Western District of Texas Electronic Filing Rules

CRITICAL

Social Security cases are excluded from electronic public access except for judiciary employees, the United States Attorney or representative, and case litigants.

Social Security cases shall be excluded from electronic public access except to judiciary employees, the United States Attorney or his/her representative, and all litigants in said cases.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Sealed motion and proposed order

A party seeking HSD designation must electronically file a sealed motion and proposed order using the specified event, but must not electronically file the proposed HSD.

Any party wishing to treat any document as an HSD must file a sealed motion to designate the document as an HSD and a proposed order electronically under existing procedures, using the "motion for leave to file a sealed document" event, except that the proposed HSD shall not be filed electronically.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Authorized hsd

An authorized HSD must be submitted to the Clerk's office, with a copy of the authorizing order when necessary.

A party filing an HSD pursuant to a Court Order granting a motion under Paragraph 2 shall submit to the Clerk's office the HSD, any required certificate of service, and, if necessary, a copy of the Court Order authorizing the filing of that document as an HSD.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Hsd received by content sharing platform

An HSD received through the approved content-sharing platform must not be filed in CM/ECF and instead is maintained in a secure, separate repository.

If the Clerk's office receives the HSD by way of the Court's approved content-sharing platform, the HSD shall not be filed in the Court's CM/ECF system, but rather will be maintained in a secure, separate repository.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Initial disclosures

The parties must exchange initial disclosures but must not file them with the Court.

Pursuant to the Local Rules, the parties are to exchange them, but NOT file them with the Court.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

State court record supplement

The required supplement must be filed electronically.

The supplement is to be filed electronically

INFO

Applies to

Service of motion

Motions requiring service may be served using the Court's CM/ECF system.

Unless excused by the Court, any motion under paragraph 2(a) for which service would be required by statute or rule shall be served on all parties. Motions requiring service may be served using the Court's CM/ECF system.

INFO

Western District of Texas will permit attorneys to electronically file documents starting in 2005.

The Western District of Texas is scheduled to become an electronic filing court permitting attorneys to file pleadings and documents electronically in 2005.

INFO

Pro se litigants not authorized to e-file are exempt from this standing order.

Pro se litigants not authorized to file electronically through the Court's CM/ECF system are exempt from this order.

INFO

Electronic public access to court documents effective November 1, 2004; electronically filed documents available to attorneys of record and PACER-registered users.

The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas will soon permit electronic public access to documents filed in matters before the court. The Judicial Conference of the United States adopted a policy regarding privacy and public access to electronic files, which becomes effective November 1, 2004, and is applicable to all parties doing business with this court as set out below. Documents that are electronically filed will be available to attorneys of record in a case and to registered users of the PACER service.