United States Court of Appeals
for the
 Fifth Circuit
Honorable Jennifer W. Elrod, Chief Judge



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Frequently Asked Questions

Registration / User Account / Training

Where do I register for CM/ECF?

What if I forgot my login or password?

Is there a charge to register for or use CM/ECF?

Will I receive separate emails for each filing or a single email for the day's activity?

How can I receive notice of filings in a case that I'm not involved in?

Filing / Using CM/ECF

When do I send in my paper copies of a pleading I filed?

​How do I sign pleadings?

What should I do if I made a mistake in my filing (wrong case, wrong document)?

Does the "email" service option mean I have to separately email my pleading to opposing counsel?

If the party or attorney on the other side isn’t an approved ECF filing user, how do I serve them?

What if I'm filing a response that includes a motion?

Can I get an extension of time to file if my registration is not yet complete on the due date?

Does my filing have to be completed by 5:00 pm on the due date?

What should I do if I need to make corrections to my brief?

Motion filing - can't get past an error that tells me 'Please select a value'. Why?

Do I attach my brief in support as an attachment to motion for certificate of appealability?

If I filed my brief electronically, do I need to send a CD when sending the paper copies of the brief?

Filing / Sealed & Sensitive Information

I cannot access a document in a Social Security or Immigration case. Why?

Can I file sealed material in CM/ECF?


Registration / User Account / Training

Where do I register for CM/ECF?

Register for CM/ECF through the PACER Service Center (click the link).

 

What if I forgot my login or password?

Filing users are responsible for protecting the privacy of their login and password. Contact the PACER Service Center (click the link) to recover your login or password.

 

Is there a charge to register for or use CM/ECF?

There is no charge to register to electronically file in CM/ECF. 

 

Will I receive separate emails for each filing or a single email for the day's activity?

When registering for electronic filing through the Pacer Service Center, two options are available to control frequency of notifications, 'Each Transaction' or 'Daily Summary', however, due to processing restrictions, only 'Each Transaction' is offered by the Fifth Circuit.  If 'Daily Summary' is selected when registering through Pacer, we will reset it to reflect 'Each Transaction' when processing your request to become an electronic filer.
 

 

How can I receive notice of filings in a case that I'm not involved in?

If you do not have a PACER account, register at the PACER Service Center.
If you have a PACER account, log in to Manage My Account. Once logged in, select Non-Attorney E-File Registration under the Maintenance tab and submit a request to the 5th Circuit to register as a public interested person. After you receive notice that your account is approved, log in to the court's CM/ECF system, select Notice for Cases of Interest under the Utilities menu, and enter the case numbers.

Filing / Using CM/ECF

When do I send in my paper copies of a pleading I filed?

Do not send paper copies of your pleadings that have been filed electronically until the court requests them.


How do I sign pleadings?

Your user login and password constitute your signature to file documents with the court. To reflect a signature on the actual document, precede your name with a "s/" in the area where a physical signature would go. 

 

What should I do if I made a mistake in my filing (wrong case, wrong document)?

Contact the help desk at ca05_cmecf@ca5.uscourts.gov or 877-232-1038. DO NOT DOCKET a second event unless you are instructed to do so.

Does the "email" service option mean I have to separately email my pleading to opposing counsel?

​
The Notice of Docket Activity that is automatically sent at the end of your entry constitutes service for approved ECF filing users. See 5th Cir. R. 25.2.5. You do not need to separately email opposing counsel. 

 

If the party or attorney on the other side isn’t an approved ECF filing user, how do I serve them?

When the opposing party or attorney is not an approved ECF filing user, you must serve them in traditional fashion.  See Fed. Rule of App. Procedure 25.  To ascertain if a party or attorney is an approved ECF filing user, access the “Attorney Service Report” within CM/ECF, under the “Reports” drop down menu.

 

What if I'm filing a response that includes a motion?

Use the event Motion Filed on Behalf of Party with Incorporated Response if the response and motion are in the same document. 

 

Can I get an extension of time to file if my registration is not yet complete on the due date?

It is not likely you will receive an extension of time in this situation. If you feel extenuating circumstances exist, contact the Clerk's Office. However, failing to register for e-filing in a timely fashion is not considered an acceptable reason for extensions of time as reflected in our ECF Filing Standards, B(4). 

 

Does my filing have to be completed by 5:00 pm on the due date?

No, your filing can be filed after normal working hours. It should be completed by 11:59 p.m. Central time to be considered filed that day. 

 

What should I do if I need to make corrections to my brief?

If corrections are substantive, you must file a motion to file a corrected brief and upload the corrected brief as an additional document to the motion.

If corrections are typographical in nature, file a letter detailing the corrections and upload the corrected brief as an additional document to the letter.

If you are unclear as to when a motion is required, contact the team handling your case.

 

Motion filing - can't get past an error that tells me 'Please select a value'. Why?

Motion filings require you to indicate if the filing is opposed or unopposed. If you are unsure, you should select the blank line from the drop-down list that expands when you click Please Select. Each motion filing requires you to have made one of the 3 selections. If the words Please Select are on the screen (because you did not make a choice from the drop-down) the event will not move forward when you click the Continue button. 

 

Do I attach my brief in support as an attachment to motion for certificate of appealability?

No. Use the separate Brief In Support of Motion event (under the Fee, Certificate of Appealability and Motion, Response, Reply event categories) to file the separate document after you have filed the motion. 

 

If I filed my brief electronically, do I need to send a CD when sending the paper copies of the brief?

No. Since your brief was filed electronically, there is no need to send a CD (compact disc) when sending the paper copies of your brief to the court.

 



Filing / Sealed & Sensitive Information

I cannot access a document in a Social Security or Immigration case. Why?

Only case participants can remotely access documents (except for orders or opinions) in social security and immigration cases. Electronic access to the case documents is available from a public access terminal at the court. 

 

Can I file sealed material in CM/ECF?

Yes. Select the event 'ECF Motion and/or Document Filed Under Temporary SEAL'. Upload the motion to place the document under seal and the document that you are requesting to be sealed. All documents will be immediately restricted from public viewing. If the motion does not have to be sealed, the Clerk's Office will remove the restrictions from it. If you upload a document to any other event, it will NOT be restricted.

Please send questions or comments to Webmaster_ca5@ca5.uscourts.gov.
 
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