Sealing & Redaction Procedures
3654 rules across 151 courts
Sealing procedures govern how attorneys file documents containing confidential, privileged, or sensitive information. The process typically involves filing a redacted version on ECF (the public record) and delivering an unredacted version directly to chambers or the clerk. Judges differ on whether a formal motion to seal is required, what categories of information justify sealing, and the required redaction format. Some judges require black-box redactions; others accept highlighted redactions. Getting the process wrong can result in confidential information appearing on the public docket, or in a filing being rejected entirely. These rules are particularly important in cases involving trade secrets, personal information, or ongoing investigations.
Southern District of New York
View all rules for SDNY.Approved non-electronic sealed filings must be submitted to Sealed Records Department with order, unredacted copies, and PDF CD
Notice of at least 3 business days required before filing documents under seal.
Letter-motion must indicate confidential information from another party and may request 1-week delay.
The proposed sealed document must be filed under seal at the same time as the motion and linked to that motion in ECF.
Meet and confer required before filing sealed/redacted materials
Applications required for redactions beyond ECF Privacy Policy categories.
Redaction requires filing redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with highlights.
Third-party confidentiality obligations require notice and potential protective order
Sealed letters must follow the Electronic Filing Under Seal procedure in Section 3.
Sealed or confidential letters may be emailed as PDF with all counsel copied.
Protective order proposals must conform to Court's Model Protective Order
Redactions must be narrowly tailored and consistent with public access presumption.
Central District of California
View all rules for CDCA.Sealed documents must be linked to an existing order granting leave to file under seal.
Transcripts with designated material must have legend and page list with protection levels.
Sentencing documents may only be filed under seal if strictly necessary and justified, and a redacted version with justifications for each deletion must be filed concurrently.
Parties must comply with Local Rule 79-5 and meet and confer before filing an application to seal.
When using Under Seal Filing Events, the docket screen must turn red; if not, restart the entry to ensure proper sealed event use.
Sealed documents must be served by printing NEF and serving both NEF and sealed document on opposing counsel.
Sealing applications must follow Local Rule 79-5 and Judge Staton's electronic filing guide.
Under seal filings must comply with Local Criminal Rule 49-1 and justify confidentiality over public access.
Applications with meritless sealing/redaction requests will be denied.
Sealed documents must be served by other means; print and serve NEF with sealed document.
Designation is allowed only if necessary to protect material from competitive or recognized harm.
Parties must provide good cause or compelling reasons justification for each document sought to be filed under seal.
Northern District of California
View all rules for NDCA.To file under seal, first submit a written request with good cause showing and a proposed order.
Sealing requires compliance with Civil Local Rule 79-5 with judge-specific modifications.
Documents presumptively public; sealing requires narrowly tailored court order with good cause.
The Court requires strict compliance with Civil Local Rule 79-5 (except 79-5(d)(2)) and strongly disfavors motions to seal.
Sealed attachments uploaded to Box.com must be unredacted, named with redacted then sealed docket numbers, organized logically.
Documents filed under seal must be highlighted to show proposed redactions.
Parties seeking less extensive sealing than Civil Local Rule 79-5(f) must file revised redacted, unredacted, and proposed order documents.
Documents under seal must comply with Civil Local Rule 79-5 (modified for Judge Thompson); non-conforming motions may be summarily terminated.
Multiple sealing motions must be consolidated into a single joint motion.
Separate Motion to Seal required for each pleading; omnibus motions prohibited.
Sealed documents must be uploaded to chambers Box.com in a separate submission containing only unredacted versions, with PDFs named using the redacted version's docket number followed by the sealed version's document number and all attachments organized in logical order; contact the Courtroom Deputy with concerns about sensitive uploads.
Sealing motions must comply with Local Rule 79-5 and provide specific arguments for sealing.
Southern District of California
View all rules for SDCA.Motion to seal must be filed at least 7 calendar days before non-discovery motion.
Motion to seal must describe which documents/categories to seal and whether in full or part.
Materials submitted with a sealing motion must be marked for redaction in the provisionally sealed version.
Public redacted version required alongside sealed filing.
For full seal requests, file slip sheet indicating document is subject to motion to seal.
Opposing parties must notify judge's chambers within one court day if opposing seal application.
Sealing requires court order showing privilege or protectability
Voluminous sealing requests (>5 docs or >25 redacted pages) require a table
Documents filed under seal must be accompanied by a motion authorizing the sealing.
If the Court denies a motion to seal filed with a noticed motion, the documents will immediately be publicly filed on CM/ECF.
Lodging proposed protective orders in Word format by email to efile_Pettit@casd.uscourts.gov.
Designating parties must file joinder within 4 business days and show protectability; confidentiality designation alone insufficient.
Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa
View all rules for CA-CONTRA-COSTA-SUPERIOR.Parties and counsel must personally redact personally identifiable, confidential, and privileged information from electronically filed documents when redaction is required.
Certain confidential documents must be placed in the confidential portion of the court file and disclosed only as permitted by law.
Petitions for involuntary medication and supporting or opposing documents filed under the specified Penal Code provisions may be filed under seal in an envelope marked “Confidential.”
Parties and counsel are solely responsible for redacting personally identifiable, confidential, and privileged information from electronically filed documents when redaction is required.
Access to the evaluation report or its contents is limited to the parties, their attorneys, law enforcement, judicial officers, necessary court employees, and minor’s counsel unless the court orders otherwise.
Medically verified HIV or AIDS-related information must be included only in a confidential memorandum attached to the Court’s probation report, marked confidential, kept in a sealed envelope in the confidential file section, and opened only by the presiding bench officer.
Records relating to the specified petitions must be kept in a confidential file inaccessible to the general public.
Petitions for involuntary medication and related supporting or opposing documents may be filed under seal in an envelope marked “Confidential.”
Attorneys in juvenile justice proceedings may disclose victim or witness contact information only as permitted by Penal Code Section 1054.2, and disclosure to the child or parent or guardian requires specific court permission after a hearing and a showing of good cause.
Medically verified information about AIDS, AIDS-related diseases, or HIV positivity must be included in a confidential memorandum attached only to the Court’s Probation Report, maintained in a sealed envelope, and opened only by the presiding bench officer.
Parties and counsel are solely responsible for redacting personally identifiable, confidential, or privileged information from electronically filed documents when redaction is required.
Medically verified AIDS, AIDS-related disease, or HIV-positive information must be placed in a confidential memorandum attached only to the Court’s copy of the probation report, marked confidential, maintained in a sealed envelope in the confidential court file, and opened only by the presiding bench officer.
Western District of Washington
View all rules for WDWA.Motion to seal must include meet-and-confer certification with date, manner, and participants.
Motions, oppositions, and replies should rarely be sealed; if necessary, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with motion to seal.
A party seeking to file a document under seal must explore all alternatives first.
Confidential documents cannot be filed under seal without a motion requesting leave of Court.
Thirteen categories of documents must be filed under seal with access limited to court staff, including grand jury matters, pretrial services reports, financial affidavits, cooperation materials, presentence reports, and others.
7-day notice required when filing documents claimed as confidential by other parties.
Parties must redact sensitive information unless filing under seal is unavoidable.
Sealed documents must be marked “FILED UNDER SEAL” on the first page.
Court filings, including complaint exhibits and attachments, must replace specified personal information with abbreviated identifying information.
Redact dates of birth to year only, unless deceased.
A separately filed excerpt of an administrative record must redact all personal information under LCR 5.2(a) or be the subject of a motion to file it under seal.
Personal identifiers must be redacted before filing per LCR 5.2(a), with specific redaction rules for dates of birth, minor children's names, SSNs, financial accounts, and other sensitive information.
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
View all rules for EDPA.When filing a redacted document, the party must submit an unredacted version with highlighted proposed redactions to Chambers or via CM/ECF.
Even when sealing is granted, parties must generally file redacted versions on the public docket unless redactions would render the document unreadable.
Motion to seal must identify specific injuries if materials are not sealed.
Redactions must not be so extensive as to render the document unreadable, in accordance with the common law right of public access.
Once granted, file complete unredacted sealed documents on ECF docket and highlight non-public portions
Existing confidentiality orders allow sealed filings without separate motion; otherwise, motion to seal required.
Unredacted documents must be filed in paper copy with Clerk, not electronically.
Motions to seal require good cause to be shown.
Highly sensitive documents require compliance with January 22, 2021 Standing Order procedures.
Motion to seal must specify interests in nondisclosure.
Confidentiality/protective orders require formal motion, not stipulated orders.
Sealed documents must be filed on ECF and sent to chambers like courtesy copies; paper copies not accepted
Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles
View all rules for CA-LOS-ANGELES-SUPERIOR.A party may designate material as 'Highly Confidential' only if the material is non-public and the party in good faith believes disclosure would create a substantial risk of serious financial or other injury that cannot be avoided by less restrictive means.
Parties must strictly comply with California Rules of Court 2.550 and 2.551 when filing under seal and should seal only when absolutely necessary because the Court must make specific findings for each part of every sealed document.
A party who believes exchanged discovery information needs protection must serve and file a proposed protective order within 5 days of this order and meet and confer on language, with the standard SCLAC Protective Order applying by default.
Materials in support of a motion filed under seal must comply with California Rules of Court Rule 2.551 et seq.
A party seeking protection for disclosed information must serve and file a proposed protective order within five days and meet and confer on agreeable language; otherwise the default is the Los Angeles Superior Court's standard protective order.
Motions or proceedings containing confidential materials that are governed by California Rules of Court Rules 2.550 and 2.551 must follow those sealing rules.
A party seeking protection for information covered by sections 2 or 3 must serve and file a proposed protective order within 5 days and meet and confer on language, with the standard LASC protective order as the default.
A party seeking protection for the ordered discovery information must serve and file a proposed protective order within 5 days of the Order, and the parties must meet and confer on language, with the SCLAC standard Protective Order as the default.
Submitting parties are responsible for redacting confidential information so that it is not publicly disclosed.
Exhibits containing sensitive personal information (e.g., Social Security number, home address, phone numbers, email) may not be displayed to the jury or shown to a witness unless the Court rules the information stays on the exhibit; before redacting, the party must show the document and proposed redaction to opposing counsel, and any objection is taken to the Court.
Confidential Materials may be accessed or disclosed only to the enumerated persons/entities: the Court; attorneys of record and their affiliated staff; in-house counsel and staff; officers, directors, partners, members, employees and agents of non-designating parties; court reporters; certain witnesses; mock jury participants; and outside experts or expert consultants.
A party who believes the information disclosed under this Order should be protected must serve and file a proposed protective order within 5 days of the Order, the parties must meet and confer on agreeable language, and the default is the standard LASC Protective Order from its website.
Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara
View all rules for CA-SANTA-CLARA-SUPERIOR.Petitions must include two copies of documents, one unredacted and one redacted, in a sealed envelope marked 'confidential'.
Juvenile court documents lodged in adult court must be placed under seal or in a confidential envelope.
Defense counsel inspecting, copying, or using juvenile case files for YOP mitigation must redact identifying information of victims and of co-participants who were under 18 at the time of the juvenile proceedings.
Records subject to a sealing motion are provisionally sealed while the motion is pending.
Documents are public when filed unless sealed; parties must redact personal data identifiers, and sealed documents are lodged electronically with a cover sheet and redacted version filed at the same time.
Further dissemination of juvenile court records is prohibited without express permission from the Juvenile Court.
Juvenile offender identities and case details must remain confidential and not be disclosed to the press.
If confidential request is denied, clerk keeps unredacted petition in confidential file for 15 days; minor may seek ex parte hearing; after 15 days it moves to public file.
If a motion or application to seal is denied, the moving party must notify the Court that the materials will be filed unsealed or refrain from relying on the materials, which will not be part of the record.
Juvenile file documents lodged in adult court must be placed under seal and/or in a confidential envelope within the court file.
Parties must redact certain social security numbers and financial account numbers as required by CRC 1.201.
Juvenile case files and child welfare agency records must be treated as confidential and may be filed with the Family Court only after seeking an order to file under seal; pleadings attaching them without such an order will be stricken.
