Deadlines
The Conglomerate Blog points to a short, 2 page opinion in a lawsuit against Microsoft that begs the question: how strictly should courts enforce deadlines? On the one hand, Microsoft electronically filed its motion for summary judgment just five minutes after the midnight deadline. On the other hand, give litigants an inch, and they will take a mile. Lawyers should give each other leeway on immaterial procedural issues; it makes sense for professional courtesy and overall efficiency. But when one side engages in a pattern of discourteously ignoring deadlines and other rules, ultimately their opponent has to take a stand just to keep the case on track.
If this was Microsoft's first stray from the Federal Rules and the court's orders, then it probably is a non-issue. Since the case had apparently progessed all the way to the deadline for summary judgment motions, though, there may be more backstory to this motion than meets the eye.