Rule 20 - Form and Length of Briefs, Appendices, and Other Documents(a) Form and Length of Briefs, Appendices, and Applications for and Responses to Direct and Further Appellate Review. (1) Form (A) Except on order of the appellate court or a single justice, or if filed on behalf of a party allowed to proceed as an indigent party, all briefs, appendices, and applications for and responses to direct and further appellate review shall be produced by any duplicating or copying process which produces a clear black image on white paper. However produced, the page shall be 8.5 inches in width and 11 inches in height. Pages shall be firmly bound at the left, and a cover or front page shall be used. (B) Visual aids, including images, photographs, illustrations, diagrams, charts, or tables, may be included in a brief, an application for direct or further appellate review, or a response to such an application. A visual aid shall: (i) be supported by appropriate citation; (ii) not include any material that is impounded; depicts a minor, violence, death, or pornography; or is otherwise gruesome or indecent in nature; and (iii) comply with the requirements of Rule 18(a)(1)(F) concerning quality, legibility, accuracy, and color.(2) Length of Briefs in All Cases Other than Cross Appeals. The following rules shall govern the length of briefs in all cases other than cross appeals: (A) A principal brief shall either be produced in a monospaced font and not contain more than 50 pages, or be produced in a proportionally spaced font and not contain more than 11,000 words.(B) A reply brief shall either be produced in a monospaced font and not contain more than 20 pages, or be produced in a proportionally spaced font and not contain more than 4,500 words.(C) An amicus curiae brief shall either be produced in a monospaced font and not contain more than 35 pages, or be produced in a proportionally spaced font and not contain more than 7,500 words.(D) In all briefs, only those parts required by Rule 16(a)(5)-(11), including headings, footnotes, visual aids, and quotations, count towards the length limits.(E) A motion to exceed these length limits shall specify the relevant issue or issues and why such issues merit additional pages or words, and will not be granted except for extraordinary reasons.(F) The certification required pursuant to Rule 16(k) shall specifically state how compliance with the length limits of this rule was ascertained, as specified therein.(3) Length of Briefs in Cases Involving Cross Appeals. The following rules shall govern the length of briefs in cases involving cross appeals: (A) An appellant's principal brief shall either be produced in a monospaced font and not contain more than 50 pages, or be produced in a proportionally spaced font and not contain more than 11,000 words.(B) An appellee's principal and response brief shall either be produced in a monospaced font and not contain more than 60 pages, or be produced in a proportionally spaced font and not contain more than 13,000 words.(C) An appellant's response and reply brief shall either be produced in a monospaced font and not contain more than 50 pages, or be produced in a proportionally spaced font and not contain more than 11,000 words.(D) An appellee's reply brief shall either be produced in a monospaced font and not contain more than 20 pages, or be produced in a proportionally spaced font and not contain more than 4,500 words.(E) An amicus curiae brief shall either be produced in a monospaced font and not contain more than 35 pages, or be produced in a proportionally spaced font and not contain more than 7,500 words.(F) In all briefs, only those parts required by Rule 16(a)(5)-(11), including headings, footnotes, visual aids, and quotations, count towards the length limits.(G) A motion to exceed these length limits shall specify the relevant issue or issues and why such issues merit additional pages or words, and will not be granted except for extraordinary reasons.(H) The certification required pursuant to Rule 16(k) shall specifically state how compliance with the length limits of this rule was ascertained, as specified therein.(4) Format and Pagination of Text. The following rules shall govern the format of text on the pages of all briefs and applications for and responses to direct or further appellate review: (A) If a monospaced font is used, the top and bottom margins shall be at least 1 inch. The left and right margins shall be at least 1.5 inches. If a proportionally spaced font is used, the top, bottom, left, and right margins shall be at least 1 inch. Page numbers shall appear in the margin with the cover paginated as page 1 pursuant to Rule 20(a)(6)(B)(vii) and pages thereafter numbered consecutively through the last page, including any addendum.(B) The typeface of all text, including footnotes, shall be either (i) a monospaced font (such as Courier New) of 12 point or larger size and not exceeding 10.5 characters per inch; or (ii) a proportionally spaced font (such as Times New Roman) of 14 point or larger size.