Special Mailing Group (SMG)
Last updated: 04/11/12

Journalists and interested members of the public may register to receive email notices of new filings and other case activity. This type of CM/ECF registration is called "Special Mailing Group" (SMG) registration.

1. How do I get an SMG account?

2. How do I add cases I want to watch?

3. Can we add more e-mail addresses to our account?
   Can we use one SMG account for our entire office?

4. How do I delete secondary e-mail addresses from an SMG account?

5. I can't remember my SMG login or password.
   How do I retrieve my SMG login or password?

6. Can I use my SMG account to watch cases in other courts?

SMG01

How do I get an SMG account?

Here's how it works:

1. You must register with PACER at http://www.pacer.gov, but you may do so before or after completing your SMG registration . (If you already have a PACER account already, do not register again.)

2. You must register here for the SMG (see below).

3. When the registration is complete (usually one business day), we will email you a new SMG password for CM/ECF.

4. Your SMG registration will allow you to:

   1. Change your account information (login, password, address, email, etc.) and

   2. Add/edit/delete cases that you wish to "watch" (i.e., get email notices)

   Your SMG registration will not allow you to e-file or perform other actions in ECF. You may access CM/ECF Queries, Reports, etc., with your PACER login/password.

5. Once you have your SMG login & password, and you have added cases you are interested in to the email information in your account, you will get an email notice ("notices of electronic filing" or "NEFs") of each new filing in the case

How do I access court documents from email notices?

1. The email will contain a hyperlink to the case number linking to the case docket) and the docket number of the new document (e.g. 423) linking to the document.

2. When you click one of the hyperlinks, you will be prompted for your PACER login. You will be charged for accessing dockets and documents over PACER's quarterly maximum number of free pages (but you can save or print them for future reference). Public Access Fee Schedule

3. You will get email notifications of certain filings that will not give you access to documents:

   1. in Social Security cases

   2. Under-seal filings

   3. "Limited Access" filings (e.g. Clerk's Notice of ADR Phone Conference)

   4. Documents that were manually filed pursuant to General Order 45, Part VII.

    

Click here to learn more about manually-filed documents.

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SMG02

How do I add cases I want to watch?

1. Log into ECF using your SMG login and password.

2. Click on Utilities -> Maintain Your Account.

3. Click on Email information...

4. Click on your email address.

5. Under Case-specific options, enter a case number in the "Add additional cases for noticing" box and click on "Find This Case." (If you want to add more than one case at a time, separate the case numbers with commas, e.g., "09-9555,06-7878,01-1234") Please note the case numbering format is always: YY-NNNNN (such as 05-12345). Do not enter any letters.

6. Click the "Add case(s)" button.

7. The cases will move to the "These cases will send notice" box. You can confirm which cases you have elected to receive notices on by clicking on the "Show all cases for this e-mail address" button; this will cause a pop-up window to appear with your cases listed.

8. Click on Return to Person Information Screen.

9. Click on Submit.

10. You will be told that "Case specific fields were not altered." Click on Submit.

11. You will get a screen telling you that the update was successful. To confirm that the cases have been added to your list, click the link that says "View/Hide case list."

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SMG03

Can I add additional e-mail addresses to my account?
Is it possible to use one SMG account for an entire office?

Yes and yes! Although our registration process asks for one name, there's no reason why an entire office couldn't share one SMG account.

1. Log into ECF using your SMG login and password.

2. Click on Utilities -> Maintain Your Account.

3. Click on Email information...

4. Click on add new e-mail address.

5. Enter the new e-mail address in the blank box in the right-hand pane.

6. Follow the instructions above for adding cases for this e-mail address to watch, or click on Return to Person Information Screen.

7. Click on Submit.

8. You will be told that "Case specific fields were not altered." Click on Submit.

9. You will get a screen telling you that the update was successful. To confirm that the cases have been added to your list, click the link that says "View/Hide case list."

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SMG04

How do I delete secondary e-mail addresses from an SMG account?

1. Log into ECF using your SMG login and password.

2. Click on Utilities -> Maintain Your Account.

3. Click on Email information...

4. Click on the e-mail address you wish to delete.

5. In the right-hand pane, highlight the e-mail address and delete it.

6. Click on Return to Person Information Screen.

7. Click on Submit.

8. You will be told that "Case specific fields were not altered." Click on Submit.

You will get a screen telling you that the update was successful.

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SMG05

How do I retrieve my SMG login or password?

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SMG06

Can I use my SMG account to watch cases in other courts?

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