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Federal Courts

Federal District Court Exhibit Requirements

Comprehensive guides for 11 of the busiest and most influential federal district courts. Learn local rules, CM/ECF specifications, and judge-specific practices for each district.

11 District CourtsCM/ECF Filing SpecsJudge-Specific Rules
35 MB
Typical File Size Limit
CM/ECF
Universal E-Filing System
FRCP 26
Federal Discovery Rules

Select Your District

Quick Comparison

DistrictCircuitSpecialtyCM/ECF
SDNY2nd CircuitSecurities, commercial, white-collarLogin
CDCA9th CircuitEntertainment, IP, immigrationLogin
NDIL7th CircuitCommercial, patent, civil rightsLogin
D.Del.3rd CircuitCorporate, patent, bankruptcyLogin
NDCal9th CircuitTech IP, securities, antitrustLogin
EDTX5th CircuitPatent litigation hubLogin
SDCal9th CircuitImmigration, patent, maritimeLogin
EDNY2nd CircuitCivil rights, commercial, immigrationLogin
NDTX5th CircuitPatent, commercial, energyLogin
D.Mass.1st CircuitBiotech/pharma IP, securitiesLogin
DNJ3rd CircuitPharmaceutical patent hubLogin

Universal Federal Requirements

FRCP Rule 26 governs discovery and exhibit exchange
CM/ECF electronic filing mandatory in all districts
PDF/A format preferred for long-term archival
Bates numbering required for most document productions
Local rules supplement (and sometimes modify) FRCP
Individual judge practices may override local rules
35 MB typical file size limit (varies by district)
OCR/text-searchable PDFs required by many judges

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