Southern District of New York Sealing & Redaction Procedures
734 rules from official source documents
Procedures for filing sealed or redacted documents, including required motions and formats.
CRITICAL
Must move for leave to file sealed documents on paper if unable to use ECF.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
Request to file under seal/redacted must be by letter-motion or motion with specific reasons.
Except as provided in subdivision 5(b)(i) below, and notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in a confidentiality order or stipulation, any party wishing to file under seal and/or in redacted form any document, or any portion thereof, must make a specific request to the Court by letter-motion or motion explaining the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal.
CRITICAL
Proposed sealed documents must be contemporaneously filed under seal and related to motion.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Sealing motions must be filed publicly with reasons, excluding confidential info.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
CRITICAL
Motion to seal must justify request under Lugosch standards and state if on consent.
The motion must justify the request in light of the standards set forth in Lugosch and state whether the request is on consent.
CRITICAL
For redaction approval, publicly file redacted document and under seal file unredacted with highlights.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the redactions highlighted.
CRITICAL
Any party wishing to request permission to file document(s) or information under seal in a criminal matter must email its application to Chambers at SwainNYSDCorresp@nysd.uscourts.gov, copying all counsel unless the application concerns an ex parte matter.
Any party wishing to request permission to file document(s) or information under seal in a criminal matter must email its application to Chambers at SwainNYSDCorresp@nysd.uscourts.gov, copying all counsel unless the application concerns an ex parte matter.
CRITICAL
Unruled sealed documents must be brought to proceedings for Court review.
If the Court has not ruled on the party’s application for sealed filing of a document submitted in connection with a criminal proceeding prior to such proceeding, the applying party must bring a hard copy of the document to the proceeding for the Court’s review and potential filing under seal.
CRITICAL
Applications to file a sentencing memorandum, or material submitted in connection with a sentencing memorandum, under seal, should be emailed to Chambers at SwainNYSDCorresp@nysd.uscourts.gov, in compliance with subdivision B.4 above. The party seeking to file a submission under seal shall bring a hard copy of the unredacted submission to the sentencing hearing, in compliance with subdivision B.4 above.
Applications to file a sentencing memorandum, or material submitted in connection with a sentencing memorandum, under seal, should be emailed to Chambers at SwainNYSDCorresp@nysd.uscourts.gov, in compliance with subdivision B.4 above. The party seeking to file a submission under seal shall bring a hard copy of the unredacted submission to the sentencing hearing, in compliance with subdivision B.4 above.
CRITICAL
Granted sealed filings must be delivered to Records Management Department.
If an application to file under seal or with redactions is granted, the applying party must bring complete, unredacted copies of the material proposed to be sealed or redacted to the Court’s Records Management Department (500 Pearl Street, Room 370) to be filed under seal, along with a copy of the Court’s order granting the application.
CRITICAL
To the extent any party seeks leave to file a document or information under seal in paper copy, rather than on the Court’s ECF system, by virtue of that document or information containing classified information or information that could harm national security, or if its disclosure could
To the extent any party seeks leave to file a document or information under seal in paper copy, rather than on the Court’s ECF system, by virtue of that document or information containing classified information or information that could harm national security, or if its disclosure could
CRITICAL
FRCP 5.2 requires redaction of SSNs, minor children names, DOBs, and account numbers without court approval.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. Such sensitive information includes: Social Security numbers; names of minor children; dates of birth; and financial account numbers.
CRITICAL
Opposing party must file letter explaining need to seal within 3 days.
When a party seeks leave to file sealed or redacted materials on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, the filing party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the materials.
CRITICAL
Follow procedures in Amended Standing Order 21-mc-0006 for paper sealed filings.
it must seek leave to do so following the procedures set forth in the Court’s Amended Standing Order, 21-mc-0006 (S.D.N.Y. June 27, 2024).
CRITICAL
Sealed ECF documents cannot be served through ECF system.
sealed documents filed in ECF are no longer electronically accessible or viewable by non-court users, service of those documents can no longer be accomplished through ECF. Parties must serve sealed documents by other appropriate means consistent with the applicable Federal Rules of Procedure.
CRITICAL
Unredacted exhibits over 100 pages must be submitted to Chambers on CD.
For exhibits over 100 cumulative pages, the party shall submit the unredacted documents to Chambers by CD only.
CRITICAL
Protective orders requiring sealing must be supported by competent evidence showing sealing is essential and narrowly tailored.
No protective order shall be submitted that provides for sealing of documents or other information in connection with a submission to the Court, except following a motion supported by competent evidence showing that sealing is essential to preserve higher values and is narrowly tailored to serve that interest.
CRITICAL
File redacted versions on ECF and unredacted copies to Chambers when seeking to seal materials.
The party shall file the notice of motion and redacted versions of the briefing and any supporting materials on ECF, together with an unredacted copy to Chambers, specifying those portions sought to be sealed and setting forth the reasons why sealing is appropriate under the circumstances.
CRITICAL
Sealing requires a motion supported by competent evidence showing it is essential to preserve higher values and is narrowly tailored.
No protective order shall be submitted that provides for sealing of documents or other information in connection with a submission to the Court, except following a motion supported by competent evidence showing that sealing is essential to preserve higher values and is narrowly tailored to serve that interest.
CRITICAL
Parties must move for permission to file under seal contemporaneously, file redacted versions on ECF with unredacted copy to Chambers, and submit large exhibits (over 100 pages) on CD.
Notwithstanding any protective order, any party seeking to file materials under seal (whether as part of a motion, a pretrial filing, or other submission) is required to move for permission to file the materials under seal contemporaneously. The party shall do so according to the following procedures. i. The party shall file the notice of motion and redacted versions of the briefing and any supporting materials on ECF, together with an unredacted copy to Chambers, specifying those portions sought to be sealed and setting forth the reasons why sealing is appropriate under the circumstances. For exhibits over 100 cumulative pages, the party shall submit the unredacted documents to Chambers by CD only.
CRITICAL
Parties must move for permission to file materials under seal contemporaneously with the filing.
