You are here

ECF

Case Management and Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF)

Hardware and Software Requirements

  • Access to a computer
  • A word processing program to create documents
  • An email address
  • An Internet Service Provider (ISP) to access ECF, Pacer, and your email
  • A PACER account registered with the Western District of Oklahoma’s CM/ECF
  • An approved internet browser (CM/ECF may work for you using various browsers, but it has been tested with the internet browser Firefox so some systems, such as viewing sealed filings, may not work in other browsers)
  • Portable document format (PDF) writer (converter) software (for more information go to http://www.pacer.gov/announcements/general/pdfa.html
  • A scanner (OPTIONAL) for imaging documents that are not available in electronic format

More about CM/ECF

CM/ECF is the electronic case filing system for the federal courts. With ECF, case documents are filed and maintained in electronic form and most pleadings are filed over the Internet. The District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma has been working on implementation of ECF since 2002. Beginning October 14, 2003, most documents filed with this Court have been scanned by the Clerk’s Office and are available electronically through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). As of August 2020, all who eFile in the Western District of Oklahoma must register to eFile through PACER. If you eFiled prior to 2020 but not since, you may need to register to eFile through PACER. See paragraph below for instructions to register to eFile. For more information about CM/ECF, go to https://www.pacer.gov/cmecf/

What you need to do to prepare for future filings in this Court

  • If you are an attorney, apply and gain admittance to the Western District of Oklahoma. Please contact Kathleen Thompson kathleen_thompson@okwd.uscourts.gov for information about attorney admissions. 
  • If you are not an attorney and you are representing yourself pro se, please see the Self Representation portion of our website. Unlike attorneys, pro se litigants are not required or permitted to file electronically except by order of the court. 
  • Once admitted as an attorney to the Western District of Oklahoma Federal Bar, you must register for PACER online at http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov.
  • If you would like CM/ECF training please call 405-609-5095 to schedule.
  • If you would like information about Attorney Admissions, please contact Kathleen Thompson at kathleen_thompson@okwd.uscourts.gov. 
  • If you need assistance with your PACER account, please contact the PACER Help Desk at 800-676-6856. 

By registering to eFile in the Western District of Oklahoma, you are confirming that you are either an attorney admitted to practice in our court, or a pro se litigant who has been granted permission to file electronically. You are also agreeing that you have read and are familiar with the Western District of Oklahoma’s Policies and Procedures Manual, and the Western District of Oklahoma’s Local Rules.