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Home » Electronic Filing (CM/ECF)

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Customer Service

Our staff is available to help you every day that the court is open for business from 9am - 5pm EST.   Just give us a call at 1-866-784-6273 (toll free) or 202-357-6402 (local).  

Join our email list (ListServ)!   - Sign up to receive automatic emails whenever the court has important announcements or information about the CM/ECF system.

 

Helpful Tips

Open PDFs outside the browser window

Many of us here at the court find it useful to have PDFs open outside the browser in a new Adobe window, rather than opening up inside our browser window. Besides being convenient, it also sometimes resolves PDF viewing problems. So if you are having difficulty opening a particular PDF file try changing these settings to see if it helps.

  1. Open Adobe application.
  2. Go to Edit > Preferences > Internet
  3. Under Web Browser Options uncheck the "Display PDF in Browser" box.
  4. Click OK and you are done.
  5. *** Extra Step for Netscape and Firefox browsers Search for nppdf32.dll on your hard drive(s) using the Windows Search function. Delete or rename every instance of the file (e.g. rename to nppdf32.dll.dis). It is important to get every instance of the file because your browser will find this wherever it is, so you must delete or rename ALL instances. You will normally find it in at least 2 places. It should be located within the Adobe program Browser file and also within the browser's Plugins file.

MOTIONS FOR LEAVE

**When filing a motion for leave you should make sure that you NEVER EVER FILE THE DOCUMENT YOU ARE ASKING LEAVE FOR UNTIL THE COURT GRANTS YOUR MOTION FOR LEAVE.

An Example: I want to file a Corrected Status Report.

First things first: I need to create 2 documents - one is the Motion for Leave PDF and the other is the Corrected Status Report PDF.

As for filing them:

  1. File the Motion for Leave by selecting "Leave to File Document" from the Motions menu. When it asks for me to select my PDF file I will choose the Motion for Leave PDF. To attach a courtesy copy of the status report select Yes at Attachments to Document and then follow the steps to add an attachment and select the Corrected Status Report PDF. (You cannot file the courtesy copy separately - it must be submitted as an attachment to the motion for leave.)
  2. Now I wait for the judge to grant my motion for leave. *Jeopardy music plays in background*
  3. Once I receive the order granting my motion, I must file the Corrected Status Report PDF as a new filing on the docket (remember that the one we attached above was just a courtesy copy and not an official filing.)

Ahhh, now we have a nice clean docket and our filings comply with court procedures. If you go ahead and file your document before the court grants your motion, you may, to your horror, see all of the documents stricken with an order for you to start all over again. Don't let it happen to you! If you have any doubts or questions about this procedure call the User Assistance Line at 1-866-784-6273 (toll free) or the Clerk's Office at 202-357-6400.