Any party seeking to file materials under seal (whether as part of a motion, a pretrial filing, or other submission) is required to move for permission to file the materials under seal contemporaneously.
CRITICALCivil cases
Social Security numbers, minor children's names, dates of birth, and financial account numbers must be redacted from public filings without prior court approval.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. Such sensitive information includes: Social Security numbers; names of minor children; dates of birth; and financial account numbers.
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties unable to file electronically must move for leave to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motion to seal must be filed publicly with reasons, without confidential information.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Supporting papers for sealing motions must be separately filed and may be under seal or redacted only as necessary.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Proposed sealed documents must be contemporaneously filed under seal in ECF and electronically related to the motion.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed document must be filed under seal and electronically related to motion.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motions to seal must be filed publicly, explain reasons for sealing, and not include the confidential information sought to be sealed.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
For approved redactions, publicly file redacted version and under seal file unredacted version with redactions highlighted.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
For redactions, file public version with redactions and sealed version with highlighted redactions.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed/redacted filings must be filed electronically through ECF system.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF
CRITICAL
Motions for sealing/redaction and related subject documents must be electronically filed in ECF under the referenced standing order and ECF instructions.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, Section 6.
CRITICAL
A party that cannot file under seal electronically, or believes a document should not be e-filed, must move for leave to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
Court leave is required before any document may be filed under seal.
Parties must obtain leave of this Court before filing any document under seal.
CRITICAL
For redaction requests, the filer must publicly file a redacted version and file an unredacted highlighted version under seal in ECF.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICAL
When redactions are made, only the pages containing redacted material are filed under seal.
If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Redactions beyond the listed eleven categories require an application served and filed with the sentencing submission.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served.
CRITICAL
The proposed sealed document must be filed under seal at the same time as the motion and linked to that motion in ECF.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Obtain court leave before filing any document under seal; file redacted copies if granted.
Parties must obtain leave of this Court before filing any document under seal. Any sealing request should include a party’s proposed redactions. If leave is granted, parties must file redacted copies with the Clerk of the Court.
CRITICAL
If sealing leave is granted, parties must file redacted copies with the Clerk.
If leave is granted, parties must file redacted copies with the Clerk of the Court.
CRITICAL
Supporting papers must be filed separately in ECF and may be sealed or redacted only as necessary to protect the sensitive information.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Sensitive information covered by Rule 5.2 must be redacted from public filings without prior court permission.
Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
CRITICALCivil cases
To file redacted documents, submit a public letter-motion, publicly file the redacted version, and file an unredacted copy under seal with redactions highlighted.
iii. Redacted Document(s). Where a party seeks leave to file a document in redacted form, the party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document in redacted form on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall: (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter-motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
All redactions or sealing of public court filings require court approval, except those permitted in Paragraph 11(A) or by protective order.
Except for redactions permitted by Paragraph 11(A) or as provided by the protective order approved in the case, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval. To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents. In general, the parties’ consent or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement between litigants is not, by itself, a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICALCivil cases
Two categories of information may be redacted without court approval: sensitive information (5 categories) and information requiring caution (6 categories).
The parties are referred to Rule 5.2 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the S.D.N.Y. ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”). There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.” Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]). Parties may also, without prior Court approval, redact from their public filings the six categories of information requiring caution described in the Privacy Policy (i.e., any personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government).
CRITICALCivil cases
Where a party seeks leave to file a document in redacted form, the party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document in redacted form on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall: (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter-motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
Where a party seeks leave to file a document in redacted form, the party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document in redacted form on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall: (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter-motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
The party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal). Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
The party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal). Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
To file sealed documents, submit a public letter-motion explaining reasons, and file the sealed document contemporaneously under seal on ECF with appropriate restrictions.
ii. Sealed Document(s). The party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal).
CRITICALCivil cases
C. Procedures for Filing Sealed or Redacted Documents. Any party seeking leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form shall proceed as follows: i. Meet and Confer. The party should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information)
C. Procedures for Filing Sealed or Redacted Documents. Any party seeking leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form shall proceed as follows: i. Meet and Confer. The party should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information)
CRITICALCivil cases
If the party seeking relief believes that Rule 65(b)(1)'s requirements can be met and a temporary restraining order should issue without notice to the adverse party, the party should file its papers on ECF under seal (or, if ECF is not a viable option, by email to Chambers) and then email Chambers providing notice.
If the party seeking relief believes that Rule 65(b)(1)'s requirements can be met and a temporary restraining order should issue without notice to the adverse party, the party should file its papers on ECF under seal (or, if ECF is not a viable option, by email to Chambers) and then email Chambers providing notice.
CRITICALCivil cases
If the party seeking relief believes that Rule 65(b)(1)'s requirements can be met and a temporary restraining order should issue without notice to the adverse party, the party should file its papers on ECF under seal (or, if ECF is not a viable option, by email to Chambers) and then email Chambers providing notice.
If the party seeking relief believes that Rule 65(b)(1)'s requirements can be met and a temporary restraining order should issue without notice to the adverse party, the party should file its papers on ECF under seal (or, if ECF is not a viable option, by email to Chambers) and then email Chambers providing notice.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sensitive information categories: SSNs (last 4 digits), minor children names (initials), DOBs (year only), account numbers (last 4 digits), home addresses (city/state only).
Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
CRITICALCriminal cases
If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions.
If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sealing Exhibits. Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked "SEALED" in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit. The party should simultaneously file a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner according to the procedure described in Paragraphs 11(C)(ii)–(iii) above.
Sealing Exhibits. Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked "SEALED" in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit. The party should simultaneously file a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner according to the procedure described in Paragraphs 11(C)(ii)–(iii) above.
CRITICALCriminal cases
To seal an entire submission, do not file on ECF initially; instead email unredacted copy to chambers with a letter-motion explaining why sealing is justified.
Sealing Entire Documents. Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should email an unredacted copy of the submission to Chambers and should include as an attachment to the email a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document under seal. The letter-motion must explain why sealing is justified considering the standards discussed in Paragraph 11(B) above.