(C) Text shall be double-spaced, except that argument headings, footnotes, visual aids, and indented quotations may be single-spaced. For purposes of this rule, single spacing means not more than 6 lines of text per vertical inch; double spacing means not more than 3 lines of text per vertical inch and not more than 27 double-spaced lines on a page.(D) The text may appear on both sides of the page.(5) Format, Pagination, and Length of Appendix. The following rules shall govern the format of appendices: (A) The cover of each volume of the appendix shall be designated by a Roman numeral and paginated as page 1, and pages thereafter numbered consecutively through the volume's last page. The cover shall also contain the information identified in Rule 20(a)(6)(B).(B) Each volume of the appendix shall be separately paginated, beginning at page 1.(C) No single volume of an appendix, transcript or exhibit shall be more than 1.5" thick.(D) The text of appendices filed on paper may appear on both sides of the page.(6) Color and Contents of Cover. The following rules shall govern the color and contents of the cover of all briefs, appendices, and applications for or responses to direct or further appellate review: (A) Color. The cover of the brief of the appellant shall be blue; that of the appellee, red; that of a party intervening in the appeal, yellow; that of an amicus curiae, green; that of any reply brief, gray. The cover of the appendix shall be white. The cover or front page of an application for or response to direct or further appellate review shall be white. A color cover is not required for any electronically filed brief.(B) Contents. The front covers of the briefs and appendices, in addition to the requirements for covers of appendices in Rule 20(a)(5), and of applications for or responses to direct or further appellate review shall contain: (i) the name of the court and the number of the case;(ii) the title of the case (see Rule 10(a));(iii) the nature of the proceeding in the appellate court (e.g., Appeal; Application for Review) and the name of the lower court;(iv) the title of the document (e.g., Brief for Appellant, Appendix); (v) the name(s), personal pronouns (if the attorney or self-represented litigant elects), Board of Bar Overseers (BBO) number(s), if any, mailing and electronic addresses, and telephone number(s) of the person(s) filing the document, and, if any individual counsel is affiliated with a firm or office, the office name; and(vi) where it is necessary to include impounded material in a brief, the notification required by Rule 16(m).(vii) The cover shall be paginated as page 1.(7) Substantial Compliance Required. Briefs, appendices, or applications for or responses to direct or further appellate review not in substantial compliance with these rules shall not be docketed unless the appellate court or a single justice shall otherwise order.(b) Form of Other Documents. (1) Motions for Reconsideration or Modification. Motions for reconsideration or modification shall be produced in a manner prescribed by Rule 27(b).(2) Motions and Other Documents. (A) A motion or other document addressed to an appellate court shall contain a caption setting forth the name of the court, the title of the case, the docket number, and a brief descriptive title indicating the purpose of the document; the caption shall appear on the first page. Lines of text shall be double-spaced and shall be in 12 point or larger font, with side and top margins no less than 1 inch, and shall be no longer than reasonably necessary. Consecutive pages shall be stapled at the upper left margin.(B) Such motion or document shall contain, at the end thereof(i) the printed and signed name(s), personal pronouns (if the attorney or self-represented litigant elects), Board of Bar Overseers (BBO) number(s), if any, mailing and electronic addresses, and telephone number(s) of the person(s) filing the document, and, if any individual counsel is affiliated with a firm or office, the office name, and(ii) the date of signing.Amended effective 2/24/1975;2/1/1991;1/1/1992; amended December 1, 1998, effective 1/1/1999; March 5, 2010, effective 5/1/2010; amended October 31, 2018, effective 3/1/2019; amended July 8, 2021, effective 9/1/2021; amended May 7, 2024, effective 5/7/2024.Reporter's Notes (2010). Rule 20(a)(4) has been amended to require attorneys to include their e-mail addresses, if any, on the front cover of briefs and appendices. A similar amendment to Mass. R. Civ. P. 11(a) was adopted in 2010 requiring attorneys to include their e-mail addresses on pleadings.
Reporter's Notes-2024
The Supreme Judicial Court amended S.J.C. Rule 1:08 (1) (H) effective October 1, 2022, to permit filers to include their personal pronouns with the filer's name or signature. In 2024, the Massachusetts Rules of Appellate Procedure were amended to incorporate the option into Mass. R.A.P. 20(a)(6)(B)(v) and 20(b)(2)(B)(i). The amendment expressly allows people to include preferred personal pronouns on court filings. The information informs judges, opposing counsel, and court personnel of a person's pronouns in advance of a hearing or communication, and can help prevent inadvertent misidentification during legal proceedings. See J. Stanton & Y. Taylor, Utilizing and Normalizing Personal Pronouns in Legal Filings, Proceedings, and Communications, 67 B.B.J. #2 (Spring 2023).