Eastern District of New York
View all rules for EDNY.Sealing requests require a first-step motion for leave with a cover letter explaining the sealing or redaction basis and the target document.
Sealing requests are typically denied if they do not propose redactions or specifically explain why redactions are not feasible.
Confidential information filed with the Court must be filed under seal.
Sealed documents must be marked "TO BE SEALED" and submitted to chambers with explanation and authority.
Objections to presentence reports must be filed under seal on ECF.
Prior court permission is required before filing documents under seal.
Sealing requests must comply with EDNY Administrative Order No. 2004-05.
Sealed filings must be filed on ECF as sealed documents.
Criminal sealed-filing procedures are provided in the referenced EDNY instruction document.
Sealed filings must be made via ECF and include a sealing motion, following EDNY website instructions.
PSR objections must be filed under seal two weeks before sentencing.
Sealed electronic filing is allowed only after filing a letter motion for leave and obtaining court permission.
District of Delaware
View all rules for DED.Redacted version of sealed document must be filed electronically within 7 days; courtesy copies of sealed documents go to Clerk's Office; courtesy copies of redacted versions not required unless ordered.
In camera hearings are scheduled for motions to seal extensive materials, requiring trial counsel to appear and show cause for each line of material to be sealed.
Sealed papers require an original and two copies delivered to the Clerk, with a redacted version filed electronically within 7 days.
Sealed documents require 1 original + 2 copies to Clerk; electronic redacted version within 7 days.
To request sealing/redaction of a transcript, file a motion with highlighted complete transcript and proposed redacted version.
Motions to seal require prior leave except in emergencies; redacted and unredacted copies must be filed appropriately.
Parties must seek leave of Court to file documents under seal unless a protective order is in place.
All ADR proceedings and communications are confidential; disclosure is prohibited unless authorized by the Court or agreed by the parties.
Parties must note intent to seal transcript at start of proceeding, then file a motion for sealing/redaction promptly after transcript completion, with highlighted and proposed redacted transcripts, and demonstrate good cause.
Parties must note intent to seal transcript at start of proceeding; if later seeking sealing, must file motion with highlighted and proposed redacted transcripts and show good cause.
Sealed papers require original and copy delivered to Clerk; redacted version filed electronically within 7 days.
Redacted version of sealed documents must be filed electronically within 7 days.
Southern District of Texas
View all rules for SDTX.Confidential information filed with the Court must be filed under seal to the extent permitted by law, and only confidential portions should be sealed where possible.
Court filings subject to confidential treatment or disclosing Confidential Information must be filed under seal to the extent permitted and remain sealed until further court order; if possible, only confidential portions should be sealed.
Exhibits with personal data identifiers must comply with S.D. Texas General Order #2004-11.
A party may provisionally file a document under seal only if it contemporaneously submits a motion for leave to file under seal, with the Court later deciding whether the document remains sealed.
To file a pleading, motion, or exhibit under seal, a party must first file a Motion to File under Seal for the Court to review.
Documents subject to confidential treatment or disclosing Confidential Information must be filed under seal, retained until court order, with only confidential parts sealed if possible.
Exhibits with personal data identifiers must comply with S.D. Texas General Order #2004-11 regarding sealing/redaction.
Designated Material filed with the Court is sealed only upon motion, with no automatic sealing; specific procedures apply based on whether the Filing Party is the Designating Party.
Filing documents under seal requires a motion establishing good cause, with redacted versions filed publicly, unredacted versions filed under seal, and proper SEALED designation on CM/ECF.
Exhibits with personal data identifiers must comply with S.D. Texas General Order #2004-11.
Counsel must comply with Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2(a) to protect minor plaintiffs' identities and privileged information.
Information subject to confidential treatment and court filings disclosing it must be filed under seal to the extent permitted by law.
Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, Miami-Dade County
View all rules for FL-MIAMI-DADE-CIRCUIT.A motion to seal may be granted only where confidentiality is required to protect an enumerated interest, such as preventing a serious and imminent threat to the administration of justice, a trade secret, a compelling government interest, obtaining evidence, avoiding substantial injury to innocent third parties or a party, or complying with established public policy.
Guardianship reports and orders appointing court monitors in guardianship cases are confidential.
A party seeking to have an appellate record sealed must ensure that the clerk of the lower tribunal is alerted to the issuance of the sealing order.
Substance abuse service provider records pertaining to identity, diagnosis, prognosis, and service provision are confidential.
The order may seal specifically identified documents in the court file while the remainder of the file and progress docket stay open to the public.
The closing statement must not be filed with the Court; it must be submitted directly under seal or brought to the hearing if one is held.
Juvenile delinquency records are maintained as confidential.
Complaints alleging misconduct against judges are maintained as confidential until probable cause is established.
Social Security, bank account, charge, debit, and credit card numbers in court records are confidential, with the exemption effective January 1, 2011 unless redaction is requested under § 119.0714(2).
Information subject to a Rule 2.420(f)(3) motion must be treated as confidential by the clerk pending the court's ruling, and filings containing that information must be docketed in a way that does not reveal its confidential nature.
The Clerk must immediately seal the court-designated materials and keep them from public access.
Complaints alleging misconduct against court-regulated entities or individuals are confidential until a probable cause finding is made, which should occur within any legally set time limit or, if none, within a reasonable period of time.
Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County
View all rules for NV-CLARK-DISTRICT.Restricted personal information in medical records attached to a minor's compromise petition must be redacted before filing, and failure to redact requires a motion to redact under SRCR 3 and EDCR 2.13 before the judge will sign the order.
Documents may not be filed under seal based solely on the existence of a protective order; an independent basis is required.
Social Security and account numbers must be redacted from exhibits before submission.
If restricted personal information is filed in a minor's compromise proceeding, the petitioner must file a motion to redact under SRCR 3 and EDCR 2.13.
All social security numbers and insurance information must be redacted from exhibits.
A litigant who inadvertently files a document disclosing personal information must file a motion to seal or redact under the SRCR.
Proposed orders containing medical records or other presumed-confidential documents will be returned unsigned by the Judge.
The unredacted, unsealed potentially protected information must be filed simultaneously with the motion to seal, and a hearing on the motion must be set.
Counsel must also file an unredacted version, which the court designates TEMP SEAL (inaccessible to the public) until the motion is decided.
All personal information defined by SRCR 2(6) and NRS 239B.030 must be redacted before filing a minor's compromise petition, or a motion to redact must be filed before the order will be signed.
Redaction is preferred over sealing, and sealing is permitted only in the most unusual circumstances and not at all where reasonable redaction would adequately resolve the issues.
If medical records are filed in a minor's compromise proceeding, the petitioner must file a motion to redact under SRCR 3.
District of Columbia
View all rules for DDC.Grand jury related motions and papers must be filed under seal, assigned a GJ case number, and assigned to the Chief Judge; hearings are closed; papers may be made public only by court order.
Motion for leave to file under seal requires both unredacted and proposed redacted versions.
Sealed document filings (in a totally sealed case or paper in a public case) must be made at Clerk's Office between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., not at the security desk.
Consent/Declination Form must be filed in a manner that prevents public view.
When proposing redactions, parties must file an unredacted copy with proposed redactions highlighted.
Sealed documents in totally sealed cases must be filed in paper with electronic copy.
As soon as practicable after filing the motion, the moving party must deliver two paper copies or an electronic copy on a secure electronic device to the Clerk's Office, packaged as the Clerk's Office prescribes.
Petitions, notices, and oppositions must be filed under seal, with a conspicuous notation on the envelope, and maintained under seal pending further order.
When seeking to seal, parties must submit both unredacted version for sealing and a proposed redacted version for public docketing.
Motions citing fee agreement grounds must include the fee agreement, be filed under seal, and not be served on the opposing party.
When filing a sealed document in paper form, submit to Clerk's Office with electronic copy, in a securely sealed envelope/box conspicuously marked with required notation, case information, and sealing authority.
HSDs and related orders containing highly sensitive information must be kept in the Clerk's Office in a secure paper and/or independent electronic storage system.
New York Supreme Court, New York County
View all rules for NY-NEW-YORK-SUPREME.Failure to deliver the signed TRO and commencement documents to the County Clerk before e-filing will result in public viewing of the filings.
A generic assertion that information is confidential is insufficient; the party seeking sealing must demonstrate compelling circumstances justifying restricted public access.
The movant bears the burden of demonstrating compelling circumstances to justify restricting public access.
All reports and exhibits must redact full social security numbers, finance account identifiers, and other sensitive personal information.
A confidentiality agreement or stipulation does not itself justify sealing or redaction; the Court independently determines whether sealing is appropriate.
Any request to seal records must be made specifically and on a showing of good cause.
The Court will not entertain successive sealing or redaction motions concerning material previously permitted to be sealed or redacted by final order; the parties must submit a proposed sealing order citing the prior order.
Attorneys filing documents with the County Clerk or Court must omit or redact confidential personal information covered by Uniform Rule 202.5(e).
A party seeking to file a redacted or sealed document must move by OSC; if provisional sealing was used, the OSC should request a TRO, and the moving papers must include narrowly tailored proposed redactions with a highlighted version emailed to the court and opposing counsel.
An infant's compromise application must be filed through NYSCEF in redacted form, with an unredacted copy submitted for the Justice's action.
Except in the specified proceedings or as otherwise authorized by rule, law, or court order, parties must omit or redact confidential personal information from papers submitted for filing, regardless of whether a sealing order has been sought.
Counsel seeking to seal documents in NYSCEF must follow the specified procedures and obtain an order under Uniform Rule Part 216.
Eastern District of Virginia
View all rules for EDVA.Probation Office must file recalculation worksheet under seal.
Two paper copies (unfolded 8½x11) of specified documents must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked 'HIGHLY SENSITIVE DOCUMENT' with redacted caption page and placeholder number affixed.
Probation Office must file the recalculation worksheet under seal.
Transportation Orders for prisoner debriefings/interviews may be filed under seal
A motion for leave to file a Highly Sensitive Document (HSD) is required before filing.
Worksheets for retroactive criminal history amendments must be filed as sealed ECF and sent to counsel of record.
HSD categories include Social Security records, immigration records, qui tam complaints, and commercial/proprietary information; filing requires a motion to seal with a placeholder on CM/ECF and delivery of the actual HSD to the Clerk's office.
The Court may order removal of an HSD or highly sensitive case from the electronic filing system upon motion of a party or sua sponte.
Petitions for violation of probation/supervised release/pretrial release conditions that include a request for an arrest warrant must be filed under seal; upon arrest, the Clerk shall unseal the petition and the docket entry for the warrant return.
Counsel must seek leave of court before filing an HSD.
The Court may designate certain materials as HSD on its own initiative or on party motion.
Petitions for violation of probation, supervised release, or pretrial release conditions, and related addenda and warrants, must be filed under seal and unsealed upon arrest.
18th Judicial Circuit Court, DuPage County
View all rules for IL-DUPAGE-CIRCUIT.If filing under seal without a prior court order, a party must e-file a motion for leave including a legal explanation, and may not attach the sealed document to the motion.
The case records of the Department of Probation and Court Services are confidential and not public records; their contents may be divulged only by order of court or grand jury subpoena.
Parties must redact personal identifiers (SSN, driver's license, minor children's names, DOB, financial account numbers) from all electronic filings, using only last four digits or initials as specified, unless otherwise ordered.
A party filing under seal without a prior court order must e-file a motion for leave to file under seal, including an explanation of the legal standards; the document may not be attached to the motion.
Probation and Court Services case records are confidential and non-public; their contents may only be divulged upon a court order or grand jury subpoena, subject to specified statutory exceptions.
All filed documents must be redacted to protect privacy, except civil writs of attachment.
If a minor child must be mentioned, only the child's initials may be used.
All filed court documents must be redacted to protect privacy rights, except civil writs of attachment.
The original pre-sentence or pre-plea report is filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in a sealed envelope marked with the report type and the case number and title.
Original eavesdropping device applications and authorization or denial orders are retained, filed, and impounded with the Clerk subject to further order of the Court.
