A motion to shorten time is a request asking a court to compress a procedural deadline, most often the notice period that must pass before a hearing on another motion. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a motion generally has to be served at least 14 days before its hearing, but Rule 6(c)(1)(C) lets a party apply ex parte for a different schedule after showing good cause.1Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 6 – Computing and Extending Time; Time for Motion Papers Courts grant these requests only when the moving party demonstrates genuine urgency and the standard timeline would cause real harm.
When Shortening Time Makes Sense
The most common trigger is a looming court date or expiring order that leaves no room for normal scheduling. A temporary restraining order expires by its own terms within days of being issued. If the party who obtained it needs more time to pursue a preliminary injunction but the hearing can’t be scheduled within the standard notice window, a motion to shorten time bridges the gap. The same urgency arises when a statutory or regulatory deadline is approaching and the normal court calendar would prevent a necessary filing from happening in time.
Expedited discovery is another frequent scenario. When a key witness is about to leave the country, or critical evidence faces destruction, a party may need to take a deposition or compel document production before the parties have even completed their initial case-management conference. Federal rules already anticipate this, allowing early discovery in situations involving preliminary injunctions or jurisdictional disputes.2Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 26 – Duty to Disclose; General Provisions Governing Discovery A motion to shorten time formalizes the request when the rules alone don’t provide a fast enough path.
Trial-eve crises round out the list. A party discovers surprise evidence days before trial. A witness becomes unavailable. A pretrial ruling creates the need for an emergency filing. The thread connecting them is the same: the standard procedural timeline, if followed, would cause one party to lose a right or suffer harm that can’t be undone later.
What Good Cause Actually Means
Every court requires a showing of “good cause” before it will compress a deadline. Rule 6(c)(1)(C) states the federal standard, and state courts use similar language, though the specific test varies by jurisdiction.1Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 6 – Computing and Extending Time; Time for Motion Papers
In practice, judges weigh several things when deciding whether that bar has been cleared:
- Real and immediate harm. The moving party must show concrete consequences of delay, not speculative ones. “We might lose evidence” is weaker than “this warehouse is scheduled for demolition on Friday.”
- No self-created urgency. Judges have little patience for parties who sat on their hands and then cry emergency. If you knew about the issue for weeks and waited until the last minute, that alone can sink the motion.
- Prejudice to the other side. Compressing a deadline necessarily gives your opponent less time to prepare. The court has to decide whether the urgency justifies that tradeoff.
- Your diligence. Courts look at how promptly you acted once the need for acceleration became clear. Filing the motion the same day you learned about the problem carries far more weight than filing a week later.
Vague assertions that something “could be chilled” or “might be affected” won’t cut it. Courts expect specificity: particular dates, particular harms, and a clear explanation of why the normal timeline doesn’t work.
What Goes in the Filing Package
The filing package generally includes three documents, though exact requirements depend on your jurisdiction and whether you’re in federal or state court.
The first is the motion or application itself. It identifies which procedural deadline you want changed, what new timeline you’re proposing, and why good cause exists for the change. In federal court this is often styled as an “ex parte application” because Rule 6(c)(1)(C) specifically allows the request to be made without the opposing party’s initial participation.1Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 6 – Computing and Extending Time; Time for Motion Papers Some courts require a separate legal memorandum laying out the applicable rules and any supporting case law; others let the motion itself serve that function.
The second is a supporting declaration or affidavit. This is where you build the factual case for urgency. The person signing it, whether the attorney or a party with firsthand knowledge, must lay out specific facts: dates, events, communications, and the chain of circumstances that created the emergency. The declaration should also explain what efforts you made to resolve the issue within the normal timeline, and why those efforts fell short.
The third is a proposed order. This is a standalone document, drafted by you, that the judge can sign immediately if the motion is granted. It should spell out the new shortened deadline and any conditions the court might want to impose. Judges handling emergency applications appreciate not having to draft one from scratch.
