Common ECF Events with Definitions

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• Appearance of counsel
• BRIEF (formal briefs not under seal)
• Certificate of confidentiality
• Disclosure statement
• Docketing statement (civil/agency)
• Docketing statement (criminal)
• Docketing statement objection/correction
• JOINT APPENDIX and
  SUPPLEMENTAL APPENDIX
• MOTION
• Notice that no brief will be filed
• Oral Argument Acknowledgment
• Petition for rehearing by panel
• Petition for rehearing en banc
• Petition for rehearing with petition for rehearing en banc
• REPLY (to response)
• RESPONSE/ANSWER (to motion or request)
• RESPONSE/ANSWER (to Similar Case notice)
• SEALED JOINT APPENDIX (court access) and SEALED SUPPLEMENTAL APPENDIX (court access)
• SEALED BRIEF (court access) (formal briefs under seal)
• SEALED DOCUMENT  (court access only)
• Supplemental authorities
• Supplemental authorities response
• Transcript order form

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Appearance of counsel

• Counsel entering their appearance must file an Appearance of Counsel Form. Counsel must be a member in good standing of the Fourth Circuit bar and have an electronic filing account. Check the Attorney Bar and ECF Status Report for counsel's current bar and electronic filing status.

BRIEF (formal briefs not under seal)

• Select this entry for all formal briefs.  Within the entry you will select the type of brief you are filing; opening, response, reply, opening & response, response & reply, supplemental opening, or supplemental response. See Brief and Appendix Requirements for detailed information on formal brief contents and format.

Certificate of confidentiality

• Select this entry when filing a Certificate of Confidentiality for Sealed Material which must be filed in conjunction with the filing of any sealed material using SEALED JOINT APPENDIX (court access) and SEALED SUPPLEMENTAL APPENDIX (court access), SEALED BRIEF (court access)(formal briefs under seal) or SEALED DOCUMENT. See the Memorandum on Sealed and Confidential Materials for detailed information on filing sealed material.

Disclosure statement

• All parties to a civil or bankruptcy case and all corporate defendants in a criminal case (excluding the United States, indigent parties, and state or local governments in pro se cases) must file the Disclosure statement within 14-days of case initiation.
• The government is required to file a disclosure statement if there is an organizational victim in a criminal case. A disclosure statement for debtor information in a bankruptcy case is required (even if the debtor is not a party to the appeal).

Docketing statement (civil/agency)

• Appellants/Petitioners in civil and agency cases must file the Docketing statement (civil/agency) within 14-days of case initiation. Any necessary Transcript Order form(s) may be uploaded with the docketing statement. Appearance of counsel and Disclosure statement forms may not be uploaded within the Docketing statement entry.

Docketing statement (criminal)

• Appellants/Petitioners in criminal cases must file the Docketing statement (criminal) within 14-days of case initiation. Any necessary Transcript Order forms(s) may be uploaded with the docketing statement. Appearance of counsel forms may not be uploaded within the Docketing statement entry.

Docketing statement objection/correction

• Select this entry when responding or objecting to either Docketing statement (civil/agency) and Docketing statement (criminal). Do not select Reply (to response) or Response/Answer (to motion or request) when responding to a docketing statement.

JOINT APPENDIX and SUPPLEMENTAL APPENDIX

• Select these entries for filing an appendix in cases with a formal briefing schedule. See the Electronic Appendix Instructions for detailed information on creating and filing an appendix. See Brief & Appendix Requirements  for detailed information on formal appendix contents and format.

MOTION

• Select this entry when filing any non-sealed motion. Within the entry you will choose a “relief” to specify the type of motion. If the motion contains sealed material, file a redacted version using the Motion entry and the sealed version using the SEALED DOCUMENT entry and Certificate of confidentiality entry.
  