The Department may share probation records with law enforcement when the information is already public record or is based on visual public observation by probation officers or court service personnel.
Caution is advised when filing documents containing other sensitive information like driver's license numbers, medical records, employment history, financial info, and trade secrets.
Northern District of Illinois
View all rules for NDIL.Default protective order in Appendix B effective upon initial disclosures; modifications allowed for good cause without delaying disclosures.
The destruction petition, the United States attorney's response, and any related chief judge order are restricted documents by default unless the court orders otherwise.
Under Alternative A, deposition testimony is protected only if designated “CONFIDENTIAL-SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER” on the record when taken, and the designation must be specific as to the confidential portions.
Documents authorized for non-electronic filing under seal must be delivered for filing pursuant to Local Rule 5.8.
A party must notify the producer at least five business days before publicly filing a document the producer designated as Confidential or Highly Confidential so the producer can move to seal it.
When a subpoena or court order from another litigation seeks material subject to this protective order, the receiving party must immediately notify the issuing party in writing and promptly deliver a copy of the Order to that party.
AI models, inputs, and outputs derived from Confidential Information are deemed Confidential and restricted to use in this litigation.
Any party or interested member of the public may challenge the sealing of documents, with the party asserting confidentiality bearing the burden of proving the sealing is proper.
Confidential Information may be designated only for statutorily protected information, trade secrets, confidential research/technical/commercial/financial information, medical information, personal identity information, tax records, and non-party personnel or employment records.
Confidential Information and documents marked CONFIDENTIAL-SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER must be returned to the producing party within 63 days of final judgment or dismissal, with specified exceptions.
Challenged Confidential Information must remain treated as confidential until court rules.
Under Alternative B, all deposition testimony is treated as Confidential Information unless all parties agree otherwise on the record, until the 14th day after transcript delivery and in no event later than 60 days after the testimony was given.
Dallas County Civil District Courts
View all rules for TX-DALLAS-CIVIL-DISTRICT-COURTS.Documents may be designated confidential by stamping "CONFIDENTIAL" or another agreed method, without obscuring the underlying writings.
Deposition portions may be designated confidential on the record or by written notice within 72 hours of receiving the transcript, and should be transcribed separately and marked by the court reporter.
Any motion to seal court records must strictly follow Rule 76a of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
Paper filings containing sensitive data must include the notice phrase on the upper left-hand side of the first page.
When a confidentiality claim is challenged, the claiming party must move for a court ruling; material stays confidential for 20 days if no motion is filed, or until the Court rules if a motion is filed.
Orders about appointments and fees may never be sealed or withheld from public disclosure.
A party may designate deposition portions as confidential on the record or by written notice to opposing counsel within 72 hours after receiving the deposition transcript.
Any party may challenge a confidentiality designation by written notice of objection to the claiming party's counsel.
When a confidentiality claim is challenged, the party requesting confidential treatment must move for a ruling from the Court.
Confidential Material may only be used by counsel for litigation of this case or related actions, and may not be revealed without the claiming party's written consent or a Court order.
When a confidentiality claim is challenged, the claiming party must move for a Court ruling; the material remains confidential for 20 days if no motion is filed, or until the Court rules if a motion is filed.
Deposition portions may be designated confidential by written notice to opposing counsel no later than 72 hours after receipt of the transcript.
Eastern District of Texas
View all rules for EDTX.Courts must consider redaction as less drastic alternative to sealing entire documents
Limit personal information in filings: last 4 digits of account numbers, initials for minors, year for birth dates, city/state for addresses.
Sealing requests must be made before public disclosure of confidential or proprietary information.
Sealing requests must be made before public disclosure of the information at hearing or trial.
Transcript redactions must follow Local Rule CV-5.2 timing requirements.
Requests to seal courtroom/record must be made before public disclosure and demonstrate sensitive nature and good faith meet-and-confer.
Personal identifiers must be redacted from the witness list before filing.
Courts must be ungenerous with discretion to seal judicial records
Sealed attachments alone do not justify sealing the entire filing.
Sealing requests must be made before public disclosure of the information at a hearing or trial.
Documents designated as 'Confidential' by producing party are Protected Documents entitled to confidential treatment.
Post-disclosure sealing requests require good cause showing why not made in advance.
District of New Jersey
View all rules for DNJ.Motions to seal must comply with Local Rule 5.3(c), include proposed order and findings, reference docket entries, and certify party consent.
Confidential exhibits require a redacted public version and sealed unredacted version filed with the Court.
Redactions must be made before disclosure regardless of party agreement.
Sealed or sentencing materials may be emailed to Chambers if copying chambers email and filing a redacted version on CM/ECF.
Redactions must be sufficient to prevent content from being apparent from surrounding context.
Confidential exhibits require redacted public docket versions and unredacted sealed versions filed pursuant to Local Rule; hardcopy confidential exhibits must be in sealed, marked envelopes.
Sealed filings do not require physical copies; a redacted version must be filed electronically within 7 days.
Counsel of Record must meet and confer to determine redactions upon Request for Disclosure.
Confidential exhibits require redacted public filings and unredacted sealed filings; hardcopies must be in sealed marked envelopes, only redacted versions are shared on Zoom, and advanced notice is required for witness testimony on confidential information.
Motions to seal require proposed order, findings of fact, conclusions of law, and docket entry references.
Confidential exhibits must have redacted versions filed on the public docket and unredacted versions filed under seal; hardcopy confidential exhibits must be in sealed envelopes marked confidential. Counsel must provide advance notice if witnesses will testify about confidential information.
Counsel must redact Presumptively Non-Public Information prior to e-filing, including PSR references, victim names, and personal data.
Western District of Texas
View all rules for WDTX.When moving to seal appendix materials, divide into public and sealed volumes with separate pagination and table of contents requirements.
If either party files briefing under seal, the Court will enter a sealed order, and the movant must email a redacted public version to the law clerk for publication within seven days after entry.
Parties must meet and confer before filing a motion to seal; motion must certify compliance.
Parties may file unredacted documents or a reference list under seal with specified heading if full personal data identifiers are required; reference lists may be amended as of right and apply to civil and criminal cases.
Any party may file materials containing confidential information under seal without a separate motion for leave.
Compliance with Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2 regarding redaction of certain material is mandatory.
Parties must exclude or redact specified personal data identifiers from all pleadings (including exhibits, electronic or paper) unless ordered otherwise by the Court.
Patent cases presumptively require protective order for confidential information.
Redacted public version required within 7 days for sealed motions/pleadings
Redacted version of sealed orders must be emailed within 7 days
Non-confidential exhibits should not be filed under seal
Entirely nonconfidential exhibits should not be filed under seal.
Wood County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-WOOD-COMMON-PLEAS.A motion to seal must request that the documents have no direct or remote public access.
Personal identifying information must be redacted from all exhibits, except where necessary to identify a specific account or exhibit.
A defendant or defense counsel must file an ex parte funding motion under seal directly with the court, after which the court records the filing date and time and maintains a separate ex parte file for later appellate-record determination.
Every motion requesting sealing must request denial of both direct and remote public access to the documents sought to be sealed.
A defendant's ex parte motion for funding must be filed directly with the court under seal.
Social Security numbers and other information that must remain outside the public record must be redacted under the court's and Supreme Court of Ohio's rules.
The probation department's CQE information packet is nonpublic and must not be added to the clerk's case file.
The Title IV-D benefits application must be filed in a confidential file.
A filer must redact statutory personal identifiers before e-filing and complete the e-filing system's personal-identifier questionnaire before the clerk will accept the filing.
Social security numbers and other information that must be excluded from the public record must be redacted under the court’s rules and the Rules of Superintendence.
The decision on an ex parte funding motion is sealed and provided only to the defendant and defense counsel.
The motion, proceeding transcript, defendant-submitted evidence, and court orders must be sealed and held by the court.
Eastern District of California
View all rules for EDCA.A party filing material that the opposing party has designated as confidential must give the opposing party sufficient advance notice before filing so the opposing party can seek a sealing or redaction order.
Filing parties must seek sealing/redaction order if including material opposing party identified as confidential.
Sealing requests must comply with LR 141 and FRCP; moving party must state if request is opposed.
Documents cannot be sealed or redacted without court approval unless required by Local Rule 140.
Sealing requests must comply with Local Rule 141 and FRCP, state opposition status, and allow 3 days for opposition/non-opposition.
Sealing/redaction requests for Judge Coggins' motions go directly to Judge Coggins.
Protective orders don't govern sealed/redacted filings; only proponent can request.
New York Supreme Court, Nassau County
View all rules for NY-NASSAU-SUPREME.No case or portion of a case may be sealed unless good cause is adequately shown.
Counsel must redact all evidence.
When the parties agree that documents present compelling circumstances for sealing, they may proceed by a stipulation stating the good-cause reasons and requesting an order approving the stipulation.
A party seeking sealing or redaction may proceed by order to show cause stating proper reasons and demonstrating good cause, or may redact pursuant to 22 NYCRR §216.1.
No case or portion of a case may be sealed without adequately demonstrated good cause.
If the parties do not agree to sealing or redaction, the requesting party may proceed by order to show cause with proper reasons and good cause under 22 NYCRR 216.1.
Unredacted expert affirmations must be hand-delivered in a sealed envelope marked as specified and identify the redacted affirmation’s NYSCEF docket entry number and motion sequence number.
The parties may exchange documents proposed for sealing, but no unsealed version may be filed unless the sealing motion is denied.
A request for additional redactions or sealing must be made by order to show cause establishing good cause under 22 NYCRR 216.1.
Before filing documents deemed confidential, a party must give the designating party at least five business days' notice, and the parties must meet and confer within three days of that notice.
A sealing motion must include an unredacted version of the relevant documents, sent to the court by email for comparison with the motion's redacted versions.
A case or portion of a case may not be sealed unless good cause is adequately shown.
Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
View all rules for CA-SAN-FRANCISCO-SUPERIOR.Police, arrest, and investigative reports attached to court filings must be redacted before filing, and the Court will refuse documents lacking the required redaction.
Redacted and conditionally sealed unredacted versions must be filed electronically in the same transaction.
The proposed sealing request must be highlighted in yellow in the unredacted documents accompanying a motion to seal.
The sealing filing must include both the redacted version and the conditionally sealed unredacted version.
The court will place the JV-535 in a confidential envelope only when the safety-risk disclosure box is checked.
Unredacted documents lodged under seal must be highlighted to identify the proposed redactions.
Account numbers should be redacted under CRC 1.201 unless the account is filed confidentially in a guardianship or conservatorship case.
Police, arrest, and investigative reports must have specified identifying, financial, victim, witness, and CORI information redacted before filing, and a noncompliant filing will be rejected and will not count as filed for a deadline.
Police, arrest, and investigative reports attached to court filings must be redacted before filing, and the court will reject and not treat as timely filed documents that omit the required redactions.
A motion to seal and related papers must be electronically filed, with redacted and conditionally sealed unredacted documents filed in the same transaction.
Confidential portions of an unredacted document should be highlighted or grayscaled to distinguish them from non-confidential information.
The Court will place the JV-535 in a confidential envelope only when the safety-risk disclosure box is checked.
New York Supreme Court, Bronx County
View all rules for NY-BRONX-SUPREME.The Court will consider requests for additional sealing or redaction only through an order to show cause.
The parties may not stipulate to seal or redact material beyond the categories permitted by the Redaction Rules.
Confidential personal information includes taxpayer identification numbers, birth dates, minors' full names, and financial account numbers, subject to the stated limited exceptions.
The parties may not stipulate to sealing or redaction beyond the Redaction Rules, and additional sealing or redaction requires an order to show cause.
The infant’s full name and full date of birth must be redacted in every e-filed document.
Confidential personal information must be omitted or redacted from papers submitted for filing.
When additional sealing or redaction is permitted, the parties must electronically file a public redacted copy and the unredacted copy under seal.
When additional sealing or redaction is permitted, the parties must electronically file a public redacted copy and an unredacted copy under seal.
