UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT CM/ECF USER’S GUIDE Revised: July 23, 2014 Maine  Massachusetts  New Hampshire Puerto Rico  Rhode Island TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED .................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Hardware and Software Requirements .................................................................................................... 5 Registering for Appellate ECF .................................................................................................................... 7 Who Must Register ............................................................................................................................... 7 How to Register .................................................................................................................................... 7 Associating or Dissociating Your Appellate ECF and PACER Accounts.................................................. 7 Logging In .................................................................................................................................................. 9 CHAPTER 2: FILING ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Overview of Filing a Document ............................................................................................................... 11 Navigating Specific Screens ..................................................................................................................... 13 Additional Information ....................................................................................................................... 13 Attorney Filer ...................................................................................................................................... 14 Court Reporter Filer ............................................................................................................................ 15 Note .................................................................................................................................................... 15 Party Filer ............................................................................................................................................ 16 PDF Document .................................................................................................................................... 16 Related Previous Entries ..................................................................................................................... 18 Relief ................................................................................................................................................... 19 Service ................................................................................................................................................. 20 Filing an Appearance Form ..................................................................................................................... 21 Filing a Motion ........................................................................................................................................ 24 Filing a Response to a Motion ................................................................................................................. 28 Submitting a Brief ................................................................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 3: REPORTS ................................................................................................................................. 34 PACER Report .......................................................................................................................................... 34 Payment History Report .......................................................................................................................... 35 Page | 2 Service List Report ................................................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER 4: UTILITIES ................................................................................................................................. 37 Bar Admission ......................................................................................................................................... 37 Notice for Cases of Interest .................................................................................................................... 39 Pay Other Fees ........................................................................................................................................ 40 Update My Account ................................................................................................................................ 41 CHAPTER 5: LOGOUT .................................................................................................................................. 42 Logout CM/ECF ....................................................................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER 6: NOTICE OF DOCKET ACTIVITY ................................................................................................ 43 CHAPTER 7: ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO RESTRICTED DOCUMENTS AND SEALED DOCKET REPORTS ......... 44 CHAPTER 8: CREATING HYPERLINKS BETWEEN DOCUMENTS .................................................................. 45 CHAPTER 9: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS .......................................................................................... 47 APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................................... 54 Appendix A: Rules Governing Electronic Filing ....................................................................................... 54 Rule 1 – Scope of Electronic Filing ...................................................................................................... 54 Rule 2 – Eligibility, Registration, Passwords ....................................................................................... 55 Rule 3 – Consequences of Electronic Filing ........................................................................................ 56 Rule 4 – Service of Documents by Electronic Means .......................................................................... 56 Rule 5 – Entry of Court-Issued Documents ......................................................................................... 57 Rule 6 – Attachments and Exhibits to Electronically Filed Documents .............................................. 57 Rule 7 – Sealed Documents ................................................................................................................ 57 Rule 8 – Retention Requirements ....................................................................................................... 57 Rule 9 – Signatures ............................................................................................................................. 58 Rule 10 – Notice of Court Orders and Judgments .............................................................................. 58 Rule 11 – Technical Failures ................................................................................................................ 58 Rule 12 – Privacy Protections and Public Access ................................................................................ 58 Rule 13 - Hyperlinks ............................................................................................................................ 59 Appendix B: Glossary of Terms ............................................................................................................... 