Copies of Papers: Courtesy copies of filings made through mandatory e-filing should be sent to Chambers only when the exhibits number more than 100 pages or upon request of the Court. 

Contested Matters: Parties should comply with Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 (a)(2) in contested matters.

Communicated for Proposed Orders: Counsel should send a courtesy email to the Judge's law clerk to alert Chambers that a proposed order (whether new or amended) has been uploaded or filed, after a hearing. 

Communication for Emergencies: Counsel should send a courtesy email to the Courtroom Deputy at hearings_lss@mdb.uscourts.gov when filing a motion to shorten time to respond and request for an immediate hearing.

Attorney Inquiry regarding Appearances: Attorney appearance is required unless expressly excused. All inquiries from attorneys regarding excused absences from any proceeding must be made at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled appearance. Requests for excused appearances for proceedings on Monday must be made by noon on Friday. 

Judge Simpson is amenable to telephonic appearances. Requests for telephonic appearance are to be made by contacting the Courtroom Deputy at least 48 hours in advance of a hearing. Counsel appearing by telephone assume the risk of disconnection or miscommunication, and are strongly encouraged to use a land line and not a cellular phone, speaker phone, or hands-free device. Counsel may not examine witnesses or introduce evidence when appearing by telephone.

For general guidance, click here to access the Court's Virtual Hearings Access and General Information page.

Virtual Hearing Protocol

Chapter 13 Instructions: Contact your Ch. 13 Trustee for Hearing Access

• Rebecca Herr - hearing@ch13md.com
• Timothy Branigan - website

For virtual hearings other than Chapter 13 matters, contact Gloria Bellman, Courtroom Deputy, at (301) 344-8031 or at hearings_lss@mdb.uscourts.gov

Courtroom 3D in Greenbelt does not have any installed presentation technology. However, with at least 48 hours advanced notice and the approval of the Judge, a projector and screen can be set up for electronic presentation. Please contact the Judge's Courtroom Deputy by email or phone to ask for approval.

Motions for Relief from the Automatic Stay:  Judge Simpson hears motions for relief from the automatic stay on Mondays.  Movant’s counsel must call or send an email message to the Courtroom Deputy by the immediately preceding Friday at 12:00 p.m. to alert the Court that the matter has been resolved by consent or should be taken off the calendar as a “no response.”  In the absence of notification to the Courtroom Deputy, the motion will be called at the scheduled date and time even if no response has been filed.

Click Here for Motion Hearing Dates

Initial pre-trial conferences will be scheduled in the ordinary course by the Court. However, prior to the scheduled conference date, the Courtroom Deputy will send an email to all counsel asking if they prefer to waive appearance at the conference and seeking their estimate of time needed for discovery. If counsel agrees that no initial pre-trial conference is necessary, the Court will enter a scheduling order accordingly.

In adversary proceedings in which a party is unrepresented, the initial pre-trial conference will be held unless specific arrangements are otherwise made.