What's New

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

November 20, 2009

To assist with a current PACER program assessment, users of PACER may participate in a short survey regarding their satisfaction with current services and any suggestions for potential enhancements. This survey will remain available to users for approximately 30 days. Please click on the following link to take this survey, and we thank you in advance for helping to improve public access to federal court documents and information:

Click here to begin the survey

If you have any questions about this assessment, please contact the PACER Service Center at pacer@psc.uscourts.gov.

November 3, 2009

Judge Hill's Case Compendium has been updated as of November 2, 2009 and can be found in the Chambers section of our site.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

October 5, 2009

In Re: Letter and General Order Regarding Time Computation Pursuant to the December 1, 2009 Rule Amendments

See attached letter and General Order regarding time computations pursuant to the December 1, 2009 Rule Amendments, along with supporting documentation and information. Please contact the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office if you have any questions.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

October 1, 2009

In Re: CM/ECF System Upgrade to 3.3.2

Essential upgrades need to be made to CM/ECF, consequently the system will not be available Tuesday, October 13, 2009 from 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. This latest release has several enhancements and changes. See attached letter for further information.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

August 21, 2009

RE: RECAP SOFTWARE USAGE

The court would like to make CM/ECF filers aware of certain security concerns relating to a software application or "plug-in" called RECAP, which was designed by a group from Princeton University to enable the sharing of court documents on the Internet.

Once a user loads RECAP, documents that he or she subsequently accesses via PACER are automatically sent to a public Internet repository. Other RECAP/PACER users are then able to see whether documents are available from the Internet repository. RECAP captures District and Bankruptcy Court documents, but has not yet incorporated Appellate Court functionality. At this time, RECAP does not appear to provide users with access to restricted or sealed documents. Please be aware that RECAP is "open-source" software, which can be freely obtained by anyone with Internet access and modified for benign or malicious purposes, such as facilitating unauthorized access to restricted or sealed documents. Accordingly, CM/ECF filers are reminded to be diligent about their computer security practices to ensure that documents are not inadvertently shared or compromised.

The court and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts will continue to analyze the implications of RECAP or related software and advise you of any ongoing or further concerns.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

July 23, 2009

Re: New Scanner Settings for Documents Uploaded into CM/ECF

The Administrative Office of the United States Courts has been working with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regarding archival preservation and continued use of scanned images in the Judiciary's Case Management/Electronic Case File (CM/ECF) system. Previously, NARA had recommended a scanning resolution setting of 200 dots per inch (dpi) to produce a high quality document with a file size that did not hamper the length of time it took to scan, load and retrieve the document.

Since that time, NARA has published higher standards for scanning resolution to better support archival preservation. The attached specification sheet outlines the current NARA standards/recommendations. I would ask that, effective immediately, parties filing documents with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of North Dakota adjust their scanner settings to allow for a minimum of 300 pixels per inch (ppi). We have increased the maximum file size setting on the Court's CM/ECF system to 3 MB to allow for higher scanning settings without requiring additional splitting of filed documents.

Thank you for your attention in this matter. Please contact this office if you have any questions.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

April 17, 2009

Re: General Order abolishing Local Bankruptcy Rule 3005-1

See General Order abolishing Local Bankruptcy Rule 3005-1. Effective immediately all proof of claims shall be filed with the proper supporting attachments. Please contact the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office at 701-297-7100 if you have questions.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

February 22, 2009

Re: CM/ECF System Upgrade to 3.3.1

The CM/ECF system, including PACER and VCIS, will be down for maintenance starting at 12:00 noon on Saturday, February 21, 2009. We are converting the CM database from version 3.1.7 to version 3.3.1. We will be live on version 3.3.1 at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, February 23, 2009.

CM/ECF Release 3.3.1 will require an update to your bankruptcy preparation software. Contact your software vendor to be certain you receive the upgrade prior to February 23, 2009.

