 
What is the internet address of the court's
electronic filing system?
Who do I call if I have questions about my web
browser?
Who do I call if I have questions about how to
create a PDF document?
Who do I call if I
am having problems logging in to the electronic case filing system, ECF,
when I'm trying to file a document with the court?
Who do I call if I am having problems logging in
to PACER so that I can view documents and case information?
To what e-mail
addresses do I send civil complaints and other case initiating
documents?
How do I file a Civil case?
This includes complaints, summonses, and notices of removal.
Do I need to submit a Civil
Cover Sheet with the complaint?
How do I know where to file my
case?
To what e-mail addresses do I
send ex parte documents and/or documents for which I am
requesting permission to file under seal?
I receive an error message 62
when trying to file a crossclaim and counterclaim simultaneously.
How can I file these documents?
How do I add secondary e-mail
addresses for additional notices?
ECF will occasionally fail to
display the correct menu options or will begin acting strangely after it
has worked fine for some time. What can I do on my own before
calling the Help Desk?
How do I change my ECF
password?
How do I change my ECF notification status so that
I receive a daily summary of events rather than a notice every time
something is filed?
QUESTION: What is the
internet address of the court's electronic filing system?
ANSWER:
https://ecf.ilcd.uscourts.gov
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QUESTION: Who do I call if I
am having problems logging in to the electronic case filing system, ECF,
when I'm trying to file a document with the court?
Your ECF account was
assigned and given to you by this court. Please call the court's
ECF registration personnel at 217-492-4020 if you need assistance when
trying to log in to file a document in a case.
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QUESTIONS: (The
answer is the same for all of these questions.)
Who do I call if I have questions about my web
browser?
Who do I call if I have questions about how to
create a PDF document?
Who do I call if I am having problems logging in
to PACER so that I can view documents and case information?
ANSWER:
Contact the judiciary's
national PACER Service Center toll free at 1-800-676-6856.
Their friendly, helpful
staff will assist you with any issues which are not directly related to
cases or procedures in this particular court.
They will gladly assist you with web
browser issues and PDF issues.
The PACER Service Center will also assist you with
PACER login/account
issues if you are having trouble logging in to PACER when trying to view
a document or case information. But please note: for issues with your electronic
case filing, or ECF, account, which was given to you by the Central
District of Illinois, you will need to call the court's ECF
registration personnel at 217-492-4020.
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QUESTION:
To what e-mail addresses do I send civil
complaints and other case initiating documents?
ANSWER:
First, use Local Rule
40.1 to determine in which division of this court your case should
be filed.
Then attach to an
e-mail message, as PDF documents and as separate attachments, the
complaint, civil cover sheet, and
summonses (if you have the summonses
ready at this time).
Send the e-mail
with the separate PDF attachments to the appropriate e-mail address:
newcases.peoria@ilcd.uscourts.gov
newcases.urbana@ilcd.uscourts.gov
newcases.springfield@ilcd.uscourts.gov
newcases.rockisland@ilcd.uscourts.gov
NOTE: The e-mail addresses listed above are to be used only for
sending to the court case initiating documents in civil cases.
Do not send any other communication with the court to these addresses!
It is the
responsibility of the party filing a case initiating document by e-mail
to call the Clerk’s Office and provide a credit card number for payment
of the filing fee or to pay
the filing fee by other means.
Case initiating documents
submitted by e-mail will be deemed filed on the date that the complaint
is received by e-mail or the date
that the credit card number or other form of payment is provided to the
Clerk’s Office, whichever is later. Case initiating documents
and/or payments submitted at or after 5:00 p.m. on a normal business day
will be deemed filed on the next normal business day.
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QUESTION: How do I file a Civil case?ANSWER: The Clerk’s Office will accept case initiating
documents (i.e. complaints with civil cover sheets and
summons, and
notices of removal) sent by e-mail.
A party submitting a case
initiating document by e-mail for electronic filing must submit those
documents in .pdf format to the proper divisional mailbox, as follows:
newcases.peoria@ilcd.uscourts.gov
newcases.urbana@ilcd.uscourts.gov
newcases.springfield@ilcd.uscourts.gov
newcases.rockisland@ilcd.uscourts.gov
It is the
responsibility of the party filing a case initiating document by e-mail
to call the Clerk’s Office and provide a credit card number for payment
of the filing fee or to pay
the filing fee by other means.
Case initiating documents
submitted by e-mail will be deemed filed on the date that the complaint
is received by e-mail or the date
that the credit card number or other form of payment is provided to the
Clerk’s Office, whichever is later. Case initiating documents
and/or payments submitted at or after 5:00 p.m. on a normal business day
will be deemed filed on the next normal business day.
The
Clerk’s Office will also accept for filing case initiating documents
sent by United States mail or delivered in person to the Clerk’s Office
when accompanied by the filing fee. A case initiating
document received in paper form will be scanned and uploaded by the
Clerk’s Office. Unless otherwise provided in these procedures, the paper
documents will then be discarded.
Only case initiating
documents may be sent to the e-mail addresses listed above. If any other
documents are sent to those e-mail addresses, the Clerk’s Office will
reply to the e-mail, notifying the party that the pleading has not been
filed.
A party may not electronically serve a case initiating document, but
instead must effect service according to Fed.R.Civ.P.4.
Regarding Summonses:
A party filing a complaint by e-mail may request that a
summons issue by making such request in person or by sending the
completed summons form by United States mail to the Clerk’s Office with
a self addressed, postage-prepaid envelope. Once a summons has been
issued, the Clerk’s Office will scan it, upload it to the System, and
then return the summons to the party.
Click here for a "fillable" summons in PDF format.
