Introduction

People who do not have a lawyer are called “pro se” (pronounced “pro say”) litigants. The court strongly recommends that everyone get a lawyer. If you cannot, you are allowed to represent yourself in most cases. However, if you represent yourself, you can only speak for yourself. You cannot represent other people, including your spouse or your children. You also cannot represent a company or a business.

Rules for People Representing Themselves

Cases in this court follow special rules for appellate courts called the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure and the Tenth Circuit Rules.  These rules are different from the ones used in federal district courts. 

The court follows federal law about the liberal interpretation of pro se filings. However, you still must follow the rules and the court’s instructions. If you do not follow the rules, the law, and the court’s instructions, your case could be dismissed or you could face penalties.

How to Send Documents to the Court

If you are representing yourself, you can send documents to the court in several ways:

By mail:

Send your documents to the Clerk’s Office at:
Byron White U.S. Courthouse
1823 Stout Street
Denver, CO 80257-1823

In person:

You can bring your documents to the courthouse. You can put them in the drop box near the front door or give them to the Clerk’s Office at the front counter.

Electronic filing system (ECF system):

To use the court’s electronic filing system, you must first ask the court for permission by filing a motion in your case. If the court grants your motion, you can electronically file documents in your case using the court’s ECF system.

Online submission form (Pro Se web form):

You can also send documents to the court through the court’s website without asking for permission first. However, these documents are not filed right away. Court staff will review and process them just like documents sent by mail or delivered in person.

To use this online form, you first need to confirm your email address here.

Please note that judicial misconduct complaints may not be submitted through the court’s website. Tenth Circuit Misconduct Rule 7.1 requires judicial misconduct complaints to be submitted to the Circuit Executive’s Office by mail or hand delivery.