The upgrade to CM/ECF 3.3.1 has several enhancement and changes. The following is a partial list of these changes:

• Cascading Menus
• Docket Event Search
• Enhanced Features for Claims
• Viewing/Downloading Multiple Documents
• Cross Document Hyperlinks
• Judgment Index Report
• Language Change on Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF) Screen
• Calendar Display
• Ability to facilitate transcript redaction requirements
• Estimated Assets and Liabilities fields have been deleted from Involuntary Case Opening
• Docket Activity Reports: Attorneys now have the option to show only the cases in which they are involved, resulting in more streamlined report results
• Query: You can now query Open and/or Closed cases.
• The Notice of Electronic Filing now displays the party being represented along with the attorney and email address
• New Requirements for Statistical Information at Case Opening*

*The new requirement for statistical information at case opening warrants further discussion. Release 3.3 requires the input of significant statistical data from the schedules and Means Test. If you utilize Case Upload when filing new cases, this change will be invisible to you as the data will be uploaded with the debtor .txt file. However, if you file new cases using the “Open Voluntary BK Case” event, you will need to manually enter the data into the numerous fields.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

February 17, 2009

Re: CM/ECF System Upgrade to 3.3.1

The CM/ECF system, including PACER and VCIS, will be down for maintenance starting at 12:00 noon on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
We are converting the CM database to 3.3.1. We will be live on version 3.3.1 at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, February 23, 2009.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

February 4, 2009

Re: Policy and Procedures Concerning the Electronic Availability and Redaction of Transcripts of Court Proceedings

In accordance with Judicial Conference Policy and Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9037, effective with the upgrade of CM/ECF Ver. 3.3.1 scheduled February 23, 2009, we will implement the attached policy regarding official court transcripts. Please contact the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office if you have any questions.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

January 21, 2009

Re: ECF Training Opportunity - Fargo, ND

A training opportunity has been scheduled regarding electronic case filing on February 3, 2009 in Fargo, ND from 9:00a.m. - 12:00 noon. The class will focus on case opening, motions, plans, amendments, objections, adversary cases and reports from the perspective of debtor's attorney and his/her support staff. Continuing Legal Education Credits (CLE) will not be offered.

Please visit our website at www.ndb.uscourts.gov/courtreg/train/trainingform.asp for further information and registration.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

January 20, 2009

Re: System Upgrade

Due to essential upgrades the CM/ECF database, PACER and VCIS will be unavailable on Saturday, January 24, 2009 from 12:00 noon until 8:00 a.m., Monday, January 26, 2009. Service may be restored earlier than stated, but it is also possible that the outage may last longer.

Please contact the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office at 701-297-7100 if you have questions.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

January 7, 2009

Attached are statistics for the twelve month period of January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008,

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

December 14, 2008

Re: The National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act of 2008

Attached is a General Order adopting Interim Bankruptcy Rule 1007-I to implement the National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act of 2008.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

December 12, 2008

Re: The National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act of 2008

The National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act of 2008, Pub.L. 110-438, provides a temporary exclusion from the bankruptcy means test for Reservists and members of the National Guard called to a minimum of 90 days active duty or homeland defense activity after September 11, 2001. The Judicial Conference has approved an amendment to Official Form 22A, Statement of Current Monthly Income and Means Test calculation, which includes a new Part 1C where qualifying debtors could invoke the exclusion.

Please see attached Memorandum for additional information and filing instructions. The Official Form and Interim Rule are posted on the pending forms page at www.uscourts.gov/bankform/index.html

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

December 9, 2008

Re: System Maintenance

Due to scheduled maintenance the CM/ECF database, PACER and VCIS will be unavailable on Saturday, December 13, 2008 from 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.

Please contact the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office at 701-297-7100 if you have questions.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

December 1, 2008

Re: Change to Director's Procedural Bankruptcy Form Effective on December 1, 2008

An amendment to Director's Procedural Form B 201 will be effective on December 1, 2008. Form B 201 has been amended to advise debtors that Rule 4002 requires the debtor to notify the court of any changes in the debtor's address. As revised, Form B 201 also states that joint debtors who list the same mailing address on the bankruptcy petition generally will receive a single copy of each notice mailed from the bankruptcy court in a jointly-addressed envelope. On December 1, 2008 this amended form will be posted on our website at www.ndb.uscourts.gov or can be reviewed immediately at http://www.uscourts.gov/bankform/index.html.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

December 1, 2008

Re: New Rules and Amendments to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure to Take Effect December 1, 2008

The following new rules and amendments to the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure will take effect on December 1, 2008

Bankruptcy Rules 1005, 1006, 1007, 1009, 1010, 1011, 1015, 1017, 1019, 1020,
2002, 2003, 2007.1, 2015, 3002, 3003, 3016, 3017.1, 3019, 4002, 4003, 4004,
4006, 4007, 4008, 5001, 5003, 6004, 7012, 7022, 7023.1, 8001, 8003, 9006, 9009,
and 9024 and new Bankruptcy Rules 1021, 2007.2, 2015.1, 2015.2, 2015.3,
5008, and 6011.

