Electronic Filing
Since May 17, 2012, electronic filing has been mandatory for attorneys filing in the Federal Circuit, unless they are granted a specific exemption. On March 19, 2018, the Federal Circuit went live on the next generation of the national case management and electronic case filing system, NextGen CM/ECF. NextGen CM/ECF information is available here.
On July 1, 2020, amendments to the Federal Circuit Rules authorized the Clerk of Court to allow unrepresented filers to elect to file electronically. Fed. Cir. R. 25(a)(1)(B). As announced on July 1, 2020, the Clerk's Office anticipates beginning electronic filing for unrepresented filers on October 1, 2020 (Clerk's Notice).
ELECTRONIC FILING PROCEDURES
Pursuant to Fed. Cir. R. 25(a)(4), the Clerk of Court has adopted the following Electronic Filing Procedures, which govern the administrative and technical requirements and procedures for using the court’s electronic filing system.
Additional filing resources are available here.
REGISTER FOR ELECTRONIC FILING
REGISTER FOR PUBLIC INTERESTED PERSON ACCESS
Although electronic filing is available only to attorneys, other public users, such as unrepresented parties and members of the media, can register for limited access to CM/ECF, which will allow for users to receive notification in cases of interest.
ELECTRONIC FILING PROCEDURES
The Clerk’s Office does not answer procedural or case-related questions by email but staff are available to assist you during our operating hours of Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Eastern) at 202-275-8000. Additional contact information is available here.
- For technical assistance, please contact the Clerk’s Office at 202-275-8000 or email ecfhelp@cafc.uscourts.gov.
- For account assistance, please contact the PACER Service Center at 800-676-6856.