In the
alternative, a party filing a complaint by e-mail may simultaneously
file by e-mail the summons that are to issue. The summons must be filled
out by the submitting party. Once the Clerk’s Office has issued the
summons, it will be e-mailed to the filing party. Issuance of summons by
e-mail will be recorded in
the docket.
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QUESTION: Do I
need to submit a Civil Cover Sheet with the complaint?
ANSWER:
Yes, you
do need to submit a Civil Cover Sheet with your complaint. E-mail
it with the complaint, in PDF format, but as a separate attachment.
Click here for a "fillable" Civil Cover Sheet
in PDF format.
You may
also download the WordPerfect version, complete it using WordPerfect, save it
as a PDF document, and e-mail it with the complaint as described above.
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QUESTION: How do I know where to file my
case?
ANSWER:
Our Local Rule 40.1
addresses the assignment of cases and places of filing.
Click here to view or
download Local Rule 40.1.
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QUESTION: To what e-mail addresses do I
send ex parte documents and/or documents for which I am
requesting permission to file under seal?
ANSWER:
All ex
parte motions and motions for leave to file documents under seal,
together with supporting information, shall be submitted to the
presiding judge via e-mail at the addresses below. A proposed order
shall be attached as an exhibit. In addition, the pleading or documents
that the party wishes to be filed under seal shall be attached as an
exhibit. The presiding judge will then determine if the motion (and/or
attached documents) should be filed under seal, and will determine how
the matter will proceed thereafter. If the Court orders a document filed
under seal, the Clerk will note on the docket sheet “document sealed”
when it is filed.
Hon.
Harold A. Baker:
baker@ilcd.uscourts.gov
Hon. Michael P. McCuskey:
mccuskey@ilcd.uscourts.gov
Hon. Joe B. McDade:
mcdade@ilcd.uscourts.gov
Hon. Michael M. Mihm:
mihm@ilcd.uscourts.gov
Hon. Richard Mills:
mills@ilcd.uscourts.gov
Hon. Jeanne E. Scott:
scott@ilcd.uscourts.gov
Hon. David G. Bernthal:
bernthal@ilcd.uscourts.gov
Hon. Byron G. Cudmore:
cudmore@ilcd.uscourts.gov
Hon. Charles H. Evans:
evans@ilcd.uscourts.gov
Hon. John A. Gorman:
gorman@ilcd.uscourts.gov
Hon. Thomas J. Shields:
shields@ilcd.uscourts.gov
NOTE:
These e-mail addresses are not to be used for any communication with the
court other than those described above!
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QUESTION: I
receive an error message 62 when trying to file a crossclaim and
counterclaim simultaneously. How can I file these documents?
ANSWER:
When filing crossclaims,
counterclaims, intervenor complaints, et cetera, you cannot
select more than one event at the same time. You will need to
create two separate documents, a crossclaim and a counterclaim, and file
each document separately.
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QUESTION: How do I add secondary e-mail
addresses for additional notices?
ANSWER:
- Login to ECF.
- Click on the
"Utilities" option.
- Under the "Your
Account" heading click the "Maintain Your Account" link (this will
take you to the "Maintain User Account" page).
- At the bottom of
the page click on the "Email information..." button (this will take
you to the "E-mail information for.." page).
- Under the "Send the
notices specified below" heading make sure the "to these additional
address" is checked.
- Fill in the text
box to the right with the additional email addresses you would like
notices sent.
- At the bottom of
the screen click the "Return to Account screen" button (this will
return you to the "Maintain User Account" page).
- At the bottom of
that screen click the "Submit" button.
- If all you did was
update the email information you will receive a page informing you
that "Case specific fields were not altered." Click the "Submit"
button again.
- You should receive
a page that contains "The update was successful...".
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QUESTION: ECF will occasionally fail to
display the correct menu options or will begin acting strangely after it
has worked fine for some time. What can I do on my own before
calling the Help Desk?
ANSWER:
Right-click in the ECF window and select Reload Frame (Netscape)
or Refresh (Internet Explorer, also known as IE).
If that does not bring
back all options, clear the web browser's cache or temporary internet
files. In Netscape:
1. Go to Edit . . . Preferences.
2. Double-click on Advanced.
3. Click on Cache.
4. Click Clear Memory Cache, then click OK.
5. Click Clear Disk Cache, then click OK.
In IE:
1. Go to Tools . . . Internet Options.
2. Click Delete Files.
3. Check the box Delete all offline content.
4. Click OK.
5. Click OK again.
Return to your ECF window and see if performing these steps helped.
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QUESTION: How do I change my ECF
password? ANSWER:
You may change your password
using the following steps:
- Access the Central District of
Illinois' ECF site at
https://ecf.ilcd.uscourts.gov.
- Click on Utilities on the
CM/ECF Menu Bar.
- Under Your Account, click
on Maintain Your Account.
- Click on the More User
Information button. Your password will come up as ********.
- Enter your new password.
- Click on the Return to
Account screen button.
- Click on the Submit
button to return to the Account screen.
- Click on the Submit
button again to complete the transaction.
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QUESTION: How do I change my ECF
notification status so that I receive a daily summary of events rather
than a notice every time something is filed?
ANSWER:
- Access the Central District of
Illinois' ECF site at
https://ecf.ilcd.uscourts.gov.
- Click on Utilities on the
CM/ECF Menu Bar.
- Under Your Account, click
on Maintain Your Account.
- Click on E-mail Information
button.
- Click on the radio button
Send a Daily Summary Report.
- Click on the Return to
Account screen button.
- Click on the Submit
button to return to the Account screen.
- Click on the Submit
button again to complete the transaction.
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