UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY
IN RE: ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT SUBMISSION GENERAL ORDER
BY SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS NO. 25-02
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Court entered General Order 20-04, permitting self-
represented (pro se) litigants the option of tendering documents to the Court for filing by email.
The Court has concluded that continuing to allow self-represented litigants to submit case-related
documents to the Court electronically is an efficient and effective system insofar as it provides
those individuals with the option of tendering documents to the Court without having to incur the
time and expense associated with providing these same documents by mail or in person.
In an effort to better assist self-represented litigants in submitting their documents to the
Court electronically, the Court has created an Electronic Document Submission System (EDSS)
that may be used by self-represented parties in civil cases to submit their documents to the Clerk’s
Office for filing. The Court will accept submissions made by way of the EDSS provided they
comply with the following procedures:
• Document Format. Documents submitted for filing must be submitted in PDF format,
be verified for legibility, and must comply with all applicable local rules concerning
formatting and page limitations. See LR 5.2 and 5.3 for more information. Submitted
documents that violate these rules may not be accepted for filing.
• Signature Requirement. Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 11, only documents signed by a
self-represented litigant will be accepted for filing. Users must sign each document
submitted via EDSS for filing. Documents not signed by a party will not be accepted
for filing. Electronic signatures are not sufficient. The original signature pages must be
scanned and uploaded through EDSS.
• Rule 11 Certification. Self-represented parties are reminded that a signature on a
pleading constitutes certification that the filing party is proceeding in good faith and
filing the pleading for a proper purpose. All electronically filed pleadings are subject
to the same potential for sanctions as are paper filings containing original signatures
pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 11.
• Payment. Filing fees may be paid in one of three ways:
o Electronically through CM/ECF
o By calling (502) 625-3500 and paying by credit card, or
o By mailing a check or money order made payable to "Clerk, U.S. District Court"
to:
U.S. District Court
601 W. Broadway
Louisville, KY 40202
(Please indicate the assigned case number on the check)
NOTE: If a litigant cannot afford to pay the filing fee, they may request to waive the
fee by filing an Application to Proceed in District Court Without Prepaying Fees or
Costs, also known as an “application to proceed in forma pauperis.” This application
may be obtained on the Court’s website or from the Clerk’s Office.
• Privacy Protections. Users must comply with the privacy protection requirements of
Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2.
• Consent to Electronic Service. Users may, but are not required to, register to receive
service via email of all notices and papers regarding each case to which they are a party
by executing a Registration to Receive Documents Electronically. A separate form is
required for each case.
• Timeliness of EDSS Submissions. A document submitted in EDSS will be filed
stamped as of the date of submission and will be docketed in the Court’s Case
Management/Electronic Case File (CM/ECF) System no later than one business day
following its receipt.
• Correcting Documents Filed in Error. If a document is incorrectly filed in a case,
the individual must file a motion to amend or withdraw the document filed in error. No
changes to a document can be made once the transaction has been accepted in EDSS.
• Service. All parties appearing before the Court must comply with all applicable rules
regarding service. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 4 and 5.
• Termination of Use of EDSS. Self-represented litigants are not required to use EDSS
and may file documents by mail or in person at a courthouse at any time. The ability
of a self-represented litigant to use EDSS may be terminated by the Court for failure to
comply with the provisions of this Order or any abuse of EDSS.
This Order supersedes General Order 20-04.
ENTERED
DATED: January 29, 2025
J J. JR., CLERK
1/29/2025
U.S. DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY
