An e-filed document must include the e-filer's email address, in addition to any other information required by the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure and this Court's Local Rule 7.
E-Filing by Parties
The Fourth Court of Appeals will accept electronic filings from the parties. This is the Court's preferred method for filing. A party may electronically file (e-file) any document that may be filed with the court in paper form, except a document under seal or subject to a motion to seal. Documents e-filed with the Fourth Court of Appeals must conform to Local Rule 10 of this Court's Local Rules pertaining to electronic filing of documents. E-filing must be done through Texas.gov, the portal established by the Texas Legislature. Visit http://www.texas.gov/en/tx-efiling/Pages/default.aspx to learn more. E-filed briefs must follow the Texas Supreme Court's Redaction Guidelines found at http://www.supreme.courts.state.tx.us/ebriefs/RedactionGuidelines.pdf.
Please note an e-filed document must include the e-filer's email address, in addition to any other information required by the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure.
If a party opts not to e-file a document and to file the document in paper form instead, the original document filed with the court must be in the form provided by Rule 9.4 of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure. However, one of the copies must be unbound and one-sided and contain no hard covers, tabs, or any other item that would impede the scanning of the document. In lieu of tabs, separator pages with the title of the item immediately following should be used.
For more information about creating electronic briefs, please read the Guide to Creating Better Electronic Briefs found on the Texas Supreme Court's website. You can also watch a video that shows step-by-step instructions for using Adobe Acrobat to create an electronic brief.
Clerks' Records
Clerks' records filed electronically with the Fourth Court of Appeals must conform to this Court's Local Rule Directing the Form of the Appellate Records and be submitted by way of the current TAMES portal. To request access to the TAMES portal please send your name, title, and email address to Filing4th@4thcoa.courts.state.tx.us. Once processed, a password and filing instructions will be e-mailed to you by the Office of Court Administration.
Submit your record in the appropriate County folder designated for clerk's records. Documents cannot be "locked" by the filer as this prevents application of the electronic file stamp by the Fourth Court of Appeals. Locked documents will be rejected and the filer will be required to resubmit the filing.
When you submit your record, include the following information in the description field:
- The Fourth Court of Appeals Case number;
- The Style of the Case;
- The number of volumes filed.
Notice will issue once the record has been successfully filed by the Fourth Court of Appeals.
Reporters' Records
Reporters' records filed electronically with the Fourth Court of Appeals must conform to the Uniform Format Manual for Texas Reporters' Records and be submitted by way of the current TAMES portal. To request access to the TAMES portal please send your name, title, and email address to Filing4th@4thcoa.courts.state.tx.us. Once processed, a password and filing instructions will be e-mailed to you by the Office of Court Administration.
Submit your record in the appropriate County folder designated for reporter's records. Documents cannot be "locked" by the filer as this prevents application of the electronic file stamp by the Fourth Court of Appeals. Locked documents will be rejected and the filer will be required to resubmit the filing.
When you submit your record, include the following information in the description field:
- The Fourth Court of Appeals Case number;
- The Style of the Case;
- The number of volumes filed;
- If there are any volumes yet to be filed, and if so by whom;
Notice will issue once the record has been successfully filed by the Fourth Court of Appeals.
Supreme Court Orders Local Rules Approval [pdf]
Court of Criminal Appeals Local Rules Approval [pdf]
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Updated: 04-Jan-2012
