ADS Guidelines and Procedures

=== ADS Guidelines and Procedures === LTERNATE OCUMENT UBMISSION CHANGES EFFECTIVE 2/2/2026: • Users will receive a confirmation email upon submission. • The system will no longer permit you to submit a non-pdf document nor an oversized pdf. • By using ADS, users are consenting to receive service of documents and Notice of Electronic Filings via the Court’s electronic filing system. What is Alternate Document Submission? Alternate Document Submission (ADS) is a service provided by the District of New Jersey that may be used by self-represented litigants without CM/ECF privileges for filing a new civil case or for filing documents in existing civil, criminal or miscellaneous cases as an alternative to mailing or bringing the documents to the courthouse. Using ADS is the electronic equivalent of mailing your document(s) to the Court for filing on CM/ECF.

You are not required to use ADS. You may continue to elect to submit documents by one of the other filing methods provided for self-represented litigants: by mail; by placing them in the drop box in one of the courthouse lobbies; or delivering them in person at the Clerk’s Office. Clerk’s Office and drop box hours are located on the Court’s website. Court holidays and designated administrative leave days are also posted on the Court’s website.

As with any document submitted in federal court, documents submitted through ADS must comply with all relevant local and federal rules. Please remember to sign your documents in compliance with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 11 before submitting them to the Court. For additional guidance, please refer to the Procedural Guide for Pro Se Litigants. If you are submitting documents using ADS, do not mail originals of those documents to the Clerk’s Office for filing.

COURTESY COPIES: Courtesy copies should not be submitted via ADS. The ADS system is provided for your convenience. The privilege of submitting a document through ADS may be revoked due to continuous non-compliance of the ADS filing guidelines. A technical failure with ADS will not constitute an excuse for missing a filing deadline.

In the event of a technical failure of ADS, users must submit documents by one of the other filing methods provided for self- represented litigants as indicated above. Please review the information below before submitting a document through ADS. Filings that May Not Be Submitted by Alternate Document Submission • Attorneys/individuals represented by attorneys cannot file using ADS and must file documents electronically using CM/ECF. Any documents submitted through ADS by attorneys will not be docketed and the attorney will not receive any response to the submission. • Sealed documents may not be filed using ADS. • USM-285 Forms • Rule 26 Discovery • Settlement position statements and/or other ex parte submissions • Documents prohibited by a confidentiality order • Unredacted documents that are not in compliance with Federal Rule Civil Procedure 5.2 • Unflattened fillable forms • Courtesy copies or other documents intended for submission to Chambers only Consent to Use Email for Service/Termination of Consent By using ADS, you consent to receive service of documents and Notice of Electronic Filings via the Court’s electronic filing system to the extent and in the manner authorized by Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(b), and Fed. R. Civ. P. 77(d), Local Civil Rule 5.2 and waiving the right to receive notice by first class mail pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(b)(2) and Fed. R. Civ. P. 77(d).

This means that you will receive notice of court documents, as well as documents filed by other parties in the case, at the e-mail address you provide. The Court would no longer send paper copies of documents that were sent to you by e-mail. You may obtain a PACER account by registering online at https://pacer.uscourts.gov. Users must promptly notify the Clerk’s Office of any change to their email address.

You must notify the Clerk’s Office in writing if you no longer wish to receive electronic notification of filed documents, and you will no longer be permitted to submit documents through ADS. Date of Filing The date the Clerk’s Office receives a document submitted through ADS will be considered the date of filing. Please allow time for processing. Generally, filings are processed within one full business day of receipt; however, there are times processing may take longer.

How Do I Know Which Vicinage My Filing Belongs? For existing cases, you can determine the vicinage by looking at the beginning number. 1: - Camden 2: - Newark 3: - Trenton Review the number listed before the colon, i.e., case number 1:24-cv-00001 would be a civil Camden case because the number before the colon is a 1. If your case is a new filing and you do not have an assigned case number, please be advised that allocation of new civil cases is guided by Local Rule 40.1(a).

Cases are assigned based on the location of the first- listed defendant, where the incident took place, or based on any listed related cases. For cases involving real estate, the location of the property is used to determine the allocation. For motor vehicle accidents, cases are assigned based on the county where the accident took place. Please review the vicinage lines for case assignment located on the Court’s website to assist you in selecting the proper vicinage for submission of your filing.

Upon receipt of your initiating case document(s), a member of the Clerk’s Office will review your submission to determine the proper vicinage. REMINDER: All initiating filings, i.e., Complaints and Notices of Removal, must be accompanied by a completed, flattened civil cover sheet. When filing a Notice of Removal, be sure to also include a copy of all state court pleadings. How Will I Know When My Submission is Docketed?

The Clerk’s Office will enter the documents submitted through ADS into CM/ECF. Once entered, you will receive a Notice of Electronic Filing at the e-mail address you provided to the Court. You will be granted one “free look” to view the filed document at no cost. You are strongly encouraged to save or print the document for your records.

After this free view is used or expires after 15 days, the filed document may only be accessed through Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) or obtained through the Clerk’s Office for the applicable copy work fee. You may obtain a PACER account by registering online at https://pacer.uscourts.gov. How Can I Pay the Filing Fee for a New Case? For new cases, the Clerk’s Office will assign a case number.

Once the case is processed, you will receive a Notice of Electronic Filing either electronically or via first class mail as indicated above. Once you have received your case number you can pay by credit card, check or money order. Credit Card payments can be made by calling our finance department: Camden: (609) 989-0468 Newark: (973) 622-4810 Trenton: (609) 989-0468 Checks or money orders shall be made payable to “Clerk, U.S. District Court” and mailed to the office where the case was opened: Camden: Clerk, U.S. District Court Mitchell H. Cohen Building & U.S. Courthouse P.O. Box 2797 Camden, NJ 08101 856-757-5021 Newark: Clerk, U.S. District Court Martin Luther King Building & U.S. Courthouse 50 Walnut Street Newark, NJ 07102 973-645-3730 Trenton: Clerk, U.S. District Court Clarkson S. Fisher Building & U.S. Courthouse 402 E. State Street Trenton, NJ 08608 609-989-2065 If you are unable to pay the filing fee, you may apply to the Court to allow you to file your complaint without the prepayment of the filing fee by submitting an Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis. This application must also accompany the complaint.

Technical Requirements for Using ADS • File Size and Type: The Court will only accept files in PDF format with a size that does not exceed 5 MB for Document 1; and 6 MB for Documents 2-5 as indicated in the attachment prompt. If your document exceeds these file sizes, you must split your document into smaller files and label them accordingly. If your documents do not meet these requirements, you must file by mail; by placing them in the drop box in one of the courthouse lobbies; or delivering them in person at the Clerk’s Office. Documents that do not meet these criteria will not be filed. • Filing Multiple Documents: You can submit up to 5 documents for filing in the same case in one submission.

Documents must meet the size requirements as indicated in the attachment prompt. • How to Know If Your Submission Was Successful: If your submission is successful, you will receive an automatic confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email, your documents were not submitted to the Court. If you cannot successfully file using ADS, you must submit documents by one of the other filing methods provided for self-represented litigants: by mail; by placing them in the drop box in one of the courthouse lobbies; or delivering them in person at the Clerk’s Office.