E.D.N.C. Local Civil Rule 40.1

(a) Headquarters of the Clerk.

The headquarters of the clerk of court shall be in Raleigh.

(b) Divisions of the District.

There shall be four divisions of the court. The headquarters of each

division and the counties comprising each division are as follows:

Name of Division Headquarters Counties

Northern Division Elizabeth City Bertie Hertford

Camden Northampton

Chowan Pasquotank

Currituck Perquimans

Dare Tyrrell

Gates Washington

Eastern Division Greenville Beaufort Hyde

Carteret Jones

Craven Lenoir

Edgecombe Martin

Greene Pamlico

Halifax Pitt

Western Division Raleigh Cumberland Vance

Franklin Wake

Granville Warren

Harnett Wayne

Johnston Wilson

Nash

Southern Division Wilmington Bladen Onslow

Brunswick Pender

Columbus Robeson

Duplin Sampson

New Hanover

(c) Assignment of Cases to a Division.

(1) Civil Actions. The clerk shall assign all civil actions to a division

when the action is filed or removed. If one or more plaintiffs are

residents of this District, the clerk shall assign the case to the division

in which the first named such plaintiff resides. If no plaintiff resides

in the District and one or more defendants reside in the District, the

clerk shall assign the action to the division in which the first named

such defendant resides. In the event no party resides in the District

but the claim is alleged to have arisen in the District or to involve real

property in the District, the clerk shall assign the action to the

division in which such claim is alleged to have arisen or in which the

real property is situated. In all other instances, a case shall be

assigned to a division in the discretion of the clerk. In removed

actions, the matter will be assigned to the division that geographically

encompasses the state court from which the action was removed.

(2) Residence of Corporation. For the purposes of this local rule, a

corporate plaintiff shall be deemed to reside in the state in which it

was incorporated and in the district and division in which it has its

principal office, and a corporate defendant shall be deemed to reside

in the division in which the corporation is alleged (a) to be

incorporated and have its principal office, or (b) to be licensed to do

business, or (c) to be doing business.

(3) United States as Plaintiff. For the purposes of this local rule, in

cases where the United States or its agencies or officers acting in an

official capacity is the plaintiff, it shall be deemed that such plaintiff

does not reside in this district.

(d) Scheduling Trials.

Each judicial officer shall maintain an individual trial calendar with due

regard for the priorities and requirements of law. Selected cases may be

expedited by the judicial officer on his or her own motion or on the motion

of any party.