Announcements

To reimburse the costs of developing the judiciary’s new case management and public access system, a temporary increase in fees for electronic access to court records will take effect on January 1, 2027. The fee increase from 10 cents to 12 cents per page was approved by the Executive Committee on behalf of the Judicial Conference. The Committee also raised the quarterly fee exemption from $30 to $40, ensuring that most individual users (those who incur $40 or less in PACER charges per quarter) will continue to incur no fee. The fee increase will remain in place for five years through 2031. This is the first adjustment in PACER fees since 2012, when the per-page fee was raised from 8 cents to 10 cents. The full press release is available here. If you have any questions about the fee increase, please contact the PACER Service Center at (800) 676-6856.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland will be closed on Tuesday, November  11, Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27, 2025.  The after-hours drop boxes will not be available.  Electronic filing through CM/ECF remains available during this time.  Emergency contact numbers are available on the court's website.

The Bankruptcy Noticing Center (BNC) resumed operations on October 26.  To address certain issues relating to the BNC nationwide service disruption, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland has entered Administrative Order (AO) 26-05.

Among other things, AO 26-05 provides that any party prejudiced by delayed noticing from the BNC may seek a continuance, additional notice or extension where legally permitted, or other appropriate relief; provides for the regular, continued convening of Section 341 meetings of creditors, subject to adjournment if service by the BNC did not comply with Fed. R. Bankr. P. 2002(a); provides that all scheduled hearings shall proceed unless the Court orders otherwise; and rescinds AO 26-04.  Please review AO 26-05 for further information and details.

The United States District Court has designated the Honorable Lori S. Simpson to serve as Chief Judge of the Bankruptcy Court, effective October 22, 2026. Please click here to view the announcement.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland will be closed for business in both divisions on Thursday, December 24, 2026 and Thursday, December 31, 2026.  CM/ECF will remain available and emergency contact numbers are on the court's website.  These days will be treated as "legal holidays" for the purposes of Federal Bankruptcy Rule 9006 and Fed. R. Civ. P. 6.  

Please click here to view the Notice of Vacancy from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland. 

Pursuant to U.S. District Court Standing Order 2026-04, effective November 2, 2026, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland will implement a new policy regarding portable electronic devices. The policy prohibits visitors to the federal courthouses in Baltimore and Greenbelt from bringing portable electronic devices into the courthouses.   Portable electronic devices include laptop computers, cellular phones (including smart phones), electronic tablets, cameras, smart watches, smart glasses, and any other instruments capable of photography, video recording, audio recording, or wireless communications (including earpieces and fitness trackers). 

Persons excepted from this policy may possess portable electronic devices inside the courthouses, provided they present credentials necessary to confirm their status to court security personnel upon request.  Excepted individuals include:

• Members of the Bar of the District of Maryland, pro hac vice attorneys, and counsel of record in scheduled proceedings, who must present an electronic bar membership credential to court security personnel upon entry to the courthouse.  Attorneys authorized to practice will receive an email from the U.S. District Court with instructions on obtaining their electronic bar credential.[i]  Please activate your electronic bar credential promptly upon receipt of this email.

   

• Employees and contractors of the United States Courts, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Public Defender’s Office, the U.S. Trustee’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the General Services Administration, who must present a photo identification card, personal identity verification (PIV) card, or electronic credential to court security personnel upon request. 

   

• Excepted individuals other than those listed above, including pro se litigants appearing for a scheduled proceeding, individuals with a special need, accompanying members of an attorney’s staff, and members of the media, may request prior permission to bring an electronic device into the courthouse through the Electronic Device Request form available here on the Bankruptcy Court’s website.

All individuals who qualify for an exception and have not obtained prior permission may request an Electronic Device Pass from the Clerk’s Office. Any portable electronic devices not permitted to be brought into the courthouses will be securely stored in lock boxes located in the lobby until the owner retrieves the devices upon departure from the courthouse. 

Use of portable electronic devices is strictly limited to approved purposes as provided for in Standing Order 2026-04.  For further information and a complete list of exceptions, please review the Standing Order. 

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland is pleased to announce that the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has appointed Lisa Yonka Stevens and Stephen A. Metz as the next U.S. Bankruptcy Judges for the District of Maryland, each subject to a successful background investigation.

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland  entered an Administrative Order restricting electronic access to sealed documents effective April 20, 2026. Click here to read the Administrative Order.  Parties will continue to file sealed documents in CM/ECF, however sealed documents will no longer be accessible or viewable by electronic means. Parties must serve sealed documents through appropriate means as provided by the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.  The Court will serve sealed orders, notices, and other Court-generated documents by either secure electronic means or U.S. Mail.  A party with the right to access a sealed document can request a paper copy by contacting the Clerk’s Office.  Please contact the Clerk’s Office with questions by calling (410) 962-2688 or (301) 344-8018.

The public intake counters for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland, in both Baltimore and Greenbelt, are closed  from 1 pm to 2 pm, Monday through Friday.  The Clerk’s Office otherwise remains open during this time for phone calls and email, and the Court’s Chatbot COURTney is available for live chats with staff.  CM/ECF will remain available during this time.