The above rule amendments and new rules implement the substantive and procedural changes to the Bankruptcy Code made by the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA). As you know, Interim Rules have been in use since October 2005, while the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules studied BAPCPA and prepared permanent national rules through the customary three-year rulemaking process.

Please see attached General Order entered November 20, 2008 rescinding the Interim Rules effective December 1, 2008, when the new permanent rules and amendments take effect.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

November 17, 2008

Re: Holiday Schedule

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of North Dakota is closed on all Federal holidays. In addition, the Court will be closed on the following days during the upcoming holiday season:

Thursday, November 27, 2008 (Thanksgiving - Federal Holiday)
Friday, November 28, 2008 *
Thursday, December 25, 2008 (Christmas - Federal Holiday)
Friday, December 26, 2008 *
Thursday, January 1, 2009 (New Year - Federal Holiday)
Friday, January 2, 2009 *

*If emergency matters arise on 11/28, 12/26 or 1/2, call the main court telephone number at 701-297-7100 and follow the prerecorded instructions to reach an on-call staff member.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

November 7, 2008

Re: Digital Audio Recording

Effective November 3, 2008, all courtroom proceedings for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of North Dakota are captured on digital audio. Transcription services will be listed on our website and the transcribers may be contacted directly for a cost estimate, delivery time options and payment information. Since the digital recording system in the courtroom is ultra sensitive please take caution to avoid having confidential conversations held at counsel tables or in the audience recorded by the system. There is a mute feature at the base of the microphones at counsel tables to prevent sound from being broadcast over the speakers. Your hand must be placed over the control button to activate the mute feature. Contact Sharon Horsager at (701) 297-7142 or sharon_horsager@ndb.uscourts.gov if you would like a demonstration of the digital recording equipment.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

November 5 , 2008

Re: Access for Cogent Customers

Users of the Cogent internet service provider may be unable to access PACER, CM/ECF and certain federal court websites. If you are unable to file documents or have questions, please contact the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office at 701-297-7100.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

October 16, 2008

Re: CM/ECF 3.2 Upgrade Postponed Until Further Notice

The CM/ECF upgrade to Version 3.2 scheduled for October 21, 2008 has been postponed due to performance problems experienced by other bankruptcy courts. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts is working to identify and eliminate those continuing problems and we will keep you informed of the progress and a new conversion date. Please contact the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office with any questions.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

October 7, 2008

Re: CM/ECF Version 3.2 Upgrade/ CM/ECF Down October 21, 2008

With the upgrade to CM/ECF Version 3.2, the CM/ECF system will be down Tuesday, October 21, 2008. During this timeframe CM/ECF case information will be available for reference only and you will not be able to file new cases, documents or claims during the outage.

CM/ECF Version 3.2 has some changes in the case opening process, so you will want to check with your petition vendor to ensure that your current software is compatible. Please contact the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office if you have questions.

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH DAKOTA BROADCAST SUMMARY:

September 18, 2008

Re: CM/ECF Release 3.2

Essential upgrades need to be made to CM/ECF, consequently the system will not be available Tuesday, October 21, 2008. This latest release has significant user interface changes as well as enhanced statistical reporting capabilities and some new, thoughtful features designed to make your filing experience as easy as possible.

Some of the changes with Ver. 3.2
Search Feature
Cascading Menus
Docket Event Search
Enhanced Features for Claims
Viewing/Downloading Multiple Documents
Cross Document Hyperlinks
Judgment Index Report
Language Change on Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF) Screen
Calendar Display

So that you can become familiar with some of the features offered in this upgrade, two training modules have been posted on our website. They can be found at:
www.ndb.uscourts.gov>
ECF Training>
Training Modules>
Transcript> OR
Attorney Interface

Ver. 3.2 has also been loaded in our CM/ECF Training Database and you are encouraged to log in and review the new features. Please contact the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office if you have any questions.

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