15th Judicial Circuit Court, Lee County, Illinois Sealing & Redaction Procedures

CRITICAL

The Clerk must impound specified financial, identifying, and sensitive reports without further order, limiting access and copying to the parties and attorneys of record.

In accordance with Rule 3.3, if any party files a financial affidavit, other documents containing a social security or account number, or a medical, psychiatric, psychological, mediator’s, or guardian ad litem’s report, the Clerk shall without further order impound the document so that only the parties and attorneys of record in the action may have access to them and the right to copy them.

CRITICAL

A sealing or impoundment motion must be written, noticed, explain its basis, and specify its proposed duration; the Court must issue a written order defining the scope and duration of any relief.

All motions to seal or impound a file, record, or document must be made in writing and presented to the Court after appropriate notice to all parties. The motion must explain the basis for sealing or impounding the file, record, or document and specify the proposed duration of the sealing or impounding order. Any motion to seal or impound, on specific request, may also be sealed or impounded if it contains a discussion of the confidential material. The Court shall enter a written order granting, granting in part, or denying the request. If the Court grants the motion in whole or in part, the order shall designate whether the entire file, record, or document or only a portion of the entire file, record, or document shall be sealed or impounded. The order shall further designate whether it includes removing the parties’ names from public access and the duration the file is to be sealed or impounded.

CRITICAL

Reports concerning adjudication of disability and appointment of a guardian must be impounded as provided by the cited statute.

Reports filed with respect to adjudication of disability and appointment of guardian shall be impounded subject to the terms of 755 ILCS 5/11a-9.

CRITICAL

Pre-trial bond reports and substance abuse evaluations must be impounded unless the Court directs otherwise.

Pre-trial bond reports and substance abuse evaluations shall be impounded unless otherwise directed by the Court.

CRITICAL

Proceedings under the Parental Notice of Abortion Act must be sealed as provided by the cited statute.

Proceedings under the Parental Notice of Abortion Act shall be sealed pursuant to the terms of 750 ILCS 70/25.

CRITICAL

Mental health records must be impounded as provided by the cited statute.

Mental health records shall be impounded subject to the terms of 740 ILCS 110/1 et seq.

CRITICAL

The Clerk must automatically impound filed financial affidavits, documents containing Social Security or account numbers, and the listed reports, limiting access to parties and counsel of record.

In accordance with Rule 3.3, if any party files a financial affidavit, other documents containing a social security or account number, or a medical, psychiatric, psychological, mediator’s, or guardian ad litem’s report, the Clerk shall without further order impound the document so that only the parties and attorneys of record in the action may have access to them and the right to copy them.

CRITICAL

A motion to seal or impound must explain its basis and specify the proposed duration of sealing.

The motion must explain the basis for sealing or impounding the file, record, or document and specify the proposed duration of the sealing

CRITICAL

A motion to seal or impound must be written, presented to the Court, and preceded by appropriate notice to all parties.

All motions to seal or impound a file, record, or document must be made in writing and presented to the Court after appropriate notice to all parties.

CRITICAL

Adoption files must be impounded as provided by the cited statute.

Adoption files shall be impounded subject to the terms of 750 ILCS 50/18.

CRITICAL

Presentence investigation reports must be impounded as provided by the cited statute.

Presentence investigation reports shall be impounded subject to the terms of 730 ILCS 5/5-3-4 (a) and (b).

CRITICAL

Judge’s notes described in Rule 3.8 must be impounded as that rule directs.

Judge’s notes as described in Rule 3.8 shall be impounded as described in the Rule.

CRITICAL

Financial affidavits and other documents described in Rule 8.1(c) must be impounded as that rule directs.

Financial affidavits and other documents described in Rule 8.1(c) shall be impounded as described in the Rule.

CRITICAL

Fitness reports and psychological or psychiatric evaluations must be impounded as provided by the cited statute.

Fitness reports and psychological and/or psychiatric evaluations shall be impounded subject to the terms of 725 ILCS 5/104-19.

CRITICAL

A person or entity, whether or not an original party and whether the case is pending or closed, may seek to vacate a sealing order by motion after properly filing an appearance and paying any required filing fee.

A person or entity seeking access to a sealed or impounded case, record, or document, regardless of whether they were a party in the original case and regardless of whether the case is pending or closed, may, on the proper filing of an appearance and if required, paying the appropriate filing fee, file a motion requesting the order sealing or impounding the case, records, or document be vacated.

CRITICAL

Filers must ensure electronically filed documents and exhibits do not disclose impounded, sealed, or defined private information.

It is the responsibility of the Filer to ensure documents or exhibits filed electronically do not disclose information previously or statutorily impounded or sealed under these Rules or private information as defined in Supreme Court Rules 15 and 138.

CRITICAL

Juvenile files must be impounded as provided by the cited statutes.

Juvenile files shall be impounded subject to the terms of 705 ILCS 405/1-8 and 705 ILCS 405/5-901.

CRITICAL

Except where statute, the Manual on Recordkeeping, or the Rules provide otherwise, files, records, or documents may be sealed or impounded only by court order.

Except as otherwise provided by statute, the Manual on Recordkeeping, or these Rules, files, records, or documents may be impounded or sealed only on order of the Court.

WARNING

The presumption of public access may be overcome only by a compelling showing that protection interests outweigh the public’s right of access.

A strong statutory presumption of public access to the Court’s files and records exists that may be overcome only on a compelling showing that the public’s right of access is outweighed by the interests of the public and the parties in protecting files, records, or documents from public view.

WARNING

Unless the order provides otherwise, sealed or impounded files are reviewed annually; an unavailable judge’s cases go to the Chief Judge or designee, and a judge may unseal a file if no party objects within 30 days after written notice, except Rule 3.3(c) files need not be reviewed.

Unless otherwise specified in the order, the Clerk annually shall present for each judge’s review a list of all files, records, or documents sealed or impounded by the judge. If the judge ordering the file, record, or document to be sealed or impounded is no longer available, then the case shall be referred to the Chief Judge or his or her designee for review. The judge ordering the case, record, or document sealed or impounded shall review the file to determine whether the case, record, or document will remain sealed or impounded. A judge may unseal and open a case, record, or document if a party fails to object to unsealing or opening within 30 days following written notice of the intent to unseal or open. For purposes of this Rule, review of files sealed or impounded as described in Rule 3.3(c) is not required.

WARNING

Except for the specified juvenile, adoption, and parental-notice proceedings, impoundment must be limited to the identified record or document.

Except as set forth in exceptions (1), (2), and (3), impoundments shall be limited to the identified record or document:

INFO

A motion to seal or impound may itself be sealed or impounded on request if it discusses confidential material.

Any motion to seal or impound, on specific request, may also be sealed or impounded if it contains a discussion of the confidential material.

INFO

An attorney who represents a client in a pending criminal matter may without leave of the Court review the file from any juvenile court delinquency proceeding in which the client was the respondent minor, except to the extent any document in the file was specifically sealed by the Court during that proceeding.

An attorney who represents a client in a pending criminal matter may without leave of the Court review the file from any juvenile court delinquency proceeding in which the client was the respondent minor, except to the extent any document in the file was specifically sealed by the Court during that proceeding.