Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) is the comprehensive system used by federal courts to store electronic civil and criminal case files and offer electronic filing. CurrentGen CM/ECF required attorneys and pro se filers to maintain a PACER account to access documents and information stored in CM/ECF and separate additional CM/ECF user accounts to electronically file documents in different federal courts. Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) is the public access service which allows users to remotely access documents and other case information stored in any federal court as soon as the documents or other case information is entered into the local court’s CM/ECF system.
On April 12, 2021, this district court transitioned from CurrentGen CM/ECF to NextGen CM/ECF, the latest iteration of CM/ECF. Many federal courts previously made this transition, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and several regional district courts and bankruptcy courts. This transition to NextGen CM/ECF allows attorneys and pro se filers to maintain just one account to access documents and other information stored in CM/ECF and electronically file documents in different federal courts. This is known as Central Sign-On.
Central Sign On (CSO) requires attorneys and pro se filers to upgrade their PACER accounts and link their CM/ECF user accounts to their upgraded PACER accounts. Once their accounts are linked, attorneys and pro se filers who are logged into CM/ECF will not notice any differences when it comes to electronically filing documents in our district court. NextGen CM/ECF allows for attorney admissions, however, our district court will not be utilizing NextGen CM/ECF for attorney admissions at this time.
The following are NextGen CM/ECF resources related to upgrading and linking accounts, exempt account usage by Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel attorneys, setting up PACER administrative accounts (PAAs) to manage and pay access fees associated with multiple PACER accounts, and more.
NEXTGEN CM/ECF RESOURCES
- Upgrading your PACER Account
- Linking Your CM/ECF Account to Your PACER Account
- Activating CJA Privileges
- CJA Exempt Status Instructions
- CJA Navigating Between Courts
- NextGen CM/ECF Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- PACER Administrative Account (PAA) Manual
- PACER Administration Account (PAA) Basics
- PACER User Manual
NEXTGEN CM/ECF ATTORNEY NEWSLETTERS
- January 2020 Attorney Newsletter
- February 2021 Attorney Newsletter
- March 2021 Attorney Newsletter
- April 2021 Attorney Newsletter
For more information about NextGen CM/ECF:
Contact the PACER Service Center at 1-800-676-6856