Rule 36.1.Preparation of Documents

Rule 36.1 spells out what a piece of paper has to look like before the clerk’s office will accept it for filing. Documents must be typed or written clearly enough to read, printed on just one side, and produced on white paper of a size and weight that holds up in a court file — 8½ by 11 inches, good quality, nothing flimsy. Blue or black ink is required because faded or colored ink does not photocopy or scan well, and court files get copied, scanned, and passed around many times over the life of a case.

The rule also tells filers to skip the extras. Manuscript covers and backings — the stiff folders lawyers once used to bind pleadings — are supposed to be left off whenever practical. That is not about appearances; bulky covers make files harder to store, scan, and pull quickly from a shelf or a digital system.

None of this is absolute. A judge can authorize or direct something different, and the rule itself only asks for compliance “to the extent practical.” That flexibility matters for parties who cannot produce a typed document, or for exhibits that do not come in standard letter size. The underlying goal stays constant: a court record that is legible, durable, and easy to reproduce, whether by photocopier, scanner, or camera years down the line.