Case 1:21-mc-00004 Document 6 Filed 01/21/21 Page 1 of 2
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW MEXICO
IN RE: )
GENERAL ORDER REGARDING THE ) 21-MC-00004-06
FILING OF HIGHLY SENSITIVE )
DOCUMENTS )
)
GENERAL ORDER
WHEREAS, in response to recent disclosures of wide-spread breaches of both private
sector and government computer systems, federal courts are immediately adding new security
procedures to protect highly sensitive documents (HSDs) filed with the courts;
THE COURT FINDS that, pursuant to Civil Rule 5(d)(3)(A) and Criminal Rule
49(b)(3)(A), good cause exists to require all parties to file certain highly sensitive documents
outside of the court’s electronic filing system.
THERERFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that, effective as of the date of this order
and until such time as the court orders otherwise, the filing of certain highly sensitive documents
shall be subject to the procedures and requirements set forth below. This General Order supersedes
any and all inconsistent provisions in existing local rules or other general orders of this court.
1. Documents Subject to this Order
a. This Order applies to documents relating to matters of national security, foreign
sovereign interests, or cybersecurity; the extent of domestic or international
interests; the involvement of public officials; intellectual property or trade secrets;
or the reputational interests of the United States; or as designated on the presiding
judge’s Chambers Procedures page, which can be found on the court’s web site.
b. Upon identifying a document that meets one of these criteria, the party may file the
HSD with the Clerk’s Office outside of the electronic case management system
(CM/ECF).
c. If an HSD designation is desired but a document does not meet the criteria set forth
in paragraph 1(a), a party may file a motion to treat a document as an HSD and
submit the proposed HSD to the Clerk’s Office outside of the electronic case
management system (CM/ECF).
d. The Administrative Procedures Manual contains procedures for filing motions to
designate a document as an HSD, transmitting HSDs to the Clerk’s Office, and for
service of such filings.
Case 1:21-mc-00004 Document 6 Filed 01/21/21 Page 2 of 2
e. Any dispute as to whether a document is an HSD shall be resolved by the presiding
judge or the chief judge when no presiding judge is assigned.
2. Removal of Existing HSDs or Highly Sensitive Cases from the Court’s Electronic
Filing System
a. Upon motion of a party or upon its own motion, the court may determine that a
document, case, or any portion of it, that has been filed electronically is highly
sensitive and direct that the HSD or case be removed from the court’s electronic
filing system and maintained by the Clerk’s Office in a secure paper filing system.
b. A party’s motion to remove an HSD or highly sensitive case from the court’s
electronic filing system shall explain why such document or case is highly sensitive
under the criteria set out in paragraph 1(b) above or why it should otherwise be
subject to the heightened protection for HSDs.
3. Questions about HSD Filing Procedures
Any questions about how an HSD should be filed with the court pursuant to this General
Order should be directed to the Clerk’s Office at (505) 348-2075.
IT IS SO ORDERED, this 21st day of January, 2021.
____________________________________
William P. Johnson
Chief United States District Judge
District of New Mexico
2
District NextGen v1.6 LIVE DB https://nmd-ecf.sso.dcn/cgi-bin/Dispatch.pl?118854511142528
Notices
1:21-mc-00004 Administrative Orders
U.S. District Court
United States District Court - District of New Mexico
Notice of Electronic Filing
The following transaction was entered on 1/21/2021 at 1:16 PM MST and filed on 1/21/2021
Case Name: Administrative Orders
Case Number: 1:21-mc-00004
Filer:
Document Number: 6
Docket Text:
GENERAL ORDER: Regarding the Filing of Highly Sensitive Documents (cg)
1:21-mc-00004 Notice has been electronically mailed to:
1:21-mc-00004 Notice has been delivered by fax to:
1:21-mc-00004 Notice has been delivered by USPS to:
The following document(s) are associated with this transaction:
Document description:Main Document
Original filename:n/a
Electronic document Stamp:
[STAMP dcecfStamp_ID=1167529506 [Date=1/21/2021] [FileNumber=11158059-
0] [0e42bd69859f1e075b172673169727483d8a9f1422859713cb976afe735a1c9cfd
06f245ae7a2e2c7bfef1ef4c91efd7bd758274ece32f90caa0cd213461c0f0]]
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