Although short filings may be read on a computer screen, longer briefs or those with many attachments and exhibits are not. Therefore, judges have found it sensible to require a second courtesy copy in paper for longer briefs. These copies may be delivered or mailed directly to the judge’s chambers. Remember, serving copies on the judge does not constitute filing with the Court.
See FEES AND PAYMENT OPTIONS on https://efiledcsuperiorcourt.gov/faq-page for eFiling fees.
Please review the eFiling rules at www.dccourts.gov/efiling. Also, if you have questions about eFiling with the Superior Court, please send them to efile [at] dcsc.gov.
The court’s case management database and the eFiling system only recognize bar numbers of DC Bar members. Pro Hac Vice attorneys can eFile. Once the Superior Court grants your motion to appear Pro Hac Vice, please contact the Clerk of the Court Office by email at NewAttorneyRequest [at] dcsc.gov (NewAttorneyRequest[at]dcsc[dot]gov) or phone at 202-879-1400 to be added to the case management system.
The Superior Court adopted a privacy rule, SCR 5(f)(1), which applies to most divisions, requiring that the filer redact or remove from the public record the following information: Social Security numbers, dates of birth, financial account numbers and names of minors. If you need to include such information in a particular filing, a motion should be filed seeking permission to file the unredacted filing under seal and, upon approval by the court, a redacted copy can then be submitted, in paper, under seal.
The proposed orders are for the judge to use as a draft. Therefore, they cannot be write-protected (that is, they must be able to be edited by the judge and the judge’s staff). In order to ensure that the proposed orders you submit are usable, the Court requires that, in addition to including such documents along with the filing, (which version may be write-protected), you also email a copy of the non-write-protected (this is a version that can be modified and/or edited) proposed order to the case judge's separate eFiling service address.
Please note that the court’s case management system requires a certain docket number sequence. A filing will face automatic rejection if the correct format is not used. For example, in the Civil Division, the format is as follows: The first sequence is the year, followed by a space and then CA, followed by a space and a six (6) digit docket number, followed by a space and then by a capital letter or letters which signifies the "case type.”
A “litigant” or “party” is a person, corporation, or other entity that has a matter in a court. A litigant who does not have a lawyer is sometimes called a “pro se litigant” or an “unrepresented litigant.” Representing yourself can be complicated, but there are resource materials available to help you with preparing your case.
