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2014 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary

The Chief Justice’s 2014 Year-End Report – December 31, 2014.

“The Supreme Court is currently developing its own electronic filing system, which may be operational as soon as 2016. Once the system is implemented, all filings at the Court—petitions and responses to petitions, merits briefs, and all other types of motions and applications—will be available to the legal community and the public without cost on the Court’s website. Initially, the official filing of documents will continue to be on paper for all parties in all cases, with the electronic submission an additional requirement for parties represented by attorneys. Once the system has operated effectively for some time and the Supreme Court Bar has become well acquainted with it, the Court expects that electronic filing will be the official means for all parties represented by counsel, but paper filings will still be required. Parties proceeding pro se will continue to submit 8 documents only on paper, and Court personnel will scan and upload those documents to the system for public access. The Court will provide more information about the details of the system, including the process for attorneys to register as authorized filers, in the coming months. These new systems are important steps forward. Indeed, the federal judiciary’s CM/ECF system was pioneering technology when it was introduced, and it remains the premier model among court systems around the world for electronic case management. Nevertheless, the federal courts, including the Supreme Court, must often introduce new technologies at a more measured pace than other institutions, especially those in private industry. They will sometimes seem more guarded in adopting cutting-edge innovations, and for good reason, considering some of the concerns that the judiciary must consider in deploying new technologies.”

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