Short answer. Trial is held Monday through Thursday, with cases called at exactly 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., under Administrative Circular No. 3-99; Fridays are reserved for hearing motions under Rule 15, Section 8, and courts must post their calendars outside the courtroom at least a day before each scheduled hearing.
What the law says
Trial shall be held from Monday to Thursday, and courts shall call the cases at exactly 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., pursuant to Administrative Circular No. 3-99. Hearing on motions shall be held on Fridays, pursuant to Section 8, Rule 15.
Rule 30, Section 4 — Hearing days and calendar call. Read the full provision →
The trial-day schedule
Trial is confined to Monday through Thursday, with fixed call times of 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. — a structured calendar meant to standardize when parties and counsel can expect their cases to be heard. This schedule, set by Administrative Circular No. 3-99, applies uniformly across trial courts rather than being left to each judge's individual preference for when to call cases.
Fridays are for motions, not trial
Hearings on motions are separately assigned to Fridays under Rule 15, Section 8, keeping the trial calendar and the motion calendar from competing for the same days on the court's docket. This separation lets a court dedicate specific days to the more procedural business of motions, while reserving Monday through Thursday for the substantive work of actually trying cases and hearing witnesses testify.
The calendar-posting requirement
Courts must post their calendars outside the courtroom at least one day before scheduled hearings, under OCA Circular No. 250-2015, giving litigants and counsel a way to confirm timing in advance rather than relying solely on individual notices. This posting requirement adds a layer of transparency and predictability on top of the fixed weekly schedule, so parties can plan their appearances with reasonable confidence.
Why a fixed schedule matters for litigants
A uniform, publicly posted schedule for trial days, call times, and motion hearings reduces the chances of missed appearances and scheduling conflicts across multiple cases, and lets lawyers plan their calendars around a predictable weekly rhythm rather than court-by-court variation. It also makes it easier for parties without counsel to know in advance when and how their case is likely to be called.
What happens outside these fixed windows
A case is not simply lost or forfeited if it is not reached exactly at 8:30 or 2:00, since courts routinely call a docket of several cases at each session and work through them in sequence. The fixed call times set the start of the session parties and counsel should be present for, rather than guaranteeing the precise minute any individual case will actually be taken up.
Related provisions
- Rule 30, Section 4 — Hearing days and calendar call
- Rule 30, Section 2 — Adjournments and postponements