IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY
IN RE RESCINDING EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATION :
FOR FILING VIA THE ECF HELP DESK EMAIL AND :
AUTHORIZATION OF PRO SE FILINGS : STANDING ORDER 2024-04
THROUGH ALTERNATIVE DOCUMENT SUBMISSION :
SYSTEM (“ADS”) ON A PILOT BASIS :
WHEREAS, this Court issued a March 30, 2020 Notice to the Public (the “March 30, 2020
Notice”) effectuating a temporary change to the ECF Help Desk guidelines for all courthouses in this
District as a result of the COVID-19 public health crisis; and
WHEREAS, by and through the March 30, 2020 Notice, this Court, in the course of exercising
various precautions against the spread of the COVID-19 virus, authorized pro se litigants to file documents
through the ECF Help Desk; and
WHEREAS, the public health crisis has long resolved and all emergency protocols have been
rescinded consequently; and
WHEREAS, no good cause exists to continue authorizing filings through the ECF Help Desk email
– a use that is well beyond the intended scope and purpose of the Help Desk; and
WHEREAS, the Court is piloting a new electronic means of filing documents for pro se litigants,
namely, the Alternate Document Submission (“ADS”) System; accordingly
IT IS ORDERED, effective immediately, that:
1. Pro se litigants may file documents through the Court’s ADS system, which is being piloted
by the Court. Detailed information and instructions for filing through ADS can be located on
the Court’s website; and
2. If pro se litigants elect to not file documents through ADS, they may continue to file
documents with the Clerk of Court as permitted by this Court’s Local Civil Rules, specifically:
(1) by mail; (2) by using the drop box in the respective courthouse lobbies; and/or (3) in person
at the Clerk’s Office front counter, when the Clerk’s Office is open to the public. Under no
circumstances shall documents be sent directly to the judge assigned to the case; and
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, effective December 31, 2024, that:
3. All pre-COVID-19 methods and procedures for filing of court documents shall resume; and
4. Pro se filings through the Help Desk email (
[email protected]) shall not be accepted;
and
5. This Standing Order supersedes the March 30, 2020 Notice, to the extent that it authorizes the
filing of court documents through the ECF Help Desk email.
Date: November __, 2024 ______________________________
Hon. Renée Marie Bumb
Chief United States District Judge
