PROCEDURES FOR THE ELECTRONIC FILING OF
PRESENTENCE INVESTIGATION REPORTS,
MOTIONS FOR DEPARTURE AND/OR VARIANCE,
SENTENCING MEMORANDA AND OTHER
SENTENCING RELATED DOCUMENTS
* updated October 2022
The following procedures apply to filing of presentence investigation reports, motions for
variance and downward departure, sentencing memoranda, and other sentencing documents in
cases before Judge J. Randal Hall, Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, and Judge William T. Moore, Jr.
Each attorney is directed to read these instructions carefully upon the filing of any Presentence
Investigation Report. Please contact the assigned Presentence Officer of the United States
Probation Office with any questions regarding these instructions. For questions regarding filing
in CM/ECF, please contact the Help Desk at (912) 650-4010.
I. Presentence Investigation Reports and Responses
Presentence investigation reports and any response, objections, and addenda to such reports
as well as any sentencing recommendations and other documents pertaining to any sentencing
hearing must be submitted to the Court using the Court’s Case Management and Electronic Case
Filing system (“CM/ECF”). Due to the nature of the information contained in these filings and
their purpose to the Court, presentence investigation reports and any related filings are
CONFIDENTIAL and should only be made accessible to the Court, the United States Attorney’s
Office and the defendant who is the subject of the presentence investigation report. No person
shall otherwise disclose, copy, reproduce, deface, delete from or add to any presentence
investigation report.
The United States Probation Office will timely file all initial and final presentence
investigation reports, along with any addendums to the report and sentencing recommendations.
The Probation Office will not provide a physical paper copy of any presentence investigation
report to counsel. It will be the responsibility of the United States Attorney’s Office and counsel
for the defendant to timely file any response to the presentence investigation report. Instructions
for filing responses using the Court’s CM/ECF system are listed below. PLEASE FOLLOW THESE
INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY. Improper filings will be stricken from the record.
A. ORDER DIRECTING THE PREPARATION OF THE PRESENTENCE
INVESTIGATION REPORT
Upon entry of a conviction by guilty plea or verdict, the Judge will issue an order on the record
directing that a presentence investigation report be prepared in anticipation of sentencing.
B. RESPONSE TO PRESENTENCE INVESTIGATION REPORT
1. Counsel for the United States and the defendant MUST each file a response to the initial
presentence investigation report in CM/ECF using the Criminal Event, “Response to
Presentence Investigation Report.” This event is located under Criminal → Other Filings
→ Other Documents → Response to Presentence Investigation Report (*pictured below).
Even when a party does not have an objection to the presentence investigation report, the
party must file a statement of no objections on the record.
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2. When filing a response in CM/ECF, counsel will have the option to file either: Objections
to the Presentence Investigation Report; No Objections to the Presentence Investigation
Report; or Comments (no objection) to the Presentence Investigation Report.
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After selecting your response type, you will be prompted to enter who is filing the response. As
the filer, you should enter either “USA” or “Defendant” in the text box provided.
3. When prompted, please make sure to ONLY select the applicable parties who should have
access to the filed document. To select both the USA and the Defendant, press the Ctrl key
while selecting (“left-clicking on”) each party who should have access.
(REMEMBER: presentence investigation reports and any related documents are
CONFIDENTIAL and should only be made accessible to the United States Attorney’s Office and
the defendant who is the subject of the presentence investigation report. Therefore, you should
only select the USA and the Defendant who is the subject of the presentence investigation
report. Selecting any other party provides access to the document and is in violation of the Court’s
Order to maintain presentence investigation reports in confidence.)
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4. Confirm that the “Docket Text: Final Text” is correct. If it is not correct, go back through
the event using your browser’s back arrow to ensure you have properly selected the correct
information on each screen.
II. PLEADINGS PERTAINING TO A DEFENDANT’S COOPERATION
INCLUDING MOTIONS FOR DOWNWARD DEPARTURE PURSUANT TO
U.S.S.G. § 5K1.1, MOTIONS FOR VARIANCE PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. §
3553(e), MOTIONS FOR SENTENCE REDUCTION PURSUANT TO FED. R.
CRIM. P. 35, SENTENCING MEMORANDA AND OTHER SENTENCING
RELATED DOCUMENTS 1
1. If the parties wish to file sentencing memoranda and similar sentencing materials in a
restricted manner on the record of the case, the requesting party must file a motion for leave
to file such a pleading under seal pursuant to the Court’s Local Rule 79.7 (Sealed
Documents).
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These instructions regarding sentencing memoranda also pertain to other sentencing-related documents
such as victim impact statements, character letters, and bench briefs.
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