Filing and Serving the Motion
Because motions to shorten time arise outside the normal briefing schedule, they’re typically filed as ex parte applications rather than through the regular motion calendar. Filing usually happens electronically, though some courts maintain a dedicated clerk’s window or drop box for emergency filings. Fees vary by jurisdiction and court level; check your local rules or the clerk’s office for the current amount.
“Ex parte” does not mean you can blindfold the other side. Most courts require you to give opposing counsel advance notice of your intent to file, often at least 24 hours beforehand. That notice should include the date and time you plan to present the motion, what relief you’re asking for, and the reason for the compressed timeline. The purpose isn’t to give the other side a full opportunity to brief the issue; it’s to make sure they aren’t ambushed by a court order they had zero warning about.
You’ll typically need to file proof that you provided this advance notice. A declaration of service, filed alongside the motion package, documenting when and how you notified opposing counsel satisfies this requirement in most jurisdictions. If you couldn’t reach opposing counsel despite genuine efforts, the declaration should explain what you tried and why it failed. Courts take notice requirements seriously because the entire premise of shortening time already disadvantages the other side.
What Happens After You File
Review is usually fast. In genuinely urgent situations, judges may rule on the papers alone the same day. In less dire circumstances, the court might schedule an abbreviated hearing for oral argument, sometimes with only a day or two of notice. Federal courts also have broad authority to expedite any civil action when the interests of justice require it, giving judges additional flexibility to manage urgent matters.3GovInfo. 28 USC 1657 – Priority of Civil Actions
The analysis comes down to balancing two interests: the moving party’s need for speed against the non-moving party’s right to the full notice period the rules normally guarantee. A well-supported motion with specific, verifiable facts about imminent harm tilts the balance toward granting. A generic recitation of “exigent circumstances” without concrete details tilts toward denial.
If the court grants the motion, the new deadline takes effect immediately. You’re then responsible for serving the signed order on all other parties without delay, usually through electronic service or hand delivery. The other side needs to know about the compressed timeline so they can adjust.
If the motion is denied, the standard deadlines remain in place. That isn’t necessarily catastrophic, but you’ll need to immediately pivot to working within the original timeline. If the underlying issue is truly urgent and the motion failed, you may need to explore other procedural avenues.
The Order to Show Cause Alternative
In some courts, the faster route to emergency relief isn’t a motion to shorten time at all. It’s an Order to Show Cause. The mechanics are different, even though both tools address the same underlying problem: you need something from the court faster than the normal schedule allows.
With a motion to shorten time, you’re asking the court to compress the timeline for your own motion. With an Order to Show Cause, you’re asking the judge to issue an order directing the opposing party to appear and explain why the court shouldn’t grant the relief you’re seeking. The judge sets the return date, which can be as soon as a few days out. The court itself is driving the timeline, which effectively bypasses the normal notice and briefing schedule.
An Order to Show Cause requires a clear and specific showing by affidavit of good reasons why normal motion practice won’t work. The supporting papers must include factual evidence of the emergency, and many courts also require proof that you gave opposing counsel advance notice. Some courts treat the two mechanisms as interchangeable; others prefer one over the other for specific types of emergencies, particularly in cases involving temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions. Check your local rules to see which approach your court favors.
Sanctions Risk for Bad-Faith Filings
Filing a motion to shorten time carries the same professional obligations as any other court filing. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11, every written motion presented to the court carries an implicit certification that it is not being filed for an improper purpose and that its factual and legal contentions have a reasonable basis.4Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 11 – Signing Pleadings, Motions, and Other Papers; Representations to the Court; Sanctions
A motion filed to harass, manufacture false urgency, or gain tactical advantage by depriving your opponent of preparation time can trigger sanctions. Penalties range from nonmonetary directives to an order requiring payment of the opposing party’s attorney’s fees incurred in responding, and any sanction must be proportional to the violation.4Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 11 – Signing Pleadings, Motions, and Other Papers; Representations to the Court; Sanctions The court can initiate the process on its own or in response to a separate sanctions motion from the opposing party. Judges who handle emergency calendars develop sharp instincts for manufactured urgency, so don’t file one of these unless you genuinely need it.