Uniform motion calendars streamline a judge’s workload. Much of a court’s time is taken by motions - requests for particular legal actions, such as dismissals on procedural grounds and summary judgments, in which the judge decides the case before trial.
With many cases on the docket, the number of motions builds. The UMC gathers and schedules them, letting the judge rule on each one in rapid succession. Each motion takes only five or ten minutes; longer motions must be scheduled separately. Individuals can follow the UMC schedule through the court website or ask the judge’s assistant.
Those filing motions can have them placed on the UMC in person at the courthouse or by email. On the appointed day, they should arrive early to wait for their motion to come up.