United States Court of International Trade
What is the deadline for united States answer in a Court of International Trade action?
The period for united States answer in a Court of International Trade action normally runs 60 calendar days from service of the pleading on the Attorney-in-Charge, International Trade Field Office, Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice, under USCIT Rule 12(a)(1)(A). If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, USCIT Rule 6 carries it to the next open day.
Calculate my deadline- Period
- 60 calendar days
- Trigger
- Service of the pleading on the Attorney-in-Charge, International Trade Field Office, Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice
- Rule
- USCIT Rule 12(a)(1)(A)
USCIT rules checked 1 September 2026
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Calculate your deadline
Enter the date of service of the pleading on the Attorney-in-Charge, International Trade Field Office, Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice. See the date, cited rule and counting steps.
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Which date starts the 60-day period?
The period runs from the service of the pleading on the Attorney-in-Charge, International Trade Field Office, Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice.
Count forward from the trigger event. Confirm the event on the docket or in the service record before entering a date.
Read Rules of the United States Court of International Tradethe United States, or an officer or agency thereof, must serve an answer to the complaint, or to a crossclaim, or a reply to a counterclaim, within 60 days after the service on the Attorney-in-Charge, International Trade Field Office, Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice
USCIT Rule 12(a)(1)(A)
This period runs from service as the rule defines it. Do not substitute the filing date, the day a courtesy copy arrived or the day you first read the paper.
Which date do I enter?How are the 60 calendar days counted?
- Exclude the day of the trigger event.
- Count every following day, including weekends and legal holidays.
- If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, continue to the next day that is not one of those.
Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under USCIT Rule 6.
If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, USCIT Rule 6 carries it to the next open day.
USCIT Rule 6 follows the federal civil counting method. Chambers procedures, orders and electronic filing outages are separate checks.
Read USCIT Rule 6The calculation gives the ordinary national-rule date. Check relevant holidays, the court’s accessibility and its filing cutoff separately.
Review the filing checklistWhat does a worked calculation look like?
Fictitious example
Assume the service of the pleading on the Attorney-in-Charge, International Trade Field Office, Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (service of the pleading on the Attorney-in-Charge, International Trade Field Office, Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice on this date, with no order, motion or extension affecting the period), with no order, motion, extension or local closure affecting the result. Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under USCIT Rule 6. The last counted day falls on a weekend or legal holiday, so the deadline moves to the next open day. The example assumes no local rule, order or closure changes the default period.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Do not count this day | September 1, 2026 |
| Day 1 | Start counting calendar days | September 2, 2026 |
| Day 60 | Last counted day falls on a weekend or legal holiday | October 31, 2026 |
| Adjusted | Next day that is not a weekend or legal holiday | November 2, 2026 |
Can an order, motion or extension change the deadline?
- Extensions
- For good cause the court may order a different period. A Rule 12 motion changes the response period under Rule 12(a)(2).
- Orders and local rules
- A scheduling order, stipulation approved by the court, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.
- For good cause the court may order a different period. A Rule 12 motion changes the response period under Rule 12(a)(2).
- A stipulation, scheduling order, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.
What should I check before filing?
These checks help you review the result. They do not activate a calendar date or certify that the deadline applies.
Common questions
Find answers about when this 60-day period starts, how it is counted, what can change it and how to keep your calculation.
Starting the clock
Does the clock start on the service of the pleading on the Attorney-in-Charge, International Trade Field Office, Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice, or when I first learned of it?
The period runs from the service of the pleading on the Attorney-in-Charge, International Trade Field Office, Commercial Litigation Branch, Department of Justice as the rule defines it, not from the day you read about it, received a courtesy copy or attended a hearing. Use the date shown on the docket or in the service record.
Counting days and filing
Is it 60 calendar days or business days?
Calendar days. Count intermediate weekends and holidays. If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, USCIT Rule 6 carries it forward to the next day that is not one of those.
USCIT Rule 6Which time zone and filing cutoff apply?
The Court of International Trade’s electronic filing rules and any order control the cutoff. This calculator does not verify system availability.
USCIT Rule 6What if the court is inaccessible on the last day?
USCIT Rule 6 addresses inaccessibility of the clerk’s office on the last day. Check the court’s notices and orders.
USCIT Rule 6Extensions and local rules
Can the court extend this deadline?
For good cause the court may order a different period. A Rule 12 motion changes the response period under Rule 12(a)(2). A request does not itself extend the period, and no discretionary extension is calculated here.
Do local rules, standing orders or a scheduling order change the date?
They can. Many courts set their own periods by local rule, standing order or case-specific order, and those control over the national default. This calculator gives the national-rule date only; compare it with any order in the case before relying on it.
Choosing the right calculator
Does this calculator decide whether the rule applies to my case?
No. It calculates a period from the date you provide under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule governs your filing, whether an exception applies, or whether the filing has merit. Those questions need separate review.
Can I calculate the deadline without an account?
Yes. Enter the trigger date to see the free national-rule calculation, citation, counting steps and warnings. You can add court context after the result. Missing court review keeps the result provisional.
Results, records and your case
What is included in an Evidence Record?
The retained inputs, result, cited rule, calculation working, warnings and review state. The PDF includes a payload digest and retained-data appendix, and the record can be verified against its fingerprint later. It records the calculation, not a guarantee of legal correctness.
Does saving to a case activate the calendar?
Not automatically. Provisional records remain subject to review. A separately labeled manual date does not alter the original calculation.
Official sources and review
The period and the counting method come from different provisions. The official source is the court’s published rules; the reading links open the rule text at the Legal Information Institute.
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| USCIT Rule 12(a)(1)(A) | Trigger and period |
| USCIT Rule 6 | Counting, legal holidays and the last day |
Rule record reviewed . Guide sources checked . Next source check .
Published by Deadline Engine. This tool calculates the ordinary period under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule applies, obtain an extension or file anything for you.