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5 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
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In the Matter of
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Designating Court Opinions
8 GENERAL ORDER NO. 04-17
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In accordance with guidance approved by the Executive Committee of the Judicial
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Conference of the United States, the Court adopts the following criteria to insure that written
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opinions of the Court are available to the public at no cost via the PACER system.
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“Written Opinion” is defined as “any document issued by a judge or judges of the court,
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sitting in that capacity, that sets forth a reasoned explanation for a court’s decision.” This
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definition is clarified by the following points:
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(1) That the responsibility for determining which documents meet this definition rests
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with the authoring judge, which determination shall be made at the time the
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document is filed;
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(2) That the decision as to whether a document meets this definition is not the same as
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the decision about whether an opinion is to be published;
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22 (3) That the definition is expressly intended to cover any Report and Recommendation
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GENERAL ORDER NO. 04-17
1 (4) That the definition is not intended to include routine, non-substantive orders such as
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scheduling orders and orders on motions for extension of time.
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4 DATED this 17th day of March 2017.
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7 A
RICARDO S. MARTINEZ
8 CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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GENERAL ORDER NO. 04-17
