Supreme Court of the State of Oregon
Brief and appendix rules we apply — State appeal, $299.
Format
- Type
- Times New Roman 14 pt, double-spaced
- Margins
- Margins: top 0.75", right 1", bottom 0.75", left 1.25"
- Opening brief
- 14,000 words
- Reply brief
- 4,000 words
- What counts
- Excludes indexes, excerpt, appendices, certificates
- Rules
- Oregon Rules of Appellate Procedure (ORAP) — ORAP 5.05 (Arial, Times New Roman or Century Schoolbook; margins inside 1.25, outside 1, top/bottom 0.75); ORAP 5.05; ORAP 9.17 (briefs on review)
Parts of the brief, in order
- Cover — Required · ORAP 5.05
- INDEX OF CONTENTS — Required · ORAP 5.35
- INDEX OF AUTHORITIES — Required · ORAP 5.35
- STATEMENT OF THE CASE — Required · ORAP 5.40
- SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT — Required · ORAP 5.40
- STATEMENT OF FACTS — Required · ORAP 5.40
- ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR / ARGUMENT — Required · ORAP 5.45
- CONCLUSION — Required
- EXCERPT OF RECORD — Required · ORAP 5.50
- CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH BRIEF LENGTH AND TYPE SIZE REQUIREMENTS — Required · ORAP 5.05
- CERTIFICATE OF FILING AND SERVICE — Required
Argument headings: Each 'FIRST ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR' quotes/identifies the ruling challenged, followed by 'Preservation of Error' (record cite) and 'Standard of Review' subsections, then argument (ORAP 5.45).
Standard of review: Separate 'Standard of Review' subheading under each assignment of error (ORAP 5.45)
Record citations: (ER 12); transcript (Tr 45); appendix (App-3)
Excerpt of Record
Required. Pages are numbered like ER-12. (ORAP 5.50)
- judgment/order on appeal
- trial court register
- rulings challenged
- pleadings and other essential documents
Optional appendix 'App-'.
Certificates
- Compliance: States brief complies with word-count limit (ORAP 5.05) and gives word count, and that type size is not smaller than 14 point for text and footnotes
- Service: Certificate of filing and service
Good to know
- Briefs on the merits on review under ORAP 9.17; petition for review under ORAP 9.05 has its own limits.
- Word limits per 2022 ORAP Committee materials; verify.
Filing: Oregon appellate eFiling (File & Serve) mandatory for attorneys; text-searchable PDF
Questions
What font and spacing does the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon require for briefs?
Times New Roman 14 pt, double-spaced; margins: top 0.75", right 1", bottom 0.75", left 1.25" (ORAP 5.05 (Arial, Times New Roman or Century Schoolbook; margins inside 1.25, outside 1, top/bottom 0.75)).
How long can an opening brief be in the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon?
14,000 words (ORAP 5.05; ORAP 9.17 (briefs on review)). Reply brief: 4,000 words.
What goes in the appendix?
Excerpt of Record: judgment/order on appeal; trial court register; rulings challenged; pleadings and other essential documents.