Courts Authorized to Make Electronic Orders

A judge may electronically sign an order by applying his or her electronic signature to the order. Judges are not required to electronically sign orders. Comment to Part 1: These rules do not apply to court reporters, charging instruments, exhibits filed in a hearing or trial, or documents, such as plea paperwork, filed directly with a judge, and do not mandate electronic filing of these items. These rules do not authorize a clerk to require electronic filing by persons not represented by an attorney. Clerks should maintain a process for filing paper submissions from such filers. These rules also do not affect whether electronically filed documents may be posted on the internet. Any posting of filed documents, pleadings, or materials to the internet must comply with Part 4 of these rules. PART 2. FILING MECHANISM