Docket information may be obtained from these offices. Inquiries concerning rules and procedures may be directed to the San Francisco, Pasadena, Seattle, or Portland clerk's office. On matters requiring special handling, counsel may contact the clerk for information and assistance. It should be emphasized, however, that legal advice will not be given by a judge or any member of the court staff. The Court has an electronic bulletin board service which contains information on court rules, court calendars and special notices.
Opinions are also available on the system the day they are filed.
This office consists of attorneys who work for the entire court rather than for individual judges. The others include the staff director, attorneys assigned for up to five years to the civil and criminal motions units, case management attorneys who are permanent members of the court staff, and attorneys assisting in the administration of the office. Cases suffering from clear jurisdictional defects are processed through a motions panel as soon as the defects are noted. Under the supervision of the staff director and supervising attorneys, the court law clerks review briefs and records, research legal issues, and prepare memorandum dispositions for oral presentation to three judge panels, principally in cases in which no oral argument is calendared. Certain staff attorneys specialize in motions work.