NEWS FROM U.S. DISTRICT COURT

July 14, 2023

Jury Plan. The Court has updated its Jury Plan. Under the revised plan, “[a]ttorneys for parties participating in voir dire and their staff and consultants may electronically access the names and other personal information concerning petit jurors summoned to report.” It is no longer necessary for an attorney to move the Court to gain access. The Jury Plan is available on the Court’s website.

The Clerk’s Office will docket the juror questionnaires approximately one week before trial. The questionnaires will be restricted to counsel representing case participants. Attorneys may review jury information with their clients but may not provide copies to the client. At the completion of the trial, the questionnaires will be sealed and attorneys will be required to destroy or return to the Clerk’s Office any printed copies.

Amended/Third-Party Civil Complaint Event Update. The civil event to file either an amended or third-party complaint has been updated and now allows the filing attorney to add a new party or parties to the case. When filing the amended or third-party complaint, the system will ask if the complaint adds a new party. If you answer in the affirmative, you will be directed to a specific location in the CM/ECF User Manual, which is available on the Court’s public website. There you will find step-by-step directions on how to correctly add a new party to the case. As always, if you still have questions about the correct way to add a party, please call the Clerk’s Office before proceeding.