9 U.S.C. § 12 — Notice of motions to vacate or modify; service; stay of proceedings

This section sets the deadline and the rules for challenging an arbitration award in court. Someone who wants to vacate, modify, or correct an award must serve notice of that motion on the other party, or that party's attorney, within three months after the award is filed or delivered. If the other party lives in the same district where the award was made, the notice must be served the same way any notice of a motion would be served in a regular case in that court. If the other party does not live there, the notice must instead be served by the U.S. marshal for whatever district the other party can be found in, the same way the marshal serves other court process. While the motion is pending, any judge who could order a stay of proceedings in a regular case in that court can also order a stay here — pausing the other party's efforts to enforce the award. That stay order gets served together with the notice of the motion.