The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals recently released a Notice detailing proposed amendments to several of its Local Rules and to its Guide to Electronic Filing.
Appellate practice in the Sixth Circuit is governed by the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, Sixth Circuit Rules (i.e., Local Rules), Sixth Circuit Internal Operating Procedures and Sixth Circuit Guide to Electronic Filing, which the Sixth Circuit conveniently combines in a single document on its website.
Here is a summary of every proposed amendment:
Rule 10(a)(1): Transcript Order
Currently, all parties use Form 6CA30 to order transcripts or certify that a transcript is unnecessary. The proposed amendment differentiates between represented and pro se parties: represented parties must use the electronic transcript order in CM/ECF, while pro se parties must use the pro-se transcript order form available on the court’s website and from the clerk’s office. The amendment also streamlines the rule by removing several now-redundant filing, service and copying steps that applied to all parties under the current rule.
Rule 25(f)(2): Certificate of Service
Clarifies the certificate-of-service requirements for electronically filed documents. Under the proposed amendment, a document presented for filing must contain a proof of service if it was served other than through the court’s electronic-filing system.
Rule 32(a): Certificate of Compliance with Type-Volume Limitation
A minor but important correction: the proposed amendment updates the cross-reference for the certificate of compliance from Fed. R. App. P. 32(a)(7)(C) to Fed. R. App. P. 32(g), which is where the current version of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure houses the certificate-of-compliance requirement. The substantive requirement remains unchanged.
Rule 46: Attorney Discipline
Several subsections are being renumbered.
Guide to Electronic Filing, Section 10.1: Service of Documents
The proposed amendments to this section align the Guide to Electronic Filing with the changes to Rule 25(f)(2) discussed above. The amended section removes the blanket requirement that a certificate of service accompany all documents, and instead clarifies that a certificate of service is required only when serving a party other than through the court’s electronic-filing system.
Public Comment Period
Public comments must be submitted by June 25, 2026, and addressed to:
Kelly L. Stephens, Clerk Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals 501 Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse 100 East Fifth Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-3988
or emailed to RulesComments@ca6.uscourts.gov.
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