Also known as: certified copies · cert. copy
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A duplicate of an original document certified as an exact reproduction by the officer responsible for issuing or keeping the original. The certification allows the copy to serve the same evidentiary and procedural functions as the original in court filings, record transfers, and official proceedings.
Cody Callahan sued Coastal Shipping in state court. Coastal removed the case to federal district court. After finding no subject matter jurisdiction, the federal judge entered a remand order. The clerk mailed a certified copy of that order to the state court clerk, allowing the state court to resume proceedings immediately.
Camila Cervantes sought an abortion in a state hospital after reporting a rape. Hospital policy required her written statement plus a certified copy of the police report. She obtained the certified copy from the local law enforcement agency and attached it to her statement, satisfying the statutory precondition for the procedure.
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A certified copy may substitute for an original public record when the copy is certified as correct by the custodian or bears an official seal. The rules treat such copies as self-authenticating and admissible to prove the contents of the original without further foundation.
Supporting sources
The state court clerk receives the certified copy and may thereupon proceed with the case. The federal court's remand order takes effect upon mailing of the certified copy.
A partner or transferee may extinguish a charging order by satisfying the judgment and filing a certified copy of the satisfaction with the court that issued the order.
After required approvals, the clerk sends the file or a certified copy to the clerk in the transferee district so the prosecution may continue there.
…of the date, time and place of the rape and the name of the rapist, if known. There must be attached to this statement a certified copy of any report of the rape made by any law enforcement officer or agency and a statement by the solicitor general of the judicial circuit where the rape occurred or allegedly occurred that,…