electronic Filing & Service for Courts

Arkansas Moves to eBriefing

...the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals announced the creation of a pilot program for attorneys to file briefs online. The new program is to begin Sept. 1.

An exploratory committee, which recommended the new filing procedure, was instructed to develop the procedures necessary to implement the new process, according to Thursday's Supreme Court order.

The committee was also asked to develop methods for evaluating the results of the pilot program, and to make recommendations concerning the further use of electronic filing.

Here is more information from the Court

US Supreme Court to Mandate eBriefs?

Here is the proposed rule:

PROPOSED REVISIONS TO RULES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
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PROPOSED ADOPTION DATE: JUNE 25, 2007
PROPOSED EFFECTIVE DATE: AUGUST 1, 2007

8. An electronic version of every brief on the merits shall be transmitted
to the Clerk of Court and to opposing counsel of record at the time
the brief is filed in accordance with guidelines established by the Clerk.
The electronic transmission requirement is in addition to the
requirement that booklet-format briefs be timely filed.

[CLERK’S COMMENT: THE REVISED BRIEFING SCHEDULE RECOGNIZES THAT
THE TIME PERIOD BETWEEN THE GRANTING OF A PETITION FOR A WRIT OF
CERTIORARI AND THE DATE OF ORAL ARGUMENT HAS DECREASED IN RECENT
YEARS. THE REVISED RULE ALSO RECOGNIZES THAT TECHNOLOGICAL
IMPROVEMENTS HAVE DECREASED THE AMOUNT OF TIME NEEDED TO
PREPARE BOOKLET-FORMAT BRIEFS AND BRIEFS CAN BE READILY
TRANSMITTED ELECTRONICALLY. ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF BRIEFS TO
THE CLERK AND OPPOSING COUNSEL IS MANDATED BY THE REVISED RULE.
THE CHANGE EMPHASIZES THAT ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION DOES NOT
CONSTITUTE FILING.]

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What is not known is the means an attorney would use to transmit the brief to the Clerk? Also, the means the Clerk will use to search and store these digital briefs once received.