New Features

New Features
Last Updated: February 3, 2011

Password Security
Password security has been improved. All CM/ECF passwords must be a minimum of 8 characters, and must include both upper and lower case alphabetic characters and at least one digit or special character. Every user will be required to change his or her password. The System will prompt users to change password.

Tracking Installment Fees
In previous releases, there was no way to track the balance due when a filing fee was paid in installments. Now, for pending cases, the outstanding filing fee balance is tracked in CM/ECF. A new "Filing Fee" selection is available from the main Query screen. This option displays a screen listing the filing fee amount, details on any payments that have been made, and the outstanding balance due.

Internet Payments and Lockout
Previously, when an internet payment was made, all fees incurred up to the time of payment had to be paid at once. Now, the user may choose to pay some or all of the fees in a given transaction. No more pop-up screens. Automatic lockout for non-payment.

PACER
PACER users can view a document without the expense of running a docket sheet.

Email Notification Options
A user can decide not to receive NEFs in a related adversary and 'limited filers' have the option to receive NEFs.

Filing Agents for Attorneys & Trustees
New user type to have multiple filers for one attorney/trustee.

Trustee's 341 Filings
The Trustee's 341 Filings module has been enhanced to allow multiple meetings to be continued simultaneously. There is also an option to sort by time and to add additional docket text. This module can be expanded to include Chapter 13 Trustees.

Adversary Case Opening
No longer necessary for external filers to add themselves as attorney for plaintiff. The System will automatically make the association. The filer will not be able to add an attorney for the defendant.

Cases Report
External users are limited to a date range of 31 days. Internal and external user can filter report by attorney name or Bar ID. Internal and external users can now sort by chapter.

Calendar Events
This report has been enhanced to provide easier access to related proceedings. Rather than displaying the silver ball icon, now a plus icon is displayed beside each event. Clicking on this icon will display the related events. There is also a direct link to "docket entries only" and to the claims register.

Query
When a name search is made, additional information is now displayed on the results page to allow the user to select the correct case. For each result, a row of information is displayed to the screen for each case in which that person is involved.

RSS Feed Technology
New option allows court, and if the court chooses, external users to subscribe to configurable RSS feeds.

Using PDF/A Format
PDF/A is Adobe Corporation's Portable Document Format for long-term archiving. It is an International Standards Organization (or ISO) standard adopted at the end of 2005. PDF/A was developed to ensure that documents viewed today will be able to be opened and seen exactly the same way in the future regardless of the technology used to view them.

PDF/A formatting is better suited to long-term storage of documents, as everything that is required to present the document the same way every time it is viewed -- such as fonts, color profiles, and images -- is all contained in the PDF/A file.

Eventually, all courts will require PDF/A document formatting. Most existing word processing software is capable of generating documents in PDF/A format. This module details procedures for doing so using Microsoft Word and WordPerfect X4.

Most existing word processing software is capable of generating documents in PDF/A format. This module details procedures for doing so using Microsoft Word and WordPerfect X4.

As an electronic filer, it's important for you to know that while PDF/A format is not strictly required by CM/ECF, the system has been already been modified to accept PDF/A documents. This allowed courts to begin to voluntarily move to accepting only PDF/A documents. This court is encouraging the use of PDF/A documents as eventually, all courts will require PDF/A document formatting.