Subject to subsections (A) and (B) below, any unofficial correspondence with the court (letters, briefs, etc.) and all proposed documents (proposed settlement agreement, proposed decree, etc.) may be submitted to the court by counsel as an email attachment in Word format. All other pleadings, motions and any other document that will be filed within the court file shall only be electronically filed (e-filed) by counsel; follow-up copies of the same shall neither be submitted nor accepted by the court. For individuals not represented by counsel, i.e., a self-represented litigant, all correspondence shall be mailed by U.S. mail, postage prepaid, or personally delivered to the Clerk of the District Court. Ex parte communication with the court shall not be tolerated in the absence of express permission by all interested parties.

   A. Exhibit Handling

   (1) Affidavits, depositions, and other proposed exhibits in support of motions shall not be filed with the Clerk unless otherwise ordered by the Court. Nothing in this rule shall prohibit any properly filed pleading from being offered and received into evidence.

   (2) Public Records as Exhibits. In all cases where books, files, or records, or parts thereof belonging to or taken from the records of public offices are offered in evidence or are marked for identification to be offered at a pretrial conference, it shall be the duty of the party offering the same to furnish true copies of the same to the court reporter and the opposing counsel before the offer.

   (3) Documentary Exhibits. All documentary evidence which is not impeaching or rebuttal in nature shall be presented to the court reporter prior to trial, marked for identification, and submitted to the opposing party for inspection. They shall be numbered consecutively.

   B. Electronic Filing

   (1) When a party e-files any motion, including a motion for ex parte order, pleading, or other document after 2:00 p.m. on a given day that requires a hearing within the next 72 hours, he/she shall also follow up with the Clerk of the District Court, whether in person or by phone call on the day of filing, in order to give the Clerk adequate notice so that the court is made aware of the request in a timely manner.

Adopted effective September 22, 1995; amended January 31, 2018.