As someone who was tasked with writing the local rules for ECF filings in the federal court where I practiced — and whose late brother oversaw DOJ FISA court proceedings — I’ve seen firsthand both the strength and fragility of our judicial infrastructure.

The recent breach of the federal court filing system, now suspected to be the work of Russian intelligence, is more than a technical failure. It’s a strategic exploitation of procedural asymmetry.

🔍 What Happened:

Sealed records were compromised across multiple jurisdictions, including South Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Arkansas — courts with fewer resources and less hardened protocols.

The attackers targeted midlevel criminal cases with overseas ties, some involving individuals with Russian and Eastern European surnames.

Sensitive filings were removed from PACER and stored on separate drives. Judges were issued burner phones and barred from accessing systems while abroad.

🧠 Why It Matters: Each federal court operates under its own local rules. That compartmentalization can be a strength — insulating sophisticated courts like SDNY and D.C. — but it also leaves rural courts exposed. The breach exploited those seams.

🔐 What We Must Learn:

Digital convenience must never outpace security.

Procedural fragmentation is a vulnerability adversaries will continue to exploit.

Legacy systems — like physical safes and hand-delivered filings — may be our last line of defense.

This isn’t just a breach. It’s a warning. And for those of us who’ve helped build the system from the inside, it’s personal.