CRITICALCriminal cases
should be sealed or redacted, the party should include an unredacted copy of the letter-motion as an attachment to the email described in Paragraph 11(C)(iii) below, and—if possible—file a redacted version of the letter-motion on ECF.
should be sealed or redacted, the party should include an unredacted copy of the letter-motion as an attachment to the email described in Paragraph 11(C)(iii) below, and—if possible—file a redacted version of the letter-motion on ECF.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should email an unredacted copy of the submission to Chambers and should include as an attachment to the email a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document under seal.
Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should email an unredacted copy of the submission to Chambers and should include as an attachment to the email a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF.
The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit.
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit.
CRITICALCriminal cases
All redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval except for permitted categories.
Except for redactions permitted by the previous Paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval.
CRITICALCriminal cases
should be sealed or redacted, the party should include an unredacted copy of the letter-motion as an attachment to the email described in Paragraph 11(C)(iii) below, and—if possible—file a redacted version of the letter-motion on ECF.)
should be sealed or redacted, the party should include an unredacted copy of the letter-motion as an attachment to the email described in Paragraph 11(C)(iii) below, and—if possible—file a redacted version of the letter-motion on ECF.)
CRITICALCivil cases
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.” Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]). Parties may also, without prior Court approval, redact from their public filings the six categories of information requiring caution described in the Privacy Policy (i.e., any personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government).
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.” Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]). Parties may also, without prior Court approval, redact from their public filings the six categories of information requiring caution described in the Privacy Policy (i.e., any personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government).
CRITICALCivil cases
All redactions or sealing except those in 11(A) or protective orders require court approval, must be narrowly tailored, and consistent with public access presumptions.
Except for redactions permitted by Paragraph 11(A) or as provided by the protective order approved in the case, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval. To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents. In general, the parties’ consent or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement between litigants is not, by itself, a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICAL
Applications required for redactions beyond standard categories in sentencing submissions
If a party redacts from a sentencing memorandum information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served at the time the sentencing submission is served. A redacted version of the sentencing submission must be filed on the ECF system at that time. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
CRITICAL
Sealed/redacted filings must be filed electronically through ECF system.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject document(s), including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-MC-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICAL
Parties must seek leave to file on paper if unable to file electronically under seal.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file on paper.
CRITICAL
Motion for sealed filing must be public and explain reasons without including sealed info.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the specific reasons for seeking to file the information under seal and should not include the information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
For redacted public filings, file redacted version publicly and unredacted under seal.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the
CRITICAL
Redacted copies may be filed on ECF, with unredacted hard copies supplied to chambers, if the application includes privileged or sensitive material.
Redacted copies may be filed on ECF, with unredacted hard copies supplied to chambers, if the application includes privileged or sensitive material.
CRITICAL
Proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in ECF.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICAL
The proposed sealed document must be filed under seal in ECF at the same time as, and electronically related to, the motion.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Redacting information outside the eleven Privacy Policy categories requires an application served with the sentencing submission and a redacted version filed on ECF at that time; the application should identify and explain the redaction.
If a party redacts from a sentencing memorandum information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served at the time the sentencing submission is served. A redacted version of the sentencing submission must be filed on the ECF system at that time. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
CRITICAL
Sensitive information described in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 must be redacted from public filings without prior court permission.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
CRITICAL
Supporting papers must be filed electronically as separate filings and may be sealed or redacted only as necessary to safeguard the information sought to be sealed.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
The redacted and unredacted documents, with proposed redactions highlighted in the unredacted document, must both be filed electronically through ECF and related to the motion.
unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
A party seeking to file its entire sentencing submission under seal must serve an application when serving the submission; the application will be addressed at sentencing.
If a party believes its entire sentencing submission must be filed under seal, an application to do so must be served at the time the sentencing submission is served. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
CRITICAL
When material is redacted from a publicly filed document, only pages containing redactions are filed under seal, and marked copies of those pages must be brought to sentencing for the Court to file under seal.
If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICAL
Sealed letters in civil/miscellaneous cases must follow Paragraph 3 procedures.
In civil and miscellaneous cases, letters to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information shall be filed in accordance with Paragraph 3 below regarding Electronic Filing Under Seal in Civil and Miscellaneous Cases.
CRITICAL
Decisions referencing confidential stipulation material are withheld for 10 days; parties must request redaction, court decides only to redact truly confidential material.
The Court does not ordinarily file decisions under seal or redact material from them. If the Court issues a decision in this case that refers to “confidential” material under this stipulation, the decision will not be published for ten days. The parties must, within that ten-day period, identify to the Court any portion of the decision that one or more of them believe should be redacted, provide the Court with the purportedly confidential material, and explain why that material is truly confidential. The Court will then determine whether the material is in fact genuinely deserving of confidential treatment. The Court will only redact portions of a publicly available decision if it concludes that the material discussed is in fact deserving of such treatment. The Court’s decision in this regard is final.
CRITICAL
Documents withheld on attorney-client privilege or work product grounds must comply with FRCP 26(b)(5) requirements.
Documents withheld based on a claim of privilege or work product are subject to the provisions of FRCP 26(b)(5).
CRITICAL
Sealed documents must be filed electronically on CM/ECF.
Sealed documents are to be filed electronically on CM/ECF.
CRITICALCivil cases
Electronic documents that contain privileged information or attorney work product shall be immediately returned if the documents appear on their face to have been inadvertently produced or if there is notice of the inadvertent production. All copies shall be returned or destroyed by the receiving party.
Electronic documents that contain privileged information or attorney work product shall be immediately returned if the documents appear on their face to have been inadvertently produced or if there is notice of the inadvertent production. All copies shall be returned or destroyed by the receiving party.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Entire documents to be filed under seal should be emailed directly to chambers with letter-motion, not filed on ECF.
Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should email an unredacted copy of the submission to HoNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov and should include as an attachment to the email a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document under seal. The letter-motion must explain why sealing is justified in light of the standards discussed in Section 9(b) above. If the party believes that the letter-motion itself should be sealed or redacted, the letter-motion should so state and should provide the justification therefor. The Court will include instructions for filing sealed or redacted versions of the document and accompanying letter-motion, if necessary, in any order disposing of the motion to seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Three-step process for filing documents with redactions: ECF filing, letter-motion seeking leave, and emailing unredacted copies to chambers.
Any party seeking to file a document with partial redactions should follow the following three steps: i. ECF Filing of the Redacted Document(s). The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF. ii. Filing a Letter-Motion Seeking Leave to File with Redactions. If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions. The letter-motion must explain the purpose of the redactions, and why the redactions are consistent with the standards set forth in Section 9(b) above. iii. Emailing of Documents to Chambers. At the same time, the party should email to HoNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov: (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion described in Section 9(c)(ii), should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions or under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information,” i.e., social security numbers (use the last four digits only); names of minor children (use the initials only); dates of birth (use the year only); financial account numbers (use the last four digits only); and home addresses (use only the City and State).
Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information,” i.e., social security numbers (use the last four digits only); names of minor children (use the initials only); dates of birth (use the year only); financial account numbers (use the last four digits only); and home addresses (use only the City and State).
CRITICALCriminal cases
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit. The party should simultaneously file a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner.
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit. The party should simultaneously file a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner.
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties must follow Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 and S.D.N.Y. ECF Privacy Policy for redactions and sealing.
The parties are referred to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 and the S.D.N.Y. ECF Privacy Policy ("Privacy Policy").
CRITICALCivil cases
All redactions or sealing of public court filings require court approval except for the eleven categories identified in the Privacy Policy.
Except for redactions permitted by the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval.
CRITICALCivil cases
Two categories of information can be redacted without court approval: sensitive information and information requiring caution.
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: "sensitive information" and information requiring "caution."
CRITICALCivil cases
Redactions or sealing must be narrowly tailored to serve the justifying purpose and consistent with the presumption of public access to judicial documents.
To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must otherwise be consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICALCivil cases
Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF with appropriate restrictions and electronically related to the motion or relevant court order.
The proposed sealed document shall be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal).
CRITICALCivil cases
The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information.
The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information.
CRITICALCivil cases
To file a document in redacted form, parties must file a letter-motion seeking leave.
Where a party seeks leave to file a document in redacted form, the party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties' consent or confidentiality agreements alone are not valid bases to overcome the presumption of public access to judicial documents.
In general, the parties' consent or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement between litigants is not, by itself, a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICALCivil cases
The party should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
The party should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sensitive information categories that can be redacted without court approval include SSNs (last 4 digits), minor children's names (initials), DOBs (year only), account numbers (last 4 digits), and home addresses (city/state only).
Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of "sensitive information," i.e., social security numbers (use the last four digits only), names of minor children (use the initials only), dates of birth (use the year only), financial account numbers (use the last four digits only), and home addresses (use only the City and State).
CRITICALCivil cases
If filing under seal/redacted form due to opposing party/third party request, the filing party must notify them to file a letter explaining the need within three business days.
When a party seeks leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, the filing party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three business days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the document.
CRITICALCivil cases
To file a document wholly under seal, parties must file a letter-motion following Standing Order 19-MC-583 and S.D.N.Y. ECF Rules Section 6.
The party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document wholly under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redaction requests require public filing with redactions and sealed filing of unredacted version with highlights.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
B. Sealing/Redaction Requiring Court Approval. Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order (21-mc-13), and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6, available at https://nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf-related-instructions. The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
B. Sealing/Redaction Requiring Court Approval. Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order (21-mc-13), and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6, available at https://nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf-related-instructions. The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Supporting papers may be filed under seal or redacted only as necessary to protect confidential information.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Sealed letters must follow ECF sealing procedures.
Letters to be filed under seal shall follow the procedure for Electronic Filing Under Seal in Civil and Miscellaneous Cases in accordance with Section 3 of this document.
CRITICAL
For redactions in publicly filed documents, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with highlights.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICAL
Parties unable to file electronically under seal must move for leave to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
FRCP 5.2 information must be redacted without prior court approval.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
CRITICAL
Motions for sealed/redacted filings must be filed via ECF per standing order 19-mc-00583.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court's ECF system in conformity with the court's standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICAL
Sealed documents must be filed contemporaneously in ECF with public docket text that excludes confidential information.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
To request redaction approval, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version with highlights under seal.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Redacted pages must be filed under seal and a marked copy delivered to the Court at sentencing.
If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICAL
Sealed letters must follow the Electronic Filing Under Seal procedure in Section 3.
Letters to be filed under seal shall follow the procedure for Electronic Filing Under Seal in Civil and Miscellaneous Cases in accordance with Section 3 of this document.
CRITICAL
Sealed documents must be contemporaneously filed under seal in ECF and electronically related to the motion.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICAL
To seek leave to file a sealed document, file a public ECF letter motion and separately and contemporaneously file and relate the proposed sealed document on ECF; keep confidential information out of the motion and public docket text.
The party shall electronically file a letter motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be separately and contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order if this Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal). Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and, thus, the summary docket text should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
All redactions or sealing of public court filings not permitted by the preceding paragraph require Court approval.
Except for redactions permitted by the previous Paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval.
CRITICAL
A request for leave to file a redacted document requires a public ECF letter motion and simultaneous filing of a publicly redacted copy and a sealed, highlighted unredacted copy, each electronically related to the motion.
Where a party seeks leave to file a document in redacted form, the party shall electronically file a of 9 ===== PAGE 4 ===== Updated 04/21/2020 letter motion seeking leave to file a document in redacted form on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICAL
Only pages containing redacted material are filed under seal, and counsel must bring marked copies of those pages to the sentencing proceeding for the Court to file under seal.