The moving papers must clearly identify every document for which sealing is requested, including its specific NYSCEF document number.
A sealing or redaction application must identify the document and reason for the request and establish good cause under 22 NYCRR 216.1.
The infant’s full name and full date of birth, rather than initials and year alone, must be redacted in every electronically filed document.
Each document to be sealed must be clearly identified in the moving papers by its specific NYSCEF document number.
Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Palm Beach County
View all rules for FL-FIFTEENTH-JUDICIAL-CIRCUIT.Every Live Birth Certificate filed for a minor child must be treated as confidential.
All but the last four digits of a driver's license or identification number must be redacted before filing.
The second page containing the parties' Social Security numbers must be kept confidential from public disclosure.
The clerk must keep the personal-information page separate from the file and confidential.
Confidential information must be removed from documents provided to the Court before evidentiary use.
All but the last four digits of a driver license or identification number must be redacted using whiteout or blackout.
The Clerk of Court must maintain the 23 categories of documents identified by Rule 2.420(d)(1) as confidential.
Any court filing that discloses or communicates confidential or highly confidential information must be filed under seal.
The Clerk will redact specified sensitive information so it does not appear in documents accessible to the general public.
A filer may file a Motion to Determine Confidentiality of Court Records to seek treatment as confidential for information outside the 23 categories identified in Rule 2.420(d)(1).
Unless the Court schedules argument otherwise, proposed record redactions are to be addressed at the pre-trial status conference.
A producing party may redact privileged, protected, personal data, data-protection, and other legally authorized information from produced documents and information.
Guernsey County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-GUERNSEY-COMMON-PLEAS.An electronically submitted document may be filed under seal only if a Motion to File Document under Seal with a Proposed Entry is e-filed first and the documents are uploaded behind the proposed entry.
The clerk must place paper records in a numbered sealed envelope and secure it in a designated location.
The clerk must notify all public offices or agencies that may possess an official case record.
If an application to seal or expunge a record is approved, the court signs and files an order, and the clerk dockets and processes the order on the date of issuance.
Any pleading or filed document containing a victim’s name and address must include a redacted public copy, while the unredacted copy must be placed in the confidential case-file folder unavailable for public viewing.
Other personal and private information must be replaced with “REDACTED” in court documents.
The clerk must seal the electronic record in the case management system to prevent public access and searches.
All documents and information assembled in considering a CQE petition must remain confidential and sealed, must remain sealed when transmitted to the Court of Appeals, and may be opened only by court order.
When personal identifiers are included in a filed document, all digits except the last four must be redacted for social security numbers, financial account numbers, and other personal identification numbers.
The Clerk prints documents requested to be sealed, secures them in an envelope marked with the case number and motion date, and forwards the envelope to the Court for approval.
If a motion to seal is denied, the Clerk shreds the sealed envelope.
Superior Court of Delaware, New Castle County
View all rules for DE-NEW-CASTLE-SUPERIOR.Confidential or highly confidential discovery material used in open court or lodged as a trial exhibit loses its confidential status and becomes public unless the producing party obtains a court order maintaining its confidentiality.
The Prothonotary may unseal materials governed by Paragraph 12 only under Rule 5(g) or a further court order.
If the motion seeking continued confidential treatment is not timely filed, the confidential filing becomes part of the public record and is accessible on the docket system.
Any court filing that communicates Confidential Discovery Material must be filed confidentially and withheld from public access under Superior Court Civil Rules 5(g) and 79.1.
A party must file a public version that redacts only sensitive, non-public Confidential or Highly Confidential Discovery Material that the producing party reasonably and in good faith believes should be withheld.
A person challenging confidential treatment has seven days to file an opposition.
A producing party seeking to continue restricted public access to a confidential filing must file a motion with the court within the seven-day period specified by Superior Court Rule 5(g)(4).
Materials filed under Paragraph 11 may be unsealed only as provided by Superior Court Civil Rule 5(g) or by further order of the court.
Public versions of exhibits, affidavits, declarations, and other attachments ordinarily are not required, unless Rule 5(g), a court order, or the Prothonotary requires one.
Sealed documents will be released from confidential treatment or destroyed according to the court’s retention schedule.
Superior Court of California, County of San Diego
View all rules for CA-SAN-DIEGO-SUPERIOR.Sealing requests must comply with CRC 2.550 and 2.551; records may not be sealed based solely on party stipulation.
Motion briefing filed with redactions or under seal requires a noticed motion to seal, and the motion will not be adjudicated until it is decided.
Documents may be filed under seal only in compliance with California Rules of Court Rule Nos. 2.550 and 2.551.
Documents under seal or conditionally under seal must comply with CRC Rules 2.550 and 2.551; the Court will not seal non-compliant documents.
Stipulated protective orders and motions to seal must comply with CRC Rules 2.550 and 2.551; records will not be sealed based solely on party agreement or stipulation.
Requests to seal court records must comply with CRC 2.550 and 2.551.
Documents submitted conditionally under seal will not be sealed unless the party complies with CRC Rule Nos. 2.550, 2.551, and 3.1302(b).
Sealing requires a motion complying with CRC rules 2.550/2.551; records are not sealed by stipulation alone, and a substantive motion is not decided until the sealing motion is heard.
Protective orders and sealing must comply with CRC rules 2.550 and 2.551; records are not sealed on stipulation alone, and sealed substantive motions are not decided until after the sealing hearing.
If no motion to seal is filed within the statutory time for conditionally sealed documents, the party must inform the clerk and file a notice that the documents become part of the public record.
Sealing requests will not be addressed ex parte unless the Court instructs otherwise.
For motions containing confidential materials, the Court prefers parties to lodge rather than file the confidential documents via a Notice of Lodgment.
Superior Court of California, County of Kern
View all rules for CA-KERN-SUPERIOR.Each party’s juror-information envelope must be sealed by court order and filed as a separate court exhibit to preserve the record.
Redaction compliance under rule 1.201 is additional to and does not replace WIC section 827 confidentiality requirements.
The submitting party must redact personally identifying information as required by California Rules of Court, rule 1.201.
The guardianship questionnaires are confidential, are excluded from the public record, and may be released to a party or attorney only by court order.
Filing parties and attorneys must exclude or redact personal data identifiers from all documents and exhibits filed with the court.
A proposed guardian's reported abuse or neglect allegations and criminal history must be submitted in a confidential supplemental report that is released only by court order.
The submitting party must redact confidential information so that it is not publicly displayed.
Parties and their attorneys are responsible for properly redacting personally identifiable, confidential, or privileged information from filed documents; the Clerk will not review compliance, and violations may be sanctioned.
A party seeking to file or present a juvenile case or child welfare agency document or record must first request permission to file the material under seal.
At the judge’s direction, court assistants must collect attorneys’ notes containing jurors’ personal information and place them in separate labeled envelopes.
Cameron County District Courts
View all rules for TX-CAMERON-DISTRICT.Documents containing unredacted sensitive data in violation of the rule may not be posted on the Internet.
Sensitive data includes government identification numbers, financial account information, birth dates, home addresses, and the name of a person who was a minor when the case was filed.
Sensitive data must be redacted before an electronic or paper document may be filed, subject to an expressly stated statutory, rule, or administrative exception.
Sensitive data must be redacted with an X for each omitted character or removed in a manner clearly indicating the redaction.
In criminal cases, the appellate record must not be posted on the Internet.
Sensitive data must be redacted with an X or removed in a manner showing redaction, and the filing party must retain an unredacted version during the appeal and related proceedings filed within six months after judgment is signed.
A filer may submit essential sensitive information in a paper reference list filed under seal.
The filer must retain an unredacted version of the filed document during the appeal and related proceedings filed within three years after judgment is signed.
Richland County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-RICHLAND-COMMON-PLEAS.Expunged cases must be removed from the case management system and their files destroyed.
Information omitted from a filing because it contains personal identifiers must be submitted to the Court or Clerk on the Court's Personal Identifiers form in a sealed envelope.
The nonpublic CQE investigation packet must not be added to the clerk's file.
A party may file a motion seeking leave to redact personal identifying information that was omitted or not redacted when a document was originally filed.
Cases must be sealed or expunged in accordance with the cited Ohio Revised Code sections.
Omitted personal identifiers must be submitted on the court’s Personal Identifiers form in a sealed envelope labeled for court-only opening, with the case number and related document identified, and provided upon a party’s motion if requested.
Documents may be filed under seal only after a prior court order authorizes sealing.
Documents requiring sealing must be submitted to the Clerk in a securely sealed envelope bearing the prescribed seal marking, case information, document title, sealing-order date, and filer's party designation.
The Court must prepare the sealing or expungement order and provide it with the BCI form to the Clerk.
Cases must be sealed or expunged in accordance with the specified Ohio Revised Code sections.
A request for access to a court document previously restricted from public access may be made by motion.
Collin County District Courts
View all rules for TX-COLLIN-DISTRICT.Cases may not be sealed by agreement; sealing requires court approval after an evidentiary hearing and may not occur before final trial, subject to the stated adoption exception.
Attorneys may not file documents containing unredacted sensitive data.
Parties cannot agree to seal a case; sealing requires court approval after an evidentiary hearing, and cases cannot be sealed before final trial.
The District Clerk may restrict the listed sensitive-data documents from online posting without a further court order, but the documents are not sealed unless a party obtains a court order sealing them.
On appeal, the court reporter must prepare the designated record, file it in a sealed envelope, and provide a copy to the district clerk for placement in the cause's sealed file.
Cases may not be sealed by agreement; sealing requires court approval after an evidentiary hearing and cannot occur before final trial.
A motion to seal a civil case must allege the grounds specified by Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a.
A document may carry a sensitive-data notice when inclusion of the data is required by law, but the notice is prohibited when no such legal requirement applies.
Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas
View all rules for PA-DAUPHIN-COMMON-PLEAS.Minors’ names and dates of birth may not appear in a filing except when the minor is charged as a defendant in a criminal matter.
Social security numbers may not be included in a filing except on the designated Confidential Information Form.
The confidential-document procedure applies to financial source documents, minors’ educational records, medical or psychological records, Children and Youth Services records, marital property inventories and pre-trial statements, income and expense statements, and agreements between parties used under 23 Pa.C.S. §3105.
Driver’s license numbers may not be included in a filing except on the designated Confidential Information Form.
In covered family-court actions, an abuse victim’s address and other contact information, including employer information, may not appear in a filing, but the victim’s name is excepted.
Confidential Information Forms and documents properly filed with a Confidential Document Form are sealed automatically without a motion to seal.
Documents intended to be sealed must be designated as sealed in the CountySuite Portal and accompanied by a simultaneous Motion to Seal stating the reasons for sealing and following Local Rule 208.3(a) and (b).
The court and filing offices are not required to review filed documents for Public Access Policy compliance and will not redact them.
The confidential-information section does not apply to sealed cases, cases exempt from public access, juvenile cases, child-support cases, or adoptions.
The confidential-document rule does not apply to cases already sealed or exempt from public access under applicable authority, including juvenile cases, child support cases, and adoptions.
Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-MONTGOMERY-COMMON-PLEAS.Redacted or omitted personal identifying information must be supplied to the court on a separate form identifying the information and its location.
The Clerk will not accept a document for filing under seal unless a party files a sealing motion and the Assigned Judge approves it.
Under “Judge Access Only,” document access is limited to the Assigned Judge, while only the docket remains visible through PRO and the e-File System.
Documents submitted for in camera review must be sent directly to the Assigned Judge and not filed with the Clerk unless the judge directs filing under the “Judge Access Only” procedures in Rule 2.06.
When personal identifying information is redacted or omitted, the filer must provide it to the court on a separate form identifying the information and its location.
Documents designated for no remote public access must be filed electronically under Rule 2.01.
Before filing a written deposition transcript, the filing party must omit or redact all personal identifying information defined under Sup.R. 44(H).
Documents designated for judge access only must be filed with the Clerk in a sealed envelope using the specified procedure.
Social security numbers and other personal identifying information must be redacted from documents before filing with the court.
