3.3.2      Reassignment of cases

1. Reassignment of cases on grounds of geographic convenience - Promptly after all parties have appeared in any civil action, the parties may file a stipulation and motion requesting transfer of the action to a judge located in a different city, on the basis of the convenience of counsel, the parties, or witnesses. Reassignment of the action shall be at the discretion of the court and shall require the consent of all parties and of both the transferor and transferee judge.
2. Reassignment to promote judicial economy - The court may reassign cases from one district judge to another (i) to equalize and balance workloads among judges; (ii) to assign cases to senior or visiting judges or remove cases from their dockets as necessary; or (iii) for other reasons of judicial economy. Any case may be reassigned under this rule from one judge to another judge with the consent of both judges. Cases may also be reassigned by administrative order of the Chief Judge if approved by a majority of active district judges.
3. Reassignment of cognate cases
   
   1. Definition - Cognate cases are pending civil actions involving the same or similar questions of fact or law such that their assignment to a single judge is likely to effect a substantial saving of judicial effort and to avoid wasteful and duplicative proceedings for the court and the parties.
   2. Procedure for reassignment - When any judge determines that reassignment of cognate cases would serve the interests of justice and judicial economy, the judge will contact all other judges to whom cognate cases have been assigned. If all those judges agree to reassignment, the Chief Judge will enter an administrative order reassigning such cognate cases to the judge with the earliest numbered case. The administrative order may also provide for automatic assignment of future cognate cases to that judge, and for an adjustment in future case assignments to that judge to compensate for the increased workload.