number. The conference room number is 511285. Once this number is entered, you will be connected live to the courtroom.
Once you are connected, you will be able to hear persons speaking in the courtroom and other persons on the call addressing the Court. You will not be able to address the Court until the Court addresses you or you request to speak and the Court grants the request.
If you wish to address the Court, you must press 5*. Do not press 5* until you need to address the Court. Within 5 seconds, the Court will receive a signal that you wish to speak. When the Court calls on you, you will hear a recorded message that your line has been unmuted. At that time, you may be heard.
When you are done, the Court will again terminate your ability to speak. You may press 5* if an additional issue arises that you wish to address with the Court.

If Judge Davis does not approve the request, a Judge's Notice of Party Not Permitted to Appear Telephonically will be entered.  

In Complex Chapter 11 cases, the Court may establish separate procedures for telephonic appearances on a case by case basis.

Please be advised of the following:

  • Unless specified otherwise by the court, the court does not permit the use of pay phones, cellular phones or speakerphones of any kind when participating in any court proceeding telephonically. Since we do not recommend the use of a speakerphone, you should schedule a separate appearance for your client so that he/she can participate in the conference.
  • Parties must be available 20 minutes prior to the hearing. The same rules regarding punctuality and conduct apply and a telephone appearance is treated the same way as any other Court Appearance.
  • Typically, the Court will take the cases in whatever order it would normally, whether there are telephonic appearances or not. There is no required preferential treatment for people making telephonic appearances.
  • Each time a participant speaks, he or she should identify himself or herself for the record.
  • Witness testimony is not permitted via teleconference.
  • If a technological problem arises, the hearing will continue without the participation of dial-in participants. The Court will not delay hearings for signal problems or interference. Accordingly, persons choosing to attend a hearing by dial-in do so at their own risk of a technological failure.