  

  Common Motion Reliefs
  Relief	Use
  Approve/authorize	Use when seeking approval for CJA funds for travel, translators, copy shops, etc.
  Extend filing time	Use when seeking an extension of time to file a document.
  Dismiss appeal	Use when asking the court to dismiss the appeal.  If the motion is also asking to stay/suspend the briefing shedule, also select the relief “Suspend.”  Do not use when the appellant/petitioner is seeking to have the appeal dismissed pursuant to FRAP 42(b).
  Dismiss appeal pursuant to FRAP 42(b)	Use when the appellant/petitioner agrees to dismiss the appeal.
  Suspend	Use when seeking suspension of a briefing schedule.
  Withdraw	Do not use when counsel is seeking to withdraw or be relieved as counsel of record.
  Withdraw/relieve/substitute	Use when counsel is seeking to withdraw or be relieved as counsel of record.

Notice that no brief will be filed

• Select this entry to inform the court that a brief will not be filed by a party to the case.  Do not use Letter or Notice re: to file notice that a brief will not be filed.

Oral argument acknowledgment

• Any attorney arguing, as well as any attorney appearing on behalf of a separately represented co-defendant in a consolidated criminal case, must file the Oral Argument Acknowledgment form within seven days of service of the Oral Argument Notification.

Petition for rehearing by panel

• Select this entry if you are filing a petition seeking rehearing by the panel only

Petition for rehearing en banc

• Select this entry if you are filing a petition seeking rehearing by the en banc court only.

Petition for rehearing with petition for rehearing en banc

• Select this entry if you are filing a petition seeking rehearing by the panel OR the en banc court.

REPLY (to response)

• Select this entry when replying to a RESPONSE/ANSWER to a MOTION. Do not select this entry to file a reply brief (use BRIEF (all formal, non-sealed briefs/electronic and paper form)).

RESPONSE/ANSWER (to motion or request)

• Select this entry when responding to a MOTION. Do not select this entry to file a response brief (use BRIEF (all formal, non-sealed briefs/electronic and paper form)) or a response to supplemental authorities (use Supplemental authorities response).

RESPONSE/ANSWER (to Similar Case notice)

• Select this entry when responding to the court’s Notice requesting response to similar case inquiry.

SEALED BRIEF  (court access) (formal briefs under seal)

• Select this entry for any formal brief containing sealed material. Within the entry you will select the type of brief you are filing; opening, response, reply, opening & response, response & reply, supplemental opening, or supplemental response. A redacted version of any sealed brief must be filed using the BRIEF (formal briefs not under seal) entry. A Certificate of confidentiality must also be filed. See Brief and Appendix Requirements for detailed information on formal brief contents and format. See the Memorandum on Sealed and Confidential Materials for detailed information on filing sealed material.

SEALED DOCUMENT  (court access only)

• Select this entry when filing any document containing sealed material, including a motion, that is not a SEALED JOINT APPENDIX (court access) or SEALED BRIEF (court access) (formal briefs under seal). A Certificate of confidentiality must also be filed. See the Memorandum on Sealed and Confidential Materials for detailed information on filing sealed material.

SEALED JOINT APPENDIX (court access) and SEALED SUPPLEMENTAL APPENDIX (court access)

• Select these entries to file sealed volumes of a formal joint appendix (or supplemental appendix). A Certificate of Confidentiality must also be filed. See Brief and Appendix Requirements for detailed information on formal appendix contents and format. See the Memorandum on Sealed and Confidential Materials for detailed information on filing sealed material.

Supplemental authorities

• Select this entry when notifying the court of additional authorities pursuant to FRAP 28(j).  Do not use Letter or Notice re: to file Supplemental Authorities.

Supplemental authorities response

• Select this entry when filing a response to Supplemental Authorities. Do not use Letter, Notice re: Response/Answer or Reply (to response) to file a response to Supplemental Authorities.

Transcript order form

• Select this entry to file a Transcript Order Form. If you are filing a Docketing statement at the same time, the transcript order form may be uploaded to a docketing statement entry.