REDACTING PLEADINGS

The District Court is now accepting electronically filed pleadings and making the content of these pleadings available on the court’s Internet website via WebPACER. Any subscriber to WebPACER will be able to read, download, store and print the full content of electronically filed documents. The Clerk’s Office will not make electronically available documents that have been sealed or otherwise restricted by court order.

To address the privacy concerns created by the Internet access to court papers, unless otherwise ordered by the Court, counsel shall modify certain personal data identifiers in pleadings and other papers as follows:

• Minors’ names: Use of the minors’ initials only;
• Social security numbers: Use of the last four numbers only;
• Dates of birth: Use of the year of birth only;
• Financial account numbers: Identify the type of account and the financial institution, but use only the last four numbers of the account number; and
• Home addresses: Use of the city and state only.

Counsel should also use caution when filing papers that contain a person’s medical records, employment history; financial information; and any proprietary or trade secret information.

A party wishing to file a document containing the personal data identifiers specified above may

• file an unredacted document under seal. This document will be retained by the Clerk’s Office as part of the record; or
• file a reference list under seal. The reference list shall contain the complete personal data identifiers(s) and the redacted identifier(s) used in its (their) place in the filing. All references in the case to the redacted identifiers included in the reference list will be construed to refer to the corresponding complete identifier. The reference list must be filed under seal, and may be amended as of right. It shall be retained by the Clerk’s Office as part of the record.

The court may, however, still require the party to file a redacted copy for the public file.

If a redacted document is filed, it is the sole responsibility of counsel and the parties to be sure that all pleadings comply with these procedures. The Clerk’s Office will not review each pleading for redaction.