As of July 1, 2006, this Circuit began accepting electronically filed (“e-filed”) motions in civil and domestic relations cases. The Circuit Court Judges have determined that e-filed motions and responses which, either alone or with accompanying exhibits or attachments, exceed 10 letter size pages in length must be reproduced in hard/paper copy for their fair, complete and efficient judicial review and adjudication. Given the continued reduction in clerical staffing, it is a waste of limited human and material resources to require the Clerk or Judicial Assistants to reproduce hard/paper copies of such motions, responses and exhibits.

It is, therefore, ORDERED AND DECREED by the Judges of the Circuit Court for the 8th Judicial Circuit of Alabama, as follows:

1. If an e-file motion or response to a motion in a civil or domestic relations case exceeds 10 letter size pages in length, inclusive of the motion or response itself and any attachments or exhibits thereto, then the movant or respondent promptly shall submit to the Circuit Judge, who is assigned to the case, a hard/paper copy that duplicates the e-filed motion, response, attachments or exhibits and that is stamped or marked by the movant or respondent as a “e-file duplicate” or “e-file copy”.


2. The filing date and time of an e-filed motion or response shall be the date and time electronically stamped on the e-filed version of the motion or response.


3. The filing date and time of an e-filed motion or response, which requires the submission of a hard/paper copy pursuant to this Standing Order, shall be deferred until the duplicate hard/paper copy is submitted to the assigned Circuit Judge.


4. Any delay by a party in submitting a hard/paper copy of an e-filed motion or response to a motion, as required by this Standing Order, shall not necessarily cause a continuance or delay of a trial or hearing that was noticed prior to the electronic filing of the motion or response.

The Clerk shall file this Standing Order with the minutes and proceedings of this Circuit Court and shall provide copies to the members of the local bar, to the out-of-county attorneys who enter appearances in new civil or domestic cases after the date of this Order, and to the attorneys who electronically files motions in pending civil or domestic relations cases.

DONE this 6th day of September, 2006.