Harris County District Courts Sealing & Redaction Procedures
5 rules from official source documents
1 of 5 checked against the court's document. Each rule says how far it was checked. A value with a question mark is not in the court's wording on its card.
Procedures for filing sealed or redacted documents, including required motions and formats. This page is scoped to Harris County District Courts; use the court rules overview to switch categories without leaving this court.
Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Sep 20, 2026CRITICAL
Civil cases
Parties seeking to seal court records must comply with Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a.
If the parties are seeking an order that would provide that any documents filed in the records of the court shall be sealed and not open to the public, then the parties must comply with Texas Rule Civil Procedure 76a.
The quote is in the court's document. The summary is not checked yet.WARNING?
Redactions should be made prior to the exhibit being offered. Exhibits redacted after the exhibit is admitted (subject to redaction or without initial objection) are to be marked as an “A” exhibit and the original, unredacted exhibit is kept by the court reporter for the record. Once an exhibit is offered (even if not admitted), it must be tendered to the court reporter.
Summary: Exhibits should be redacted before being offered; exhibits redacted after admission are marked as 'A' exhibits with the unredacted original kept by the court reporter, and any offered exhibit must be tendered to the court reporter.
The quote is in the court's document. The summary is not checked yet.INFO?
Matters which are confidential may be filed under seal.
Summary: Confidential information (such as reasons for withdrawal) may be filed under seal.
The quote is in the court's document. The summary is not checked yet.INFO?
Confidential matters may be filed under seal.
Summary: Confidential matters included in a motion to withdraw may be filed under seal.
Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.WARNING?
Civil cases
Matters which are confidential may be filed under seal.
Summary: Confidential matters in withdrawal motions may be filed under seal.
How does Harris County District Courts handle sealed or redacted filings?
Judge Kyle Carter's rules set procedures for sealed or redacted filings. Parties seeking to seal court records must comply with Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a.
Judge Michael Gomez's rules set procedures for sealed or redacted filings. Confidential matters in withdrawal motions may be filed under seal. Machine summary, not yet verified; check the linked order.
Judge Cheryl Elliott Thornton's rules set procedures for sealed or redacted filings. Exhibits should be redacted before being offered; exhibits redacted after admission are marked as 'A' exhibits with the unredacted original kept by the court reporter, and any offered exhibit must be tendered to the court reporter. Machine summary, not yet verified; check the linked order.
2 more rules answer this question in the list above.
Related categories
Back to all rules for this courtPage & Word Limits
Maximum page counts and word limits for motions, briefs, and other filings by judge.
Courtesy Copy Requirements
When and how to deliver courtesy copies to chambers, including triggers, timing, and formatting.
Electronic Filing Rules
Electronic filing requirements, permitted filing channels, EFSP portals, and exceptions.
Filing Timing and Cure Windows
Filing cutoffs, deemed-filed rules, rejection handling, cure periods, and outage procedures.