Under “No Remote Access by Public,” remote access is limited to court personnel, counsel of record, and registered pro se users, while everyone else must obtain documents from the Clerk’s office during regular business hours.
The sealing rule does not limit the court’s authority to restrict public document access under Sup.R. 45.
New York Supreme Court, Kings County
View all rules for NY-KINGS-SUPREME.The unredacted and proposed-redacted sealing exhibits must be hand-delivered rather than e-filed, and this is the sole exception to the e-filing requirement.
A sealing motion should include the unredacted documents and corresponding proposed-redacted versions as separate related exhibits.
A party filing a redacted document must contemporaneously or beforehand provide complete unredacted copies to the other parties and the Court.
In a county without electronic filing, a filing containing confidential information must be served and filed in redacted form, with redacted and unredacted copies transmitted to chambers, and the producing party may move to seal within three days.
The death certificate uploaded to NYSCEF must be redacted, while an unredacted copy is emailed to Chambers.
Infant compromise papers filed on NYSCEF must be redacted, while the mailed hardcopy set must remain unredacted.
After a motion to seal is granted, the court-ordered sealed documents must follow NYSCEF sealed-document procedures; if the motion is denied, the redacted filing must be replaced with an unredacted version.
The parties may exchange documents under a sealing motion, but no motion papers may reference or annex them until the sealing motion is decided.
All sealing orders automatically vacate when the case proceeds to trial unless the court expressly orders otherwise.
The court typically prefers redaction of discrete potentially confidential passages rather than wholesale sealing of a document.
Greene County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-GREENE-COMMON-PLEAS.When a minor child's name must be included, only the child's initials may be used.
When full personal identifiers are absolutely necessary in an entry or order, both the original and a redacted copy must be submitted to the clerk, and the redacted copy must carry the specified caption and redaction notations.
Sealed documents must be submitted to the Clerk in a sealed envelope whose face includes the case caption, document title, sealing-order date, and the notation “DOCUMENTS UNDER SEAL.”
Personal and private information may not be included in filed documents, including exhibits and addenda, unless it is necessary and relevant to the case.
Unless otherwise ordered, documents submitted for in camera review must go directly to the assigned judge or magistrate rather than being filed with the clerk.
When a Social Security number must be included, only its last four digits may be used.
Documents requested to be filed under seal may not be attached to the motion because the motion itself will not be sealed.
The court will sign both the original and redacted journal entries.
Fannin County District Court
View all rules for TX-FANNIN-DISTRICT.Records of alleged child abuse or neglect may not be publicly released without a court order based on an in-camera inspection and a finding of necessity.
The Section 30.015 current-address notice must be maintained by the clerk outside public disclosure and must not be filed in the case papers.
The Clerk may not provide public access to the restricted pleadings, orders, and documents except to DFPS, the parties, their attorneys, the attorney ad litem, and the guardian ad litem, unless the Court specifically permits and orders access.
The District Clerk may restrict the listed categories from internet posting without a further court order, but the documents remain unsealed unless a party obtains a sealing order.
If a filing contains improperly unredacted sensitive data, the clerk may require or permit the party to resubmit a redacted substitute document that may be posted online.
A party's name and current residence or business address contained in pleadings, motions, and other filed documents is not confidential under Section 30.015 and may be publicly disclosed as otherwise allowed by law.
Sensitive data includes government-issued identification numbers, financial account numbers, birth dates, home addresses, and the name of a person who was a minor when the suit was filed.
Snohomish County Superior Court
View all rules for WA-SNOHOMISH-SUPERIOR.Sealing or redaction motions must be noted before a judge or regularly appointed Court Commissioner, with a limited exception for certain unopposed Juvenile Court sealing motions heard by a temporary judge or commissioner.
Sentencing records and reports may not be sealed without a court order issued under the procedures in GR 15.
A party or interested person seeking to seal or redact a court record must propose written Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law identifying the alleged compelling privacy or safety concerns.
The proposed agent’s social security number must be redacted from the declaration filed with the court, while an unredacted copy must be filed under seal.
All papers filed with the clerk must comply with GR 22 and GR 31 confidentiality requirements, including proper redactions before filing and confidential coversheets when required.
Sealed files and materials may not be examined without a court order containing findings that satisfy GR 15 and applicable statutes.
A party seeking to seal portions of the record must comply with GR 15 and other applicable rules and laws.
A party or interested person seeking redaction must provide a redacted copy of the court record to the court, clerk, and each opposing party.
The court may order improper or inappropriate material to be sealed under the requirements of GR 15.
Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo
View all rules for CA-SAN-MATEO-SUPERIOR.A motion or application to seal must be heard no later than a motion that relies on the materials sought to be sealed.
After denial of sealing, the moving party must either notify the Court that the materials will be filed unsealed or refrain from relying on materials that will not become part of the record.
A sealing motion or application must be decided before any motion relying on the materials, and after denial the moving party must either identify the materials for unsealed filing or refrain from relying on them.
Parties must redact agreed non-evidentiary information, including insurance information, from medical, personal, or consumer records offered as exhibits, and the proponent must prepare clean copies for evidence.
For medical, personal, or consumer records, the parties must delete agreed information that should not be introduced, including insurance information, and the proponent must prepare clean copies for evidence submission.
After denial of sealing, the moving party must either notify the Court that the materials will be filed unsealed or decline to rely on them, in which case they will not become part of the record.
The Guardianship Declaration and Confidential Guardian Screening Form remain confidential unless the court orders otherwise, while the other guardianship documents become part of the public record.
A motion or application to seal must be decided before any motion relying on the materials sought to be sealed.
A party seeking to file or present juvenile case files or child welfare agency records in Family Court must first request permission to file them under seal.
The victim-or-witness confidentiality sealing procedure preserves specified disclosure provisions, informant and search-warrant procedures, authorized defense access to unredacted reports, and documents submitted in support of civil complaints.
Confidential discovery documents lodged under Rule 2.1.9 will not be sealed because they are exempt from the sealing rules.
Defiance County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-DEFIANCE-COMMON-PLEAS.A child's in camera interview recording or transcript must be kept separately and released only with Court approval or, for a transcript, after objections are filed or an appeal is taken.
Only the listed individuals may inspect and review non-public-file contents in performing their duties or as the Court directs.
Documents filed in the public file must be redacted when they contain social security numbers or other individually identifying information.
Documents containing sensitive personal information must be maintained by the Clerk in a separate non-public file.
The non-public file must contain the specifically listed filings and any other items the Court directs.
The Court may order other sensitive documents into the non-public file, and social security numbers or other identifying information must be redacted from public copies.
The Clerk must place a Notice of Filing in the public file reflecting the non-public document and its filing date.
A Victim's Rights Form must be retained by the Clerk of Courts as a non-public document.
The written custody evaluation report and its attachments must be placed in the family file rather than the public file and may be viewed by counsel or self-represented parties upon request.
Circuit Court of Cook County
View all rules for IL-COOK-CIRCUIT.To file under seal without prior authorization, e-file a motion for leave to file under seal; the document must not accompany the motion.
Motions to file under seal must detail privacy interests, be supported by affidavit, include redacted version as exhibit, and cannot apply to all documents; protective orders must state they do not apply to court orders.
Fee petitions filed under seal or for in camera review require prior leave of court to be accepted.
When full personal identity information must be filed, the Notice of PII is filed conventionally; redacted documents may be e-filed.
Motions to file under seal or for protective orders require leave of court and must include specific statements and an affidavit; they cannot apply to all documents.
Confidential memoranda must be sent to the court via email without including opposing counsel, plus hard copies.
Settlement conference materials intended to be confidential must be marked; otherwise assumed shared; non-confidential materials should be shared with other parties.
Fee petitions filed under seal or for in camera review require prior leave of Court, including special State's Attorney fee petitions.
Parties must agree whether the pretrial settlement submissions shall be confidential.
22nd Judicial Circuit Court, McHenry County
View all rules for IL-MCHENRY-CIRCUIT.Except when a statute provides otherwise, files, records, or documents may be impounded or sealed only by written court order.
When a party has a legal basis to seek sealing without a prior order, it must electronically file a motion for leave to file under seal, explain the legal standards, and not attach the document to the motion.
Fitness reports and psychological or psychiatric evaluations are subject to statutory impoundment requirements.
The judge must issue a written order granting or denying the sealing request; if granted, the order must specify the scope of sealing, whether parties' names are removed from the public index, and the sealing duration.
Parties and counsel must omit specified personal identifiers from electronically filed documents, or redact them when inclusion is necessary, unless the court orders otherwise.
Adoption files are subject to statutory impoundment requirements.
The clerk may not impound or seal a file or any part of it without a written order, unless law or the Manual on Recordkeeping requires otherwise.
King County Superior Court
View all rules for WA-KING-SUPERIOR.Protective order sealing must comply with the stated limitations and Washington General Rule (GR) 15 before documents are sealed.
Motions to seal must comply with GR 15/LGR 15 and caselaw; party agreement alone is insufficient; a proposed order with required findings is needed; documents may not be filed under seal or redacted without a prior court order.
Before filing substantive documents containing information sought to be sealed, the movant must obtain a court order allowing sealing/redaction, allowing sufficient time for noting and ruling.
Unredacted materials must be sent as hardcopy to the Judges' mailroom (516 3rd Ave, Rm C-203, Seattle, WA 98104) and are not accepted over email.
Motions to seal must comply with GR 15, LGR 15, and controlling caselaw; party agreement alone cannot justify sealing or redaction.
Defense counsel must present a motion and proposed order for sealing, and the sealing order itself may not be sealed.
Documents with substantive redactions may not be filed without prior court permission.
Motions to seal must comply with GR 15, LGR 15, and controlling caselaw; party agreement is insufficient, and a proposed order with the required findings must be provided.
14th Judicial Circuit Court, Rock Island County
View all rules for IL-ROCK-ISLAND-CIRCUIT.Circuit clerks must withhold specified personal, medical, employment, address, minor-child, and minor-offense information from Internet access by the general public.
The Guardian Information Sheet must be impounded with the Circuit Clerk because it contains personally identifiable information.
The Circuit Clerk must file the Confidential Disclosure Statement under seal and place the filing date and filing party on the public docket.
Information that is impounded, sealed, or expunged is excluded from public electronic access, and inspection requests must be made in person at the clerk's office.
The specified confidential information should be submitted to the Circuit Clerk under seal using the required Confidential Disclosure Statement form.
Public pleadings should omit full dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and children's Social Security numbers, although a child's age and the last four digits of a Social Security number may be used publicly.
Information outside subsections (a) and (b) may be excluded from public electronic access by local rule.
Williams County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-WILLIAMS-COMMON-PLEAS.An in-camera child interview recording or transcript must be kept separately and withheld from parties and counsel without Court approval; a transcript becomes available only after objections are filed or an appeal is taken.
The non-public file must contain the listed categories of documents.
The custody evaluation report and its attachments are not publicly accessible and are placed in the family file, where counsel or self-represented parties may view them upon request.
Sensitive documents may be ordered into the non-public file, while social security numbers and other identifying information must be redacted from documents placed in the public file.
Inspection and review of the non-public file are limited to the listed individuals acting in their duties or as directed by the Court.
When the custody evaluation report is submitted for filing, the clerk must place in the public file a notice stating the report's filing date.
When the Court deems advisable, potential-juror lists may identify jurors only by number, with other identifying data withheld and sealed.
A filing containing trade secrets or attorney-client or work-product communications may be publicly filed in redacted form, but a complete unredacted version must then be submitted to the court for in camera review.
Other individuals may seek access to the non-public file by filing a motion.
If ordered by the Court, counsel may not disclose prospective-juror identifying data or Juror Questionnaire information to litigants, defendants, or others outside counsel's professional office.
Travis County Civil District Courts
View all rules for TX-TRAVIS-CIVIL-DISTRICT-COURTS.Pre-adoptive home screening and post-placement adoptive reports must be maintained as confidential records.
The District Clerk maintains files, docket sheets, and minutes as confidential records in every adoption suit and every suit in which an authorized agency seeks termination of the parent-child relationship.
Pre-adoptive home screening and post-placement adoptive reports must be maintained as confidential records.