60 Appendix C: List of Document Options Available in Each Document Category ...................................... 63 Page | 3 1 GETTING STARTED Introduction Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) is an automated case management system that allows the public to file documents over the Internet and provides courts with the ability to make electronic documents available to the public through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) program. Except as otherwise prescribed by local rule or order, all cases will be assigned to the court’s electronic filing system. Effective January 1, 2010, use of the electronic filing system is mandatory for all attorneys filing in this court, unless they are granted an exemption, and is voluntary for non-incarcerated pro se litigants. The CM/ECF system is easy to use; a filer creates a document using conventional word processing software and converts it to Portable Document Format (PDF). After logging in to CM/ECF, the filer enters basic information relating to the document, attaches the PDF file and submits it to the court. A notice verifying receipt of the document is automatically emailed to the other case participants who have an Appellate ECF account. There are no additional fees for filing documents using CM/ECF. Litigants receive one free copy of documents that are electronically filed in their cases, which they can save or print. Additional copies are available through PACER at a cost of $0.08 per page, with a maximum charge of $2.40 per document. Copies of court opinions are available at no charge. All filers must redact social security or tax identification numbers; dates of birth; names of minor children; financial account numbers; and, in criminal cases, home addresses, in compliance with Fed. R. App. P. 25(a)(5), Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2, Fed. R. Crim. P. 49.1 or Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9037. This requirement applies to all documents, including attachments. Page | 4 1 GETTING STARTED Hardware and Software Requirements Browser/Operating System A Windows-based Personal Computer with Internet Explorer 6.0 (or higher) or Mozilla Firefox 3.0 (or higher); or a 64-bit, Intel-based Macintosh with OS X Snow Leopard 10.6 (or higher) is required. Cookies To operate CM/ECF, your browser must be set to accept all cookies. The instructions for enabling cookies will vary, depending on the browser you are using. Select the Help option on your browser’s tool bar to find the appropriate instructions for your system. Email Account The size of your email account must be sufficient to receive NDAs. This may exceed the size allocated for free email accounts. In general, an account with storage space of at least 100 megabytes is sufficient. You must insure that the spam filter operation on the network and computer receiving the email are set to allow notices from and select Help > Training > Computer-Based Training Modules (under District Courts) > Converting Documents to PDF, or click here. Pop-Up Blocker To operate CM/ECF, your pop-up blocker must either be turned off, or set to allow pop-ups from *.ca1.uscourts.gov. Scanner Paper documents should be scanned into PDF at 300 - 600 pixels per inch (PPI), with a “black and white” setting. Screen Resolution The minimum recommended screen resolution is 1024 x 768 pixels. If the screen resolution is lower, relevant information may not readily display. Word Processing Software You can use WordPerfect, Microsoft Word or any other word processing software that will allow you to convert text documents to PDF. Page | 6 1 GETTING STARTED Registering for Appellate ECF Who Must Register Effective January 1, 2010, use of the electronic filing system is mandatory for all attorneys filing in this court, unless they are granted an exemption, and is voluntary for pro se litigants. To qualify for filing privileges, attorneys must be a member of the bar of the First Circuit Court of Appeals; pro se litigants must have a case pending in the First Circuit and cannot be incarcerated. Individuals who do not qualify for filing privileges will have their accounts activated with limited functionality. They will be able to receive notices in cases of interest, and submit a bar application through the CM/ECF Utilities menu, but they will not have access to case related document filing. How to Register 1. Register with PACER for a PACER account if you or your law firm have not previously done so. You must have a PACER account to view documents. To register for a PACER account, go to the PACER website and select Register > PACER - Case Search Only Registration > Register for a PACER Account Now, or click here. 2. Register with PACER for an Appellate ECF account. You must have an individual Appellate ECF account to file documents. To register for Appellate ECF, go to the PACER website and select Register > Appellate Court E-File Registration > Register for an Appellate Filer Account Now, or click here. 3. Complete the Electronic Learning Modules (ELMs) listed as mandatory on the court’s website. 4. Your Appellate ECF registration must be approved by the court before you can begin using the electronic filing system. The length of time required to process your request will depend on the number of pending registrations. You will receive email notification from the court once your registration has been approved. Associating or Dissociating Your Appellate ECF and PACER Accounts You have the option of associating your Appellate ECF account with your PACER account. If you associate the two accounts, you will be able to access PACER from the Reports menu in CM/ECF without entering your PACER login and password. However, if you have more than one PACER account, you may not want to link your Appellate ECF account to a specific PACER account. Page | 7 To associate your PACER and Appellate ECF accounts: 1. Log on to CM/ECF 2. Select Reports > PACER Report. 3. The PACER login screen will display. Enter your PACER login and password and check Make this my default PACER login. 4. Click Login. To dissociate your PACER and Appellate ECF accounts: 1. Log on to CM/ECF. 2. Select Utilities > Update My Account. 3. Select the checkbox next to Remove the default PACER login. 4. Click Apply. Page | 8 1 GETTING STARTED Logging In 1. Go to the website for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, select Electronic Filing (CM/ECF) and click on the ECF Login link, or click here. 2. The Appellate CM/ECF Login screen will display. After reading the IMPORTANT NOTICE OF REDACTION RESPONSIBILITY, select the checkbox indicating you understand you must comply with the redaction rules. 3. Enter your Appellate ECF login and password at the prompt (not your PACER login and password) and click the Login button. These fields are case sensitive. The Client Code is optional. 4. The Startup Page window will open, along with a second window containing a large CM/ECF button. Do not close the window containing the large CM/ECF button. If the Startup Page opens in the background, click the large CM/ECF button to bring it to the forefront. If you accidentally close the Startup Page, click the large CM/ECF button to open it again. Figure 1. CM/ECF Button 5. The first time you login, you may get a security warning. Check the box labeled “Always trust content from this publisher” before clicking Yes (or Run). The problems that result when this box is not checked will vary. The most common problem is the inability to upload a document. If you neglect to check this box, it is unlikely you will be unable to complete a transaction. Page | 9 Figure 2. Security Warning Page | 10