Tag Archives: electronic filing

Electronic Filing in a Federal Court and Equal Access to All by Dr. Jain

Dr. Jain is a dedicated and passionate physician who serves the community of Dr. Phillips for 37 years. Dr. Jain worked in the emergency room at Orlando Health. Dr. Jain is going beyond the scope of medicine to help citizen to get equal access to the Federal Courts.

In the spirit of equality under the law, Dr. Jain supports a change in rules that allows people who self-represent in court to have access to the electronic filing system.  Dr. Jain is working with Rules Committee to change the rules so no favors in federal courts.

The right to self-representation is guaranteed in the United States Constitution, but that right would be meaningless if people represented by a paid counsel are treated differently by the courts than those who self-represent. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many people feared for their lives and the lives of their families knowing that contracting the virus could be a death sentence. Many self-representing people had to put themselves, and their families, in harm’s way by filing a motion in person in a courthouse or at a post office. This reality is far from equal access to justice.

Before the pandemic, the reality was still far from equal justice. Self-representing people may have still faced barriers to filing a motion in person. They may not have had regular transportation to a courthouse or post office. They may have had to work during business hours without the ability to leave, even briefly, to file a motion. 

It is necessary to allow self-representing people access to the electronic filing system to promote equal access to justice under the law. Dr. Jain has been working to bring the notion of equal justice for all into reality. Dr. Mendoza in Federal Court denied granting electronic filing during the national emergency from COVID-19, especially during stay-at-home orders when people were working remotely. CDC considers the post office as a high-risk place and to mail a document with many papers requires one to go inside the post office, stand in the line with the general public and touch many surfaces which are high risk