In termination suits that do not seek adoption, files, docket sheets, and minutes are not confidential or sealed unless the court orders otherwise.
Marion Superior Court
View all rules for IN-MARION-SUPERIOR.The decedent’s social security number must be redacted from copies attached to or filed with the report.
In extraordinary circumstances involving electronic-device and social-media records, a party seeking to seal or exclude material must file a written request, provide notice, obtain a hearing, and maintain confidentiality pending the court’s ruling.
In extraordinary circumstances involving law-enforcement recordings, a party seeking to seal or exclude material must file a written request, provide notice, obtain a hearing, and maintain confidentiality pending the court’s ruling.
Supporting documentation must not be attached to the court-filed Financial Declaration Form unless it is redacted as necessary to comply with Indiana Trial Rule 5(G).
When an inheritance tax exemption affidavit is filed, the decedent’s social security number must be redacted from it.
Redactions must be clearly marked on the document, identify the redaction basis, and be recorded in a metadata field.
Requests to seal information from public access must comply with Access to Court Records Rule 6.
The court may seal a guardianship inventory or its supplement or amendment after written application and a noticed hearing; sealed material cannot be opened without a further order, notice, and hearing, and subsequent inventories must recapitate prior inventories.
Clermont County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-CLERMONT-COMMON-PLEAS.Filing parties and counsel must redact social security numbers, full financial account numbers, driver’s license numbers, and other statutorily designated personal or private information from filed documents, exhibits, and addenda, although the last four digits of social security and financial account numbers may be listed.
The filing party and counsel must remove personal and private information from filed documents, including attached exhibits and addenda.
Full financial account numbers may not appear in a public record, although the last four digits may be listed.
Personal and private information in documents filed before the rule took effect and in records or transcripts transmitted from another court is considered public.
Personal and private information in prior filings and records or transcripts transmitted from another court is public, but an affected person may petition for its removal and redaction if the request is granted.
The clerk of courts has no responsibility to remove personal and private information from public documents.
A party, attorney, or other affected person may petition for removal of personal and private information, and it will be redacted if the request is granted.
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
View all rules for PA-PHILADELPHIA-COMMON-PLEAS.The parties' highest offer and lowest demand must be filed in a sealed envelope with the Deputy Court Administrator, which is not opened or transmitted to the arbitration judge until after the arbitration decision is reached.
Ex parte and sealed filings continue to be filed in paper format.
All hearing evidence in the guardianship matter is sealed and unavailable except upon further court decree.
Clerk is not required to redact filings but may reject papers violating confidentiality rules.
Shelby County Circuit Court, Tennessee
View all rules for TN-SHELBY-CIRCUIT.If a Social Security number must be included in a publicly filed document, only the last four digits may be used.
When a Social Security number must be included, only its last four digits may be used.
Financial account numbers included in filed documents must be limited to their last four digits.
If a Social Security number must be included in a publicly filed document, only its last four digits may be used.
E-filers are responsible for ensuring that filed documents comply with the Court’s rules requiring redaction of personal identifiers, and the Clerk will not review each document for redaction.
When financial account numbers are relevant, only the last four digits may be used.
If an individual's date of birth must be included in a publicly filed document, only the year may be used.
Superior Court of California, County of Alameda
View all rules for CA-ALAMEDA-SUPERIOR.All documents related to mental health proceedings must be filed confidentially unless the court orders otherwise.
Child abuse reports, reporting-party identity, and court-ordered psychological evaluations may not be exchanged between agencies without a court order, and copies of DCFS/APS/JPD documents may not be attached to court reports or made public without a court order.
Exhibits containing biological or hazardous material or posing a security or safety risk must be securely sealed and protected against breakage, and their containers must be clearly marked with type, amount, and weight.
In juvenile cases, parties may designate all or portions of e-filed documents confidential when authorized or court-required, with guidance available through filers and the court's portal.
Parties in criminal cases may designate all or portions of e-filed documents as confidential when authorized or required by law or court order.
Listed documents are confidential and sealed without a court order.
A grand jury seeking to interview a court member or employee in a civil investigation must submit a sealed written request to the Presiding Judge identifying the interviewing grand jurors and specifying all questions.
Listed persons and agencies may access juvenile court records and obtain photocopies without a prior court order, subject to conditions (best interest of child, necessary and relevant information).
Providence County Superior Court
View all rules for RI-PROVIDENCE-SUPERIOR.For documents identifying a child victim, a party must submit a redacted or fictitious-name public version and an unredacted confidential-file version.
Child-victim cases require separate public and confidential court files during prosecution and disposition.
A hearing affecting a grand-jury proceeding must be closed to the extent necessary to prevent improper disclosure, except that a right to an open contempt hearing remains applicable.
Information subject to a privilege or protection claim must be presented to the court under seal and remain unused or undisclosed until the claim is resolved.
When appropriate, identical public-file and confidential-file copies may be submitted for non-victim-identifying documents.
Sixth Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan, Oakland County
View all rules for MI-OAKLAND-CIRCUIT.For confidential exhibits, the motion must state that the exhibits are excluded from the public file and provided directly to chambers and the responding party.
A stipulated order allowing sealing without a separately filed motion will be rejected, or its sealing provision will be stricken if the remainder is otherwise acceptable.
Parties may not agree by stipulation to seal documents or records.
Parties may not agree by stipulation to seal documents or records.
Confidential materials may not be filed except in sealed envelopes bearing the specified caption, inventory, and notice; only confidential portions should be sealed when practical, and non-disclosing references may be filed without sealing.
For confidential exhibits, the moving party must state in the motion that they are excluded from the public file and provided to chambers and the responding party, and email copies to chambers with the staff attorney copied.
Confidential exhibits omitted from the public file must be emailed to chambers as part of a complete judge’s copy and provided to opposing counsel by noon on the Thursday before the hearing.
Confidential exhibits omitted from the public file must be emailed with a complete judge’s copy to chambers and opposing counsel by noon on the Thursday before the hearing.
Warren County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-WARREN-COMMON-PLEAS.A pro se defendant may apply for an order sealing or expunging the criminal record under Ohio Revised Code sections 2953.33 or 2951.041.
Social Security, financial account, driver's license, tax, employer, employee, and other statutorily protected identifying information may not appear in public filings, although the last four digits of Social Security and financial account numbers may be listed.
Social Security numbers and other information that must be excluded from the public record must be redacted under the Court's and Rules of Superintendence.
Every motion to seal a record must be set for a hearing.
The filing party and counsel must remove personal and private information from filings and attached exhibits and addenda, including judicial reports, tax liens, medical records, and other attached materials.
Counsel seeking to seal a document or case must file a motion and proposed entry with the assigned judge and include the specific case number and caption of the material to be sealed.
A pro se defendant initiates the sealing or expungement process by moving the court for an order.
Personal information in earlier filings and records transmitted from another court is public, but an affected person may petition for its removal and redaction if the request is granted.
Third Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan
View all rules for MI-WAYNE-CIRCUIT.Parties must obtain Court approval by filing and serving a motion under MCR 8.119(1) before filing documents under seal, and may not tender sealed items to the Clerk until the motion is granted.
A producing party who inadvertently fails to mark a document as Confidential must inform the receiving party within 30 days of discovery; the receiving party must return the unmarked documents and the producing party must substitute properly marked documents.
When materials are designated Confidential on the record, the court reporter must note it on the cover page, list pages/lines/exhibits, bind the transcript in separate portions, and unauthorized persons must be excluded during discussion of Confidential information.
A non-producing party may designate produced materials as Confidential by notifying all parties in writing of the specific item.
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Hillsborough County
View all rules for FL-THIRTEENTH-JUDICIAL-CIRCUIT.Documents for which confidentiality is requested must be emailed to the judicial assistant for in-camera judicial review.
Attached documentation must be redacted as applicable, including removal of banking or credit card account numbers from proof of payment.
Confidential patient treatment records generally may not be filed in the court file.
If sealing any portion of the application or sworn affidavit is requested, the agency must email a separate Motion to Determine Confidentiality of Court Records to the County Criminal Division C judicial assistant simultaneously with the application.
Documents subject to a confidentiality request must be emailed to the Judicial Assistant for in-camera judicial review.
Fourth Judicial District Court, Colorado
View all rules for CO-EL-PASO-DISTRICT.Confidential records submitted for in camera review must be sealed and labeled as confidential.
The QRTP assessment must be filed as a suppressed document.
If circumstances have changed or additional information should be provided to the court, the local jail must file another suppressed Affidavit with the Petition.
The Affidavit must be filed in suppressed status and may include medical or mental health information about the individual.
The Petitioner and the El Paso County Department of Human Services Custodian of Records may redact items 1-7 from child abuse and neglect reports and the custodian’s records before discovery release; other requested redactions require an affirmative request.
The Petitioner and the El Paso County Department of Human Services Custodian of Records may redact the listed information from specified records before discovery release; other requested redactions must be requested by the party.
Confidential records submitted for in camera review must be sealed and labeled as confidential.
Whenever possible, a redaction should identify the paragraph in which the redacted information appears.
Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Orange and Osceola Counties
View all rules for FL-NINTH-JUDICIAL-CIRCUIT.The closing statement should not be publicly filed with the court and must instead be submitted under seal or brought to any hearing.
Motions to seal are disfavored, and sealed filing is permitted only when the court finds extraordinary circumstances and particularized need.
After the order granting the petition issues and the respondent is served, or after the court denies the petition, the clerks must make the temporarily confidential petition public unless another confidentiality provision applies.
The party responsible for seeking and obtaining the appropriate measure to seal limited documentation under Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.420(d) must be identified.
The closing statement must not be filed publicly with the court; it must be submitted directly under seal or brought to the hearing if one is held.
Although the closing statement should not be entered in the public court record, it should be submitted directly to Chambers under seal.
The Court may deny, defer, or restrict required disclosures when a substantial risk of harm, intimidation, or reprisal outweighs their usefulness; a party seeking protection must move promptly and feasibly before the disclosure deadline, and identifying or locating information must be limited as needed for safety.
Butler County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-BUTLER-COMMON-PLEAS.A person temporarily permitted to view sealed materials may not disclose their contents to others.
A sealed document or case file may not be viewed without a further court order.
The filing party and counsel must remove personal and private information from all filed documents, including attached exhibits and addenda.
A document or case file placed under seal must be removed from public view on the clerk’s website.
A sealed document may be viewed by the trial judge, an appellate judge reviewing the appeal, or another person only after obtaining judicial approval through a motion and proposed entry.
Multnomah County Circuit Court
View all rules for OR-MULTNOMAH-CIRCUIT.An order sealing documents must be narrowly tailored to withhold only information authorized by law to be sealed.
After the judge signs the sealing order, submit the unredacted original in a 9-by-12-inch envelope with the signed order affixed and file a redacted or altered version in its place; a slip sheet is insufficient unless authorized.
Judges prefer sealing specific sections of documents over sealing an entire pleading or file.
Jefferson County District Court, First Judicial District
View all rules for CO-JEFFERSON-DISTRICT.The listed domestic evaluation, testing, and medical documents must be electronically suppressed at the time of filing.
Separation agreements, parenting plans, sworn financial statements, and QDROs must be suppressed in domestic cases.
A motion and order requesting sealing must be filed before documents or pleadings not covered by Chief Justice Directive 05-01 or the civil procedure rules.
Exhibits and attachments containing medical information, psychiatric reports, social security numbers, bank account numbers, or credit card numbers must be suppressed at filing.
Special advocate reports, parenting and custody evaluations, drug screens, paternity results, and medical, diagnosis, psychological, or psychiatric materials must be electronically suppressed when filed.
If a motion to seal is denied, the document's security status will be changed to public.
Allen County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-ALLEN-COMMON-PLEAS.The confidential family file includes specified health, assessment, custody, parenting, financial, and other documents designated by the Court as not subject to public disclosure.
The filing party is solely responsible for redacting personal, confidential, or private information.
Social security numbers and other information that must be excluded from the public record must be redacted under the applicable court and Rules of Superintendence requirements.
