John Council, writing for the Tex Parte blog, had an update on e-filing for the Texas Supreme Court this week. Here is John’s report:
While some state district courts in large urban areas such as Dallas and Houston embraced this concept long ago, the Texas Supreme Court will finally do the same on March 14 when it finally requires attorneys to file documents electronically. The Texas Supreme Court issued an order on March 1 laying out the new e-filing rules, which apply to petitions; responses to petitions; replies to responses to petitions; briefs on the merits, including respondents’ briefs on the merits and petitioners’ reply briefs on the merits; amicus briefs; post-submission briefs; and motions, responses to motions, and replies in support of motions. “Now they can file, pay their fees and serve their opposing counsel all from their computer,” says Blake Hawthorne, clerk of the Supreme Court. But the system is a bit different from e-filing in state district courts, he says. “They do still have to send us two paper copies when they e-file.” Houston’s 1st and 14th Courts of Appeals recently instituted e-filing rules similar to the high court’s that will also take effect on March 14, Hawthorne says.
