Due to system maintenance, the court's CM/ECF system will be unavailable on Sunday, February 7, 2010, from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM CST. This brief interruption will affect both attorney e-filers and public (PACER) users. Please plan accordingly.

The District of Minnesota is seeking applicants for a U.S. Magistrate Judge position in Duluth, Minnesota. See the Public Notice, Instructions to Applicants, and Application (PDF or MS Word) for additional information. Applications are due no later than 5:00 p.m. Central Time, on Friday, February 26, 2010.

The First Receiver Reports for U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commision v. Trevor Cook et al. and United States Securities and Exchange Commission v. Trevor Cook et al., are now available. Please click on the links to view the reports.

The office of the District Court of Minnesota will be closed Thursday, December 24 and Friday, December 25, 2009 for the Christmas holiday and Thursday, December 31 and Friday, January 1 for the New Year holiday. CME-CF will be available but the Helpdesk will not be staffed.

A new webpage was created on the U.S. District Court's site for parties interested in the U.S. Commodity Futures Training Commission and U.S. Securities Exchange Commission v. Trevor Cook et al cases. The page contains a summary of the case, upcoming court proceedings, links to orders signed in this case, a link to the Receiver Website and to the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website.

Congratulations to Judge Frank who has been appointed the Chair of the Federal Bar Association Task Force on Diversity. Please see the Press Release for details.

The District of Minnesota is proud to announce the addition of a new webpage, Representing Yourself (Pro Se), to its website. This webpage contains a collection of resources designed to be of assistance to pro se filers. New resources include a Pro Se Civil Guidebook, glossary, and answers to common pro se questions.

The filing deadlines in Local Rules 1.1, 5.3, 5.5, 7.1, 7.2, 16.2, 26.1, 39.1, 54.3, 72.2, 83.6, Form 5, Form 6, and Rules of Procedure for Expedited Trials have been amended to comport with the Federal Rule computation of time amendments that go into effect on December 1, 2009. Local Rule 54.3, “Time Limit for Motion for Award of Attorney’s Fees and for Costs Other Than Attorney’s Fees,” has also been amended to provide a procedure for the taxation of costs. To see the amendments, click on the links.

In addition, several website resources have been updated to reflect these local rule changes, including the Civil ECF Procedures Guide, Criminal ECF Procedures Guide, Policy for Electronic Access to Transcripts of Court Proceedings in CM/ECF and PACER, (AO 440) Summons in a Civil Action, (AO 441), Summons on a Third-Party Complaint, (AO 133) Bill of Costs form, and Bill of Costs Guide. To see the updated resources, click on the links.

The office of the District Court of Minnesota will be closed Thursday Nov. 26 and Friday Nov. 27, 2009 for the Thanksgiving holiday. CM-ECF will be available but the CM-ECF Helpdesk will not be staffed.

On December 1, 2009, several local rules will be amended. These amendments are in response to the Federal Rule changes that take effect on December 1, 2009, concerning how to compute time. In addition, LR 54.3, "Time Limit for Motion for Award of Attorney's Fees" will change to provide a procedure for the taxation of costs. For more information regarding these amendments or the upcoming Federal Rule changes, click on the links to see the public notice and the full text of the upcoming amendments.

The forms menu on the Court's website has been updated to incorporate nine new forms designed to be of assistance to pro se litigants. These forms consist of a Complaint (general); Employment Discrimination Complaint; Complaint for Judicial Review of a Decision of the Commissioner of Social Security; Motion (general); Notice of Hearing; Memorandum of Law; Certificate of Service by Mail; Certificate of Electronic Service; Certificate of Electronic Service for Motion Papers; and a Notice of Appeal. In addition, the IFP application, AO240 Application to Proceed without Payment, has been replaced with the restyled AO239 Application to Proceed in District Court Without Prepaying Fees and Costs. Please visit the Court Forms menu to see these new forms.

The District of Minnesota has adopted amendments to the following Local Rules and Form: LR 7.1, LR 7.2(a)-(c), LR 9.1, LR 15.1, LR 37.1, LR 72.2(a), LR 83.10 and Form 3. For more information regarding the rule changes, read the public notice. To see the full text of the amendments, click on the links.

The District of Minnesota is proposing several changes to the Local Rules. These proposed changes are in response to the Federal Rule changes effective December 1, 2009, concerning how to compute time. In addition, the Court proposes to amend LR 54.3, "Time Limit for Motion for Award of Attorney's Fees" to provide a procedure for the taxation of costs. For more information regarding the proposed rule changes or the upcoming Federal Rule changes, read the public notice and to see the full text of the proposed changes, click on the links. Public comment on the proposed amendments is due by October 16, 2009.

Beginning 9/14/2009, the court's case management system (CM/ECF) incorporates a new feature for attorney e-filers. At the login prompt, attorneys must acknowledge their responsibility for redaction of electronically filed documents under Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2 and Fed. R. Crim. P. 49.1 by clicking a checkbox on the login screen. This change reflects national Judicial Conference policy.

Beginning 9/21/2009, the court will implement changes to CM/ECF which allow for the electronic payment of certain court fees. Secure, on-line payments may be made by credit/debit card as part of specific e-filing events through the U.S. Treasury’s Pay.gov website. Please see the Public Notice for more information.

For details on using CM/ECF to make electronic payments , please review the Procedure Guide and FAQ's on using Pay.gov.