A document ordered filed under seal must be submitted physically to the clerk, who will maintain it in accordance with the under-seal designation.
Except where a pertinent statute, rule, or court order provides otherwise, index references to court-ordered sealed or expunged records must be deleted from the DMS and electronic filing system.
After the court grants sealing or expungement and the required fees are paid, the clerk must forward certified copies of the sealing order to the listed agencies and the applicant's counsel.
Any person may request confidential family-file information by written motion; all parties receive notice, the Court may hold a hearing, and public access requires clear and convincing evidence that a higher interest outweighs confidentiality.
A receiver filing containing trade secrets or privileged communications may be publicly filed in redacted form and served on appeared parties, but a complete unredacted copy must be submitted to the court for in camera review, after which an application by the receiver or any party may prompt reconsideration of whether information should be public or for attorney eyes only.
Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma
View all rules for CA-SONOMA-SUPERIOR.Prosecutors and law enforcement may request sealing of a portion or all of a warrant-related document when confidential victim or witness information cannot be redacted without losing clarity or completeness.
Confidential material submitted under a protective order must have a cover sheet with the prescribed warning, case number, caption, paper title, and reference to the confidentiality order, and the papers must remain confidential on the court file.
Anyone submitting or filing documents with the court must redact personal and financial identifying information.
The court may grant a sealing request only if a written order makes three express findings concerning confidential information, its necessary provision to the court, and the absence of less restrictive alternatives.
A protective order directing the filing of confidential material under seal must require a properly sized sealed manila envelope with specified identifying information, warning language, and a reference to the confidentiality order.
The court will not redact confidential victim or witness information; agencies must ensure that it is removed before submission, and the court may accept or reject reports containing it.
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas
View all rules for PA-ALLEGHENY-COMMON-PLEAS.If an exhibit contains confidential information or confidential documents under the Pennsylvania policy, the proponent must file a copy and a compliant certification with the Department of Court Records.
All filings and proceedings must comply with the Case Records Public Access Policy and confidentiality requirements applicable to minors.
The arbitrators may not open the confidential settlement-offer envelope until reaching the basic award.
An exhibit sealed by the court during the proceedings is not accessible to the public.
The petition and proposed order must be sent to Chambers for review at the same time as the Motion to Seal.
When an exhibit offered into evidence contains confidential information or documents, the proponent must file a copy of the exhibit and a required certification with the Department of Court Records.
A petitioner whose safety would be endangered by publication may seek an exception to the publication or request sealing of the record.
Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Broward County
View all rules for FL-BROWARD-CIRCUIT.In camera inspection documents must be emailed to div21@17th.flcourts.org and not uploaded to CMS, where the other side can see them.
Filing confidential pleadings requires scheduling a UMC hearing and obtaining a judge's order before filing the Notice of Confidential Information with the Clerk.
Exhibits containing confidential information such as bank account/routing numbers or social security numbers must be redacted (blacked out) before filing.
To file confidential pleadings, a party must schedule a UMC hearing, inform the judge which documents need confidentiality, and obtain an order notifying the clerk's office before filing.
Sensitive information in documents must be redacted per Rule 2.425, Fla. R. Gen. Prac. & Jud. Admin.
Confidential paperwork for the judge's review must be submitted by email to div26@17th.flcourts.org.
Documents for in camera inspection must be emailed to div26@17th.flcourts.org because documents uploaded to CMS are visible to the other side.
Circuit Court for Davidson County, Tennessee
View all rules for TN-DAVIDSON-CIRCUIT.Filers must redact or omit confidential information (e.g., SSNs, account numbers, minors' names, birth dates) before filing documents.
Protected health information obtained in interviews may only be used in the pending litigation, and the interviewing defendant must return or destroy all such information, including copies, at the end of the litigation.
Personal information may be submitted on sealed Statistical Sheets or Spouse’s Personal Information Forms, which are not open to public inspection.
Denver District Court
View all rules for CO-DENVER-DISTRICT.Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-CUYAHOGA-COMMON-PLEAS.Documents filed under seal must be submitted in paper form unless the court directs otherwise.
Social security numbers and all other personal identifying information must be redacted before filing, including from attached exhibits and addenda.
Information omitted through redaction must separately be submitted or filed on the clerk's form and held in a format unavailable for public viewing.
A party seeking to file an agreed confidential document must move for sealing, and the court will decide the request case by case.
Parties and counsel alone are responsible for redacting personal identifiers because the court and clerk will not review documents for compliance.
Personal identifying information includes financial account numbers, minor children's names, driver's license numbers, and information protected by law from public disclosure.
Lake County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-LAKE-COMMON-PLEAS.The clerk will not redact stamp-filed documents without a court order and may refuse documents containing unredacted personal information or information not submitted as required.
All documents and information assembled in considering a CQE petition are confidential, kept sealed, transmitted sealed to the court of appeals, and opened only by court order.
Social security numbers, full financial account numbers, and other information designated as personal and private by federal or state law may not be included in a public record.
Filing parties and counsel must redact personal and private information, including social security numbers and full financial account numbers, before filing; unredacted documents may be stricken.
The CQE filer must remove personal and private identifying information from public documents, and any such information must be submitted separately as a non-public record opened only by court order.
Summit County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-SUMMIT-COMMON-PLEAS.E-filed documents must omit defined personal identifiers, which the filer is responsible for redacting; omitted information must be filed separately on the Clerk's form.
When specified personal information must be included, filers must show only the last four digits of Social Security and financial account numbers and use minors' initials.
The Clerk may refuse a document that contains personal information not redacted or submitted as required.
A document may be filed under seal, and the e-filing title must identify the sealing order and its date.
The Clerk may refuse a filing that does not comply with the personal-information redaction requirements.
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas
View all rules for OH-FRANKLIN-COMMON-PLEAS.A courthouse or courtroom body-worn-camera recording may not be released externally without advance review by the Administrative Judge or designee, and any recording containing confidential, exempt, or privileged material requires that official's consent for release.
The Clerk must redact personal identifying information, including exact birth dates and Social Security numbers, before CQE materials are placed in the court's public records.
Filings referencing trade secrets or privileged communications may be redacted for the public record, but a complete unredacted copy must be submitted to the court for in camera review; the court may later authorize disclosure.
A party may submit documents for sealed filing only after the sealing order has been signed and journalized.
When documents are ordered unsealed for the case record, the Clerk must remove the electronic restriction while preserving the original filing date.
Lubbock County District Courts
View all rules for TX-LUBBOCK-DISTRICT.Sensitive data may not be filed in a case record and must instead be submitted in a separately filed, clearly identifiable Sensitive Data Form approved by the Supreme Court of Texas.
A Sensitive Data Form must be filed when the first record containing the corresponding abbreviated sensitive data is filed, with an additional form required only for newly included data.
A Sensitive Data Form may be included in an appellate record only by specific written order and must be maintained separately from the remainder of the record or court file.
The court or court clerk may maintain a record identifying each person who receives access to a filed Sensitive Data Form.
Superior Court of California, County of San Joaquin
View all rules for CA-SAN-JOAQUIN-SUPERIOR.The filer must redact applicable personal identifiers and privileged or confidential information, and the clerk will not review filings for redaction compliance.
A party submitting qualifying testamentary documents may request that they be sealed, and the Court must seal each such document upon request.
When notice is required for a trust beneficiary of a decedent's estate, the petitioner must separately file a true and correct copy of the trust and relevant amendments, disclaimers, and trustee directions as a confidential document.
A copy of the decedent’s death certificate with the social security number redacted must accompany specified probate petitions or the lodging of an original will.
Documents ordered filed under seal may not be electronically filed and must be submitted directly to the clerk in paper form under CRC 2.551(d) if not previously lodged under seal.
Documents lodged conditionally under seal must be served and submitted to the clerk in paper form pending the motion-to-seal hearing.
Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Clay, Duval and Nassau Counties
View all rules for FL-FOURTH-JUDICIAL-CIRCUIT.A party filing protected health information obtained by subpoena, discovery, or under a qualified protective order must identify it to the Circuit Court Clerk for sealing; a separate sealing order is not required.
A party admitting protected health information into evidence must identify it to the Court and Circuit Court Clerk for the Court's determination whether to seal the evidence.
Counsel should invoke the sealing process for private or sensitive information before the court record becomes publicly available.
The closing statement should not be publicly filed and should instead be submitted directly to the court under seal or brought to any hearing held.
Information obtained during discovery should not be filed absent good cause, which exists only when another procedural rule or a court order permits or requires filing.
The judicial feedback form becomes a confidential document owned by the evaluated judge after evaluating counsel completes and transmits it.
Materials submitted for in camera review will remain in camera through the case’s conclusion and may be filed under seal for appellate review.
Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-DELAWARE-COMMON-PLEAS.A deposition bearing a protective or sealing order may not be unsealed without a further court order.
When a record contains both public and exempt portions, the exempt portions must be redacted, the public portions released, each redaction plainly visible, and the redactions supported by an explanation including legal authority.
A filing containing trade secrets, attorney-client privileged material, or work product may be publicly filed and served in redacted form, but the complete unredacted document should be submitted to the court for in-camera review and may later be reconsidered upon application.
Columbiana County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-COLUMBIANA-COMMON-PLEAS.A person must first obtain judicial permission by motion before including complete personal identifiers in a court record or case document.
Personal identifiers must be omitted from all court records and case documents, subject to the stated exceptions for partial Social Security numbers and birth years.
If permission to include complete personal identifiers is granted, the court may require submission under seal, filing under seal, and/or a redacted public version.
California Rules of Court
View all rules for CA-STATEWIDE.Confidential Guardian Screening Forms are confidential and must be maintained as such by the clerk.
Certifications and supporting documents under rule 7.1105 must be kept confidential and not filed in the case file.
Guardianship status reports are confidential, available only to served parties/attorneys and intervened tribes.
Clerk must label paper sealed records or securely store and identify electronic sealed records under section 5976.5(e).
Court may seal ex parte communications and findings if good cause to protect conservatee/ward from harm.
Motions to seal under section 5976.5(e) are exempt from California Rules of Court 2.550 and 2.551.
16th Judicial Circuit Court, Kane County
View all rules for IL-KANE-CIRCUIT.Written reports submitted by GALs are impounded by the circuit clerk and not accessible to the public.
Confidential/impounded/sealed case documents must be filed conventionally; motion to seal without prior order must be e-filed with legal explanation, document not attached.
Mediation communications are confidential and inadmissible except settlement agreements.
Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County
View all rules for AZ-MARICOPA-SUPERIOR.To seek sealing under Rule 5.4, e-file a sealing motion, submit a proposed sealing order in Word format, lodge the document with the Clerk, and simultaneously email its electronic copy to Division staff; the order must identify the document and include required findings.
The request to file documents under seal must be lodged in paper form under Rule 5.4(e)(2).
Sealed filings are discouraged, and the Court will seal a file only as a last resort.
Sealed filings are discouraged and require a significant reason to shield records from public view.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court
View all rules for WI-MILWAUKEE-CIRCUIT.The filing requests judicial redaction of the person's name from the eviction case record.
A motion to seal seeks removal of a tenant's name from Wisconsin public court records.
Fairfield County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-FAIRFIELD-COMMON-PLEAS.Personal identifiers included in a filing must be redacted or omitted.
The Clerk may refuse to accept a filing containing unredacted personal or private information.
When partially redacting a financial account number in a filing, only the last four digits should be used.
Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan, Macomb County
View all rules for MI-MACOMB-CIRCUIT.Unless required by statute, court rule, or administrative order, an individual’s full birthdate may not be included in an e-filing; when referenced, only the permitted redacted format may be used.
Except for a self-represented party, full home addresses may not be included in e-filings; when referenced, only the city and state should be used.
Parties should exercise caution when filing papers containing private or confidential information, including medical, employment, financial, insurance, proprietary, government-cooperation, and criminal-victim information.
Brazoria County District Courts
View all rules for TX-BRAZORIA-DISTRICT.The Brazoria County District Clerk and County Clerk are authorized to seal educational records before issuance of a formal sealing order.
