Federal Judicial Center

Criminal E-Discovery Federal Judicial Center

The rapid growth of digital technology and its spread into every facet of life are producing increasingly complex discovery issues in federal criminal cases. There are several advantages to electronically stored information (ESI, or e-discovery), including speed, efficiency, and quality of information. To ensure these benefits are realized, judges and lawyers working on federal criminal cases need guidance on how best to address e-discovery issues. Judges can play a vital oversight role to ensure that e-discovery moves smoothly, trial deadlines are met, and the parties and courts are able to review and identify critical evidence. This pocket guide was developed to help judges manage complex e-discovery in criminal cases. A note of appreciation goes to Judge Xavier Rodriguez (W. D. Tex.), and Magistrate Judges Laurel Beeler (N. D. Cal.) and Jonathan W. Feldman (W. D. N. Y.), for their suggestions and advice, as well as to our fellow members of the Joint Electronic Technology Working Group, who improved this publication.