Executive Summary ....................................................... v
I. Overview of the ECF Initiative .......................................... 1
A. Why Electronic Case Files? .......................................... 2
B. Approaches to ECF: Ongoing Experiments ............................. 3
1. Electronic Filing
2. Imaging
3. Chambers-Based Experiments
C. The Road From Here: An Action Plan ................................. 6
1. Guiding ECF Development 2. Making Progress
II. Electronic Case Files: A Vision of Future Possibilities ....................... 10
III. The Electronic Case File: Working Assumptions ........................... 15
A. Potential Benefits of ECF ............................................ 15
B. Functional Characteristics ........................................... 17
IV. Topics for Further Study ............................................... 23
A. Authentication, Security, and Preservation of the Litigation Record ......... 23
1. Document Authentication
2. Security
3. Preservation of the Record
B. Litigation Procedures ............................................... 28
1. Service of Process and Service of Pleadings
2. Notice to the Parties of Court Opinions, Orders and Other Actions
3. Determining Timeliness of Electronic Filings and Verifying Receipt by the Court
4. Documents Received in an Incompatible Format
C. Access to Electronic Case Files ....................................... 31
1. Defining "Access" for the ECF Environment
2. Need for Fair Access by All Users
3. Need to Evaluate "Access" in Relation to Potential ECF Vendors
D. Financial Considerations ............................................ 34
1. Fees Issues
2. Methods of Collecting Fees
3. Funding the Transition to ECF
E. Judiciary Resources ................................................ 36
1. Need for Training
2. Effects on Court Staff
3. Staffing Requirements
4. Potential Effects on Work Measurement Formulas
5. Facilities Issues
F. System Integration and Telecommunications ............................ 38
1. System Integration
2. Links
3. DCN and Internet
G. Transition to ECF: Acceptance by the Courts, the Bar and the Public ....... 41
1. Judges
2. Court Staff
3. Bar/Litigants and Public
H. Special Considerations .............................................. 43
1 Sharing of Case File Information Among Multiple Users
2 Access to Related Information Outside the Court's Case File
3 Availability of Files for Geographically Dispersed Judges and Staff
4 Special or Unusual Documents, Proceedings, and Users
V. Interim Technical Standards and Guidelines ............................... 44
VI. Conclusion .......................................................... 45
Electronic Case Files Study Project Participants
Appendices (available separately upon request):
A. Administrative Office Director's Memorandum on ECF Issues
B. Proposed Interim Technical Standards
C. Report on Prototype and Operational Electronic Filing Systems
D. Elements of Federal Court Case Files
a. Courts of Appeals
b. Bankruptcy Appellate Panels
5. Probation and Pretrial Services Offices
a. Probation
b. Pretrial Services
E. Current Authority for Imposing Fees