Parties given access to the documents must preserve confidentiality and prevent disclosure to unauthorized persons.
Tulsa County District Court
View all rules for OK-TULSA-DISTRICT.When necessary, pleadings should use only the last four digits of Social Security and financial account numbers, only minors' initials, and only the year of birth.
Requests to seal or remove pleadings, records, or materials from the public record must follow the procedures in 12 O.S. § 3226(C)(2-7).
Parties should avoid unnecessary sensitive information, and any necessary personal data identifiers in a pleading must be partially redacted.
A party may file an unredacted copy under seal by court order when filing a redacted document containing personal data identifiers.
Superior Court of California, County of Orange
View all rules for CA-ORANGE-SUPERIOR.Superior Court of California, County of Fresno
View all rules for CA-FRESNO-SUPERIOR.Superior Court of California, County of Nevada
View all rules for CA-NEVADA-SUPERIOR.When sanction-based fees are requested, both parties must submit their final settlement offer and any response to the clerk in a sealed envelope at the start of trial.
Confidential and sealed records must be electronically filed through encrypted methods, and filers rather than the clerk are responsible for redaction compliance.
Counsel and the related parties are solely responsible for redacting confidential and personal information, and the clerk does not review documents for redaction compliance.
An attorney settlement supervisor may submit a sealed report, which may be opened only after trial if Family Code section 271 sanctions or fees are requested.
Champaign County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-CHAMPAIGN-COMMON-PLEAS.Personal identifying information, including social security numbers and information excluded from the public record, must be redacted under Local Rule 2.3.
The clerk will not accept a document for filing under seal unless a motion to seal it has been made and approved by the court.
Unless the assigned judge orders otherwise, documents submitted for in camera review go directly to that judge rather than being filed with the clerk.
New York Supreme Court, Westchester County
View all rules for NY-WESTCHESTER-SUPREME.Counsel must redact a party’s or child’s nine-digit social security number to the final four digits in the format xxx-xx-1234 and, where appropriate, comply with the stated confidentiality provisions.
Parties must redact social security numbers and confidential personal information, and where permissible file the redacted document on NYSCEF while simultaneously emailing the unredacted version to the Part Clerk with an explanation of the redaction.
Harris County District Courts
View all rules for TX-HARRIS-DISTRICT-COURTS.Parties seeking to seal court records must comply with Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a.
Confidential matters included in a motion to withdraw may be filed under seal.
Superior Court of Cobb County
View all rules for GA-COBB-SUPERIOR.Documents filed or brought to court must redact all but the last four digits of social security, taxpayer identification, and financial account numbers, and must redact dates of birth so that only the birth year remains visible.
Evidence used in a criminal or civil hearing or trial to support an alleged violation of OCGA § 16-12-100, et seq. is not open to public inspection except by court order.
Before submitting a filing, the filer must use an affirmative EFSP notation to confirm compliance with OCGA § 9-11-7.1 and USCR 36.17 concerning redaction of confidential information.
If a judge permits inspection of evidence governed by OCGA § 16-12-100, et seq., the evidence may not be photographed, copied, or reproduced by any means.
Exhibits tendered as evidence in a criminal or civil trial may not be publicly inspected without approval from the assigned judge.
Superior Court of California, County of Merced
View all rules for CA-MERCED-SUPERIOR.The filer must redact applicable personal identifiers and privileged or confidential information.
Medical records may be submitted by filing a redacted public copy together with an unredacted copy filed confidentially under California Rules of Court, rule 2.550(c).
Circuit Court of LaSalle County, Illinois (13th Judicial Circuit)
View all rules for IL-LASALLE-CIRCUIT.An original Qualified Domestic Relations Order containing social security numbers must be impounded by the Circuit Clerk and may be opened only by court order.
The filing party or counsel must prevent electronically filed documents and exhibits from disclosing sealed, impounded, expunged, or otherwise private information; the Clerk has no duty to review, redact, or screen filings.
Social security numbers in pleadings, attachments, orders, exhibits, and other documents filed in the court file or open court must be redacted so that only the last four digits remain visible, subject to the stated exceptions.
Miami County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-MIAMI-COMMON-PLEAS.Fairfax County Circuit Court
View all rules for VA-FAIRFAX-CIRCUIT.Northern District of Texas
View all rules for NDTX.Parties must file motion for leave to seal with specific identification and detailed analysis
Trade secrets and confidential informant identities are valid reasons to seal documents.
Two standards for sealing: good cause for discovery materials, stricter balancing test for judicial records.
Judicial records should not be sealed absent good cause or compelling reasons.
Honolulu First Circuit Court
View all rules for HI-FIRST-CIRCUIT.A transcript prepared from a confidential proceeding must be filed under seal.
Documents submitted for in camera review must remain electronically secured and accessible only to the court, appellate courts, and court staff until a court orders otherwise.
When the fly sheet and confidential form are submitted electronically, the fly sheet is the lead document and the form must be designated confidential with sealed and supporting-document options selected.
Ector County District Courts
View all rules for TX-ECTOR-DISTRICT.The sealed evaluations, assessments, and reports may not be unsealed or disclosed unless a District Court of Ector County orders and approves the disclosure, subject to the cited statutory exceptions.
An e-filed document containing sensitive data must be resubmitted with the specified identifying and financial information redacted.
Superior Court of California, County of Kings
View all rules for CA-KINGS-SUPERIOR.Form FL-328 must appear as the first page of the child custody evaluation report and must remain confidential.
Reports submitted to the court remain confidential, may be protected by court-ordered protective measures, and generally may not be disclosed to nonparties or their attorneys.
Sealed documents must be filed and lodged conventionally rather than electronically.
Superior Court of California, County of Shasta
View all rules for CA-SHASTA-SUPERIOR.Superior Court of California, County of Monterey
View all rules for CA-MONTEREY-SUPERIOR.Filed forms FL-326 and FL-328 and related qualification documents are confidential and available only to the court, parties, their attorneys, and persons specifically authorized by written order after notice to all parties.
The confidential-document filing rule applies to documents required by law to be closed to inspection, but excludes records sealed or proposed to be sealed by court order under California Rules of Court 2.550-2.551.
Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo
View all rules for CA-SAN-LUIS-OBISPO-SUPERIOR.Williamson County District Courts
View all rules for TX-WILLIAMSON-DISTRICT.Superior Court of Fulton County
View all rules for GA-FULTON-SUPERIOR.Sealed documents must be manually filed in paper with the Clerk along with a sealing order, and a Notice of Filing under Seal must be e-filed (or included with the larger document if the sealed item is an exhibit).
Witness lists e-filed may have lay witnesses' dates of birth and contact information redacted, but that information must still be provided in confidence to opposing counsel.
Documents are ordinarily not truly confidential unless they constitute trade secrets, personal identifying information, or personal health information.
Washington County Circuit Court
View all rules for OR-WASHINGTON-CIRCUIT.Circuit Court of Franklin County, Illinois (2nd Judicial Circuit)
View all rules for IL-FRANKLIN-CIRCUIT.Jefferson County District Courts
View all rules for TX-JEFFERSON-DISTRICT.Court records may be sealed only if a party files a written motion under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a.
Sensitive data must be redacted before filing; legally required sensitive data may be designated with a notice, and an unredacted filing must be replaced with a redacted substitute.
Superior Court of California, County of Imperial
View all rules for CA-IMPERIAL-SUPERIOR.Sealed records generally may be viewed only by parties and their attorneys of record and may not be copied without a contrary court order, unless the sealing order provides otherwise.
The Court disfavors confidentiality agreements and protective orders and will approve them only upon a particularized showing of a genuine trade secret or privilege, a cognizable interest, public-interest secrecy, and serious harm from disclosure.
Superior Court of California, County of Humboldt
View all rules for CA-HUMBOLDT-SUPERIOR.Taylor County District Courts
View all rules for TX-TAYLOR-DISTRICT.Brown County District Court
View all rules for TX-BROWN-DISTRICT.Galveston County District Courts
View all rules for TX-GALVESTON-DISTRICT.CASA must redact identifying information about a child's placement before releasing records to respondent's counsel.
In District Court criminal jury trials, the District Clerk's Office must secure the prosecutor's strike list, defense counsel's strike list, the final jury list, and jury communications to and from the court from public access.
Jackson County Circuit Court
View all rules for MO-JACKSON-CIRCUIT.Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino
View all rules for CA-SAN-BERNARDINO-SUPERIOR.Sealed-document filings must strictly comply with CRC rule 2.551 and the following provisions.
The court may direct the clerk to seal sexually explicit material pending a further court order unsealing it.
Oklahoma County District Court
View all rules for OK-OKLAHOMA-COUNTY-DISTRICT.New York Supreme Court, Monroe County
View all rules for NY-MONROE-SUPREME.Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-LUCAS-COMMON-PLEAS.Stark County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-STARK-COMMON-PLEAS.Hunt County District Courts
View all rules for TX-HUNT-DISTRICT.Medina County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
View all rules for OH-MEDINA-COMMON-PLEAS.Parties must omit or partially redact specified personal identifiers from all filed documents and exhibits unless the Court orders otherwise, including limiting Social Security and financial account numbers to the last four digits, using only minors' initials, using only a birth year, and redacting victim identifiers upon a qualifying written request.
The personal-identifier redaction rule does not apply to Petitions for Civil Stalking Protection Orders.
Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento
View all rules for CA-SACRAMENTO-SUPERIOR.Superior Court of California, County of Santa Cruz
View all rules for CA-SANTA-CRUZ-SUPERIOR.New York Supreme Court, Erie County
View all rules for NY-ERIE-SUPREME.Superior Court of California, County of Yolo
View all rules for CA-YOLO-SUPERIOR.Superior Court of California, County of Ventura
View all rules for CA-VENTURA-SUPERIOR.Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County
View all rules for MD-ANNE-ARUNDEL-CIRCUIT.Liberty County District Courts
View all rules for TX-LIBERTY-DISTRICT.Twentieth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties
View all rules for FL-TWENTIETH-JUDICIAL-CIRCUIT.Superior Court of California, County of Tulare
View all rules for CA-TULARE-SUPERIOR.Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Pasco and Pinellas Counties
View all rules for FL-SIXTH-JUDICIAL-CIRCUIT.Southern District of Florida
View all rules for SDFL.Bell County District Courts
View all rules for TX-BELL-DISTRICT.Superior Court of Arizona in Pima County
View all rules for AZ-PIMA-SUPERIOR.Circuit Court for Baltimore City
View all rules for MD-BALTIMORE-CITY-CIRCUIT.Matagorda County District Courts
View all rules for TX-MATAGORDA-DISTRICT.Wayne County Court of Common Pleas, General & Domestic Relations Divisions
View all rules for OH-WAYNE-COMMON-PLEAS.18th Judicial District Court, Arapahoe County
View all rules for CO-ARAPAHOE-DISTRICT.McLennan County District Courts
View all rules for TX-MCLENNAN-DISTRICT.Superior Court of California, County of Placer
View all rules for CA-PLACER-SUPERIOR.Dane County Circuit Court
View all rules for WI-DANE-CIRCUIT.Grayson County District Courts
View all rules for TX-GRAYSON-DISTRICT.Jim Wells County District Court
View all rules for TX-JIM-WELLS-DISTRICT.Superior Court of California, County of Solano
View all rules for CA-SOLANO-SUPERIOR.Jefferson Circuit Court
View all rules for KY-JEFFERSON-CIRCUIT.Nueces County District Courts
View all rules for TX-NUECES-DISTRICT.Florida 5 Judicial Circuit (Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Sumter)
View all rules for FL-FIFTH-JUDICIAL-CIRCUIT.Randall County District Courts
View all rules for TX-RANDALL-DISTRICT.Related Rule Categories
Maximum page counts and word limits for motions, briefs, and other filings by judge.
When and how to deliver courtesy copies to chambers, including triggers, timing, and formatting.
Electronic filing requirements, permitted filing channels, EFSP portals, and exceptions.
Filing cutoffs, deemed-filed rules, rejection handling, cure periods, and outage procedures.