If any material is redacted from a publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Counsel shall bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly-filed materials, to give to this Court for filing under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Certain sensitive information must be redacted from public filings without court approval.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. Such sensitive information includes the following: Social Security numbers; names of minor children; dates of birth; and financial account numbers.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motions for sealed/redacted filings must be filed electronically through ECF.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed documents, must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
Submit sealed/redacted documents, motion, and supporting papers in paper form by hand delivery or mail.
In that case, the proposed sealed/redacted document, a copy of the motion and any supporting papers must be contemporaneously submitted to the Court in paper form, by hand delivery or mail.
CRITICALCivil cases
For redactions in public filings, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
Proposed redactions must be highlighted in paper filings.
Any proposed redactions must be highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
Proposed sealed documents must be filed under seal and related to the motion.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motions for sealed filings must be filed publicly with non-confidential explanations.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALProposed or draft document; may not be in force
Must request permission to include sensitive info if relevant to case.
If this information is relevant to the case, the filing party must request permission from the Court prior to filing and explain why the information needs to be included.
CRITICALProposed or draft document; may not be in force
Parties must not include sensitive personal information in filings.
Unless relevant to the case, parties must not include in submissions to the Court (1) social security numbers; (2) names of minor children; (3) dates of birth; (4) financial account numbers; or (5) home addresses.
CRITICALProposed or draft document; may not be in force
Pro se parties must submit redacted versions of documents with sensitive info.
Pro se parties wishing to file a document already containing this information must submit a redacted version to the Pro Se Office.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redactions beyond 11 categories require court approval with application.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in Rule 7(C)(i) above, an application must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served. The party seeking approval to redact information must publicly file the document with the proposed redactions. The application must clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redacted documents must be publicly filed with proposed redactions
When a party seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party must publicly file the document with the proposed redactions.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sealed/sensitive letters must be emailed as PDF with copy to all counsel
Letters to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information may be emailed to the Court at WoodsNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov as a .pdf attachment with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel.
CRITICALCriminal cases
If any material is redacted from a publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Counsel must bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
If any material is redacted from a publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Counsel must bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
if the party seeking relief believes that Rule 65(b)(1)'s requirements can be met and a temporary restraining order should issue without notice to the adverse party, the party should file its papers on ECF under seal (or, if ECF is not a viable option, by email to Chambers at OetkenNYSDchambers@nysd.uscourts.gov) and then call Chambers at (212) 805-0266
if the party seeking relief believes that Rule 65(b)(1)'s requirements can be met and a temporary restraining order should issue without notice to the adverse party, the party should file its papers on ECF under seal (or, if ECF is not a viable option, by email to Chambers at OetkenNYSDchambers@nysd.uscourts.gov) and then call Chambers at (212) 805-0266
CRITICALCivil cases
All redactions/sealing require court approval except for sensitive/caution categories
Except for redactions permitted by the previous paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval.
CRITICALCivil cases
The party should meet and confer with any opposing
The party should meet and confer with any opposing
CRITICALCivil cases
Opposing parties must file letter explaining need to seal/redact within 3 business days when requested by another party.
When a party seeks leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, the filing party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three business days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the document.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redacted documents require letter-motion, public filing of redacted version, and sealed filing of unredacted version with redactions highlighted.
Where a party seeks leave to file a document in redacted form, the party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document in redacted form on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter-motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
The party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal). Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and, thus, should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
The party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal). Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and, thus, should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Two categories of information may be redacted without court approval
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: "sensitive information" and information requiring "caution."
CRITICALCivil cases
With respect to the Confidential portion of any Discovery Material other than deposition transcripts and exhibits, the producing person or that person’s counsel may designate such portion as “Confidential” by: (a) stamping or otherwise clearly marking as “Confidential” the protected portion in a manner that will not interfere with legibility or audibility; and (b) producing for future public use another copy of said Discovery Material with the confidential information redacted.
With respect to the Confidential portion of any Discovery Material other than deposition transcripts and exhibits, the producing person or that person’s counsel may designate such portion as “Confidential” by: (a) stamping or otherwise clearly marking as “Confidential” the protected portion in a manner that will not interfere with legibility or audibility; and (b) producing for future public use another copy of said Discovery Material with the confidential information redacted.
CRITICALCivil cases
Leave required before filing redacted or sealed documents.
No person may file with the Court redacted documents or documents under seal without first seeking leave to file such papers.
CRITICALCivil cases
Deposition transcripts can be designated confidential during deposition or within 30 days after, with entire transcript treated as confidential during the 30-day period.
With respect to deposition transcripts, a producing person or that person’s counsel may designate such portion as Confidential either by (a) indicating on the record during the deposition that a question calls for Confidential information, in which case the reporter will bind the transcript of the designated testimony (consisting of question and answer) in a separate volume and mark it as “Confidential Information Governed by Protective Order”; or (b) notifying the reporter and all counsel of record, in writing, within 30 days after a deposition has concluded, of the specific pages and lines of the transcript and/or the specific exhibits that are to be designated Confidential, in which case all counsel receiving the transcript will be responsible for marking the copies of the designated transcript or exhibit (as the case may be), in their possession or under their control as directed by the producing person or that person’s counsel by the reporter. During the 30-day period following the conclusion of a deposition, the entire deposition transcript will be treated as if it had been designated Confidential.
CRITICALCivil cases
PII must be maintained securely and confidentially.
Any Personally Identifying Information ("PII") (e.g., social security numbers, financial account numbers, passwords, and information that may be used for identity theft) exchanged in discovery shall be maintained by the persons who receive such information and are bound by this Protective Order in a manner that is secure and confidential.
CRITICALCivil cases
Confidential materials must be returned or destroyed within 30 days after case ends.
This Protective Order shall survive the termination of the litigation. Within 30 days after the final disposition of this action, all Discovery Material designated as "Confidential," and all copies thereof, shall be promptly returned to the producing person, or, upon permission of the producing person, destroyed.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed filings require public redacted copies via ECF.
