On August 25, 2025, the Administrative Office (AO) will enforce updated Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) and Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF} password standards as part of an ongoing effort to secure the PACER and CM/ECF systems.

Users with PACER-only (search/view only) accounts, including PACER Administrative Accounts (PAAs), that were not updated before May 11, 2025, will be prompted to update their passwords upon login. They can skip this prompt three times before their accounts are disabled. 

According to the updated standards, new passwords must contain:

• 14–45 characters At least one lowercase letter,
• one uppercase letter, and one special character.
• No part of your first name, last name, username, or email address.

IMPORTANT: All PACER users must update their passwords every 180 days.