Any Party filing a motion or any other papers with the Court under seal shall also publicly file a redacted copy of the same, via the Court’s Electronic Case Filing system, that redacts only the Confidential Discovery Material itself, and not text that in no material way reveals the Confidential Discovery Material.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Only pages containing redacted material are filed under seal, and a marked copy of those pages must be brought to sentencing for filing under seal.
If any material is redacted from a publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redactions beyond the eleven Privacy Policy categories require an application served and filed with the sentencing submission that identifies and explains the redaction, for consideration at sentencing.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
CRITICAL
Sensitive personal information must be redacted unless relevant to the case.
Unless relevant to the case, parties must not include in submissions to the Court (1) social security numbers; (2) names of minor children; (3) dates of birth; (4) financial account numbers; or (5) home addresses. Pro se parties wishing to file a document already containing this information must submit a redacted version to the Pro Se Office.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redactions beyond those permitted by Rule 5.2 require individual court approval and must be narrowly tailored; party consent or a confidentiality agreement alone is insufficient.
C. Redactions and Sealed Filings Requiring Court Approval. All redactions other than those under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 require Court approval. The Court will review each proposed redaction individually. To be approved, redactions must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies them and otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents. See, e.g., Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110, 119–20 (2d Cir. 2006). In general, the parties’ consent or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement (or protective order) between litigants is not, by itself, a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICALCivil cases
A party seeking sealing or redaction should meet and confer; when confidentiality is requested by another party or a third party, that requester must be notified to file an explanatory letter within three business days. The required letter motion and proposed sealed or redacted documents must be filed and linked on ECF as specified.
Any party seeking to file a document under seal or in redacted form shall proceed as follows: i. Meet and Confer. The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request. When a party seeks leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, the filing party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three business days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the document. ii. Sealed Document(s). The party shall electronically file a letter motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be separately and contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal). Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and, thus, the summary docket text should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. iii. Redacted Document(s). Where a party seeks leave to file a document in redacted form, the party shall file a letter motion seeking leave to file a document in redacted form on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
When seeking leave to file a redacted document, the party must simultaneously file the proposed-redaction version publicly and an unredacted version under seal on ECF, electronically relating each to the letter motion.
At the same time, the party shall (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCriminal cases
The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF.
The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF.
CRITICALCriminal cases
The parties are referred to the E-Government Act of 2002 and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”). The parties should not include, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
The parties are referred to the E-Government Act of 2002 and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”). The parties should not include, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
CRITICALCriminal cases
Parties' consent or confidentiality agreements alone don't justify sealing.
In general, the parties’ consent or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement (or protective order) between litigants is not, by itself, a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redactions must be narrowly tailored and consistent with public access presumption.
To be approved, redactions must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies them and otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Court reviews each proposed redaction individually.
The Court will review each proposed redaction individually.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit. The party should simultaneously file a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner.
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit. The party should simultaneously file a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner.
CRITICALCriminal cases
For entire sealed documents, email unredacted copy to chambers with letter-motion explaining sealing justification; no ECF filing initially.
Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should email an unredacted copy of the submission to VargasNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov and should include as an attachment to the e-mail a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document under seal. The letter-motion must explain why sealing is justified in light of the standards discussed in Section 10(C) above. If the party believes that the letter-motion itself should be sealed or redacted, the letter-motion should so state and should provide the justification therefor. The Court will include instructions for filing sealed or redacted versions of the document and accompanying letter-motion, if necessary, in any order disposing of the motion to seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
All redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval except for permitted categories.
Except for redactions permitted by the previous Paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval.
CRITICALCriminal cases
If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions.
If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions.
CRITICAL
When filing documents under seal, parties are expected to provide the Court electronic copies of the underlying documents via email. If hard copies are necessary, they will be requested.
When filing documents under seal, parties are expected to provide the Court electronic copies of the underlying documents via email. If hard copies are necessary, they will be requested.
CRITICAL
Sealed documents must be filed in ECF system; redacted public version and unredacted sealed version both required.
After obtaining the Court’s leave, the document must be filed under seal in the ECF system. Where a party has received approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, that party shall publicly file the document with the redactions, and electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system.
CRITICAL
Parties are expected to provide the Court with notice at least three business days before the relevant filing deadline if they wish to file documents under seal.
Parties are expected to provide the Court with notice at least three business days before the relevant filing deadline if they wish to file documents under seal.
CRITICAL
Protective order proposals must conform to Court's Model Protective Order
(a) All parties that wish to propose a protective order must, after receiving the Court’s permission in accordance with Rule 2(b), supra, submit a proposed protective order that conforms as closely as possible with the Court’s Model Protective Order, which is available on the Judge’s website.
CRITICAL
Modifications to Model Protective Order require redline emailed to Chambers
If the parties alter the Court’s Model Protective Order in any way other than conforming the caption and signatures, they must provide a redline indicating all such modifications by email to Chambers.
CRITICALCivil cases
All redactions or sealing of public court filings require court approval, except for those permitted by Rule 9.A.
Except for redactions permitted by Rule 9.A, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval. To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must otherwise be consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents. See, e.g., Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110, 119-20 (2d Cir. 2006). In general, the parties’ consent, or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement between litigants, is not sufficient to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents. See, e.g., In re Gen. Motors LLC Ignition Switch Litig., No. 14-MD-2543 (JMF), 2015 WL 4750774, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 11, 2015).
CRITICALCivil cases
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed documents require letter-motion, public filing of motion, sealed filing on ECF, and email to chambers.
The party shall electronically file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be separately and contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order, if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal). The proposed sealed document shall also be emailed to ReardenNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov. Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and, thus, should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Letter-motions for alternative filing methods must be emailed to chambers with specific subject line requirements and page limits.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal on ECF, or who believes that a particular document should not be electronically filed at all, shall file a letter-motion by email, seeking leave of the Court to file in a different manner. Such letter- motions may be emailed to ReardenNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov as text-searchable PDF attachments, with copies simultaneously delivered to all counsel. In the subject line, the cover email should state clearly: (1) the caption of the case, including the lead party names and docket number; and (2) a brief description of the contents of the letter. Parties shall not include substantive communications in the body of the email. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, letter-motions seeking leave to file in a different manner shall not exceed five double-spaced pages.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redacted documents require letter-motion, public filing with redactions, sealed filing of unredacted copy, and email to chambers.
Where a party wishes to file a document in redacted form, the party shall electronically file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document in redacted form on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall: (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter-motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted. The unredacted copy shall also be emailed to ReardenNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov.
CRITICALCriminal cases
All redactions/sealing except Rule 10.A require court approval.
Except for redactions permitted by Rule 10.A, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Parties may redact sensitive and caution information without court approval.
Without prior permission from the Court, parties may redact two categories of information from public court filings: “sensitive information,” and information requiring “caution.”
CRITICALCriminal cases
ECF Filing of the Redacted Document(s). The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF.
ECF Filing of the Redacted Document(s). The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Emailing of Documents to Chambers. At the same time, the party should email to ReardenNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov: (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion described in Rule 10.C.ii, should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions or under seal.
Emailing of Documents to Chambers. At the same time, the party should email to ReardenNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov: (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion described in Rule 10.C.ii, should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions or under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sealing Exhibits. Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file on ECF the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions), accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit.
Sealing Exhibits. Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file on ECF the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions), accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sentencing letters must follow Rule 10 redaction/sealing requirements.
The filing of any letters in connection with sentencing must be consistent with Rule 10 regarding redacted and sealed filings, to the extent that Rule applies.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sealing Entire Documents. Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should email an unredacted copy of the submission to ReardenNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov and include as an attachment to the email a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document under seal.
Sealing Entire Documents. Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should email an unredacted copy of the submission to ReardenNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov and include as an attachment to the email a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Filing or Emailing a Letter-Motion Seeking Leave to File with Redactions. If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions.
Filing or Emailing a Letter-Motion Seeking Leave to File with Redactions. If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions.
CRITICALCivil cases
When sealing is at another party's request, that party must be notified to file a letter within three days explaining the need to seal or redact.
When a party seeks leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, the filing party must notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the document.
CRITICALCivil cases
all redactions require Court approval. To be approved, redactions must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies them and otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
all redactions require Court approval. To be approved, redactions must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies them and otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICALCivil cases
The parties are referred to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 and the SDNY ECF Privacy Policy ("Privacy Policy") and reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of "sensitive information" in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use the City and State only]). Parties may redact the five categories of "sensitive information" and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
The parties are referred to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 and the SDNY ECF Privacy Policy ("Privacy Policy") and reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of "sensitive information" in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use the City and State only]). Parties may redact the five categories of "sensitive information" and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redacted filing motions must be filed on ECF in public view; the filing party must publicly file the redacted document and file under seal the unredacted version with redactions highlighted.
Motions or letter motions for approval to file a document in redacted form must be filed on ECF in conformity with the Court's Standing Order, 19-MC-00583, and Section 6 of the ECF Rules & Instructions (https://nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf-related-instructions). The motion itself must be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the filing party must: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions; and (b) file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be filed on ECF and related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed filing motions must be filed on ECF in public view with reasons, supporting papers filed separately, and the proposed sealed document contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF.
Motions or letter motions for approval of sealed filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed on ECF in conformity with the Court’s Standing Order, 19-MC-00583, and Section 6 of the ECF Rules & Instructions (https://nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf- related-instructions). The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed on ECF and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal. The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Letters under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information must be filed on ECF per the Court's Standing Order and ECF Rules.
Letters to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information must be filed on ECF in conformity with the Court's Standing Order, 19-MC-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, Section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
Any party seeking to file a document under seal or in redacted form must proceed as follows:
Any party seeking to file a document under seal or in redacted form must proceed as follows:
CRITICALCivil cases
(b) Sealed Document(s). Motions or letter motions for approval of sealed filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed on ECF in conformity with the Court’s Standing Order, 19-MC-00583, and Section 6 of the ECF Rules & Instructions (https://nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf- related-instructions). The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed on ECF and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal. The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed
(b) Sealed Document(s). Motions or letter motions for approval of sealed filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed on ECF in conformity with the Court’s Standing Order, 19-MC-00583, and Section 6 of the ECF Rules & Instructions (https://nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf- related-instructions). The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed on ECF and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal. The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed
CRITICALCivil cases
(a) Meet and Confer. The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request. When a party seeks leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, the filing party must notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the document.
(a) Meet and Confer. The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request. When a party seeks leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, the filing party must notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the document.
CRITICALCivil cases
(c) Redacted Document(s). Motions or letter motions for approval to file a document in redacted form must be filed on ECF in conformity with the Court's Standing Order, 19-MC-00583, and Section 6 of the ECF Rules & Instructions (https://nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf-related-instructions). The motion itself must be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the filing party must: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions; and (b) file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be filed on ECF and related to the motion.
(c) Redacted Document(s). Motions or letter motions for approval to file a document in redacted form must be filed on ECF in conformity with the Court's Standing Order, 19-MC-00583, and Section 6 of the ECF Rules & Instructions (https://nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf-related-instructions). The motion itself must be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the filing party must: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions; and (b) file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be filed on ECF and related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Paper filing of sealed documents requires motion for leave of court if unable to comply with ECF requirements.
(d) Submission by Paper. Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal on ECF, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be filed on ECF, must move for leave of the Court to file on paper.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed or confidential letters must follow specific filing procedures.
Letters to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information must be filed on ECF in conformity with the Court's Standing Order, 19-MC-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, Section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
(a) Meet and Confer. The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
(a) Meet and Confer. The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redacted documents require public filing with proposed redactions and sealed unredacted copy
(c) Redacted Document(s). Motions or letter motions for approval to file a document in redacted form must be filed on ECF in conformity with the Court's Standing Order, 19-MC-00583, and Section 6 of the ECF Rules & Instructions (https://nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf-related-instructions). The motion itself must be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the filing party must: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions; and (b) file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be filed on ECF and related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Paper filing requires motion for leave of court
(d) Submission by Paper. Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal on ECF, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be filed on ECF, must move for leave of the Court to file on paper.
CRITICALCivil cases
Procedures for filing sealed or redacted documents
Any party seeking to file a document under seal or in redacted form must proceed as follows:
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed documents must be filed on ECF following specific procedures
(b) Sealed Document(s). Motions or letter motions for approval of sealed filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed on ECF in conformity with the Court's Standing Order, 19-MC-00583, and Section 6 of the ECF Rules & Instructions (https://nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf-related-instructions).
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redactions beyond 12 categories require application filed with sentencing submission.
If a party redacts information beyond the 12 categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redacted pages must be filed under seal; unredacted copy emailed to Chambers.
If any material is redacted from a publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. The party shall email a copy of the unredacted material to Chambers for filing under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
For this reason, the parties are referred to the E-Government Act of 2002 and the SDNY’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers, and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
For this reason, the parties are referred to the E-Government Act of 2002 and the SDNY’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers, and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
CRITICAL
TRO filing procedures: under seal with URGENT: TRO subject for ex parte; ECF + service + email for notice
if the party seeking relief (1) believes that Rule 65(b)(1)'s requirements can be met and a temporary restraining order should issue without notice to the adverse party, the party should file its papers on ECF under seal (or, if ECF is not a viable option, by email to Chambers at Furman_NYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov) and then email Chambers with the words "URGENT: TRO" in the subject; or (2) is prepared to seek relief on notice to the adverse party, the party seeking relief should simultaneously file its papers on ECF, serve them on all other parties, and then email Chambers, copying all other parties, with the words "URGENT: TRO" in the subject.
CRITICAL
The party should meet and confer with any opposing
The party should meet and confer with any opposing
CRITICAL
All redactions or sealing of public court filings require court approval except for specified categories.
Except for redactions permitted by the previous Paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval.
CRITICAL
File letter-motion seeking leave to redact on ECF, with redacted copy publicly filed and unredacted copy filed under seal
Where a party seeks leave to file a document in redacted form, the party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document in redacted form on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter-motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICAL
File letter-motion seeking leave to seal on ECF, with sealed document filed under seal and related to motion
The party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal). Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and, thus, should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
in advance to narrow the scope of the request. When a party seeks leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, the filing party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three business days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the document.
in advance to narrow the scope of the request. When a party seeks leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, the filing party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three business days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the document.
CRITICALCriminal cases
D. Procedure for Filing Sealed Documents.
D. Procedure for Filing Sealed Documents.
CRITICALCriminal cases
C. Procedures for Filing Documents with Redactions. Any party seeking to file a document with partial redactions should follow the following three steps:
C. Procedures for Filing Documents with Redactions. Any party seeking to file a document with partial redactions should follow the following three steps:
CRITICALCriminal cases
Two categories of information may be redacted without court approval: sensitive information (SSNs, minor children names, DOBs, account numbers, home addresses) and information requiring caution (personal identifying numbers, medical records, employment history, financial information, proprietary information, cooperation information).
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.” Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]). Parties may also, without prior Court approval, redact from their public filings the six categories of information requiring caution described in the Privacy Policy (i.e., any personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government).
CRITICALCriminal cases
Three-step process for filing documents with redactions: ECF filing, letter-motion seeking leave, and emailing clean/unredacted copies to chambers.
Any party seeking to file a document with partial redactions should follow the following three steps: i. ECF Filing of the Redacted Document(s). The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF. ii. Filing a Letter-Motion Seeking Leave to File with Redactions. If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions. The letter-motion must explain the purpose of the redactions, and why the redactions are consistent with the standards set forth in Section 8(c) above. iii. Emailing of Documents to Chambers. At the same time, the party should email to ClarkeNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov: (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion described in Section 8(d)(ii), should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions or under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
For entire sealed submissions, email unredacted copy to chambers with letter-motion seeking leave to file under seal.
Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should e-mail an unredacted copy of the submission to ClarkeNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov and should include as an attachment to the e-mail a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document under seal. The letter-motion must explain why
CRITICALCriminal cases
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit. The party should simultaneously file a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner.
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit. The party should simultaneously file a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Parties may redact sensitive information without court approval as per Privacy Policy.
Without Court approval, parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy.
CRITICALCivil cases
If the Court grants leave to submit by email, the party should email to ClarkeNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov: (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion described in Rules 5(e)(iii)-(iv), should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions or under seal.
If the Court grants leave to submit by email, the party should email to ClarkeNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov: (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion described in Rules 5(e)(iii)-(iv), should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions or under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Any party seeking to file a document with partial redactions must follow the following three steps:
Any party seeking to file a document with partial redactions must follow the following three steps:
CRITICALCivil cases
Opposition to sealing/redaction requests must be filed on ECF within 3 business days.
Any opposition shall be filed on ECF within three business days of the filing party’s letter-motion seeking leave to file under seal or with redactions.
CRITICALCivil cases
Procedure for filing sealed documents requires three steps
Any party seeking to file a document under seal must follow the following three steps:
CRITICAL
Certain sensitive information must be redacted from filings without court approval.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. Such sensitive information includes: Social Security numbers; names of minor children; dates of birth; and financial account numbers.
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Motions for sealed filings must be public and explain reasons without including confidential information.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Motion required to file sealed documents on paper instead of ECF.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
Opposing party must file letter explaining need to seal/redact within 3 days.
When a party seeks leave to file sealed or redacted materials on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, that party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the materials.
CRITICAL
Redaction requires filing redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with highlights.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
The defense and Government submissions should be filed on ECF after redacting any personal identifying information and any other information that may properly be redacted. The parties should provide the Court courtesy copies of all sentencing submissions.
The defense and Government submissions should be filed on ECF after redacting any personal identifying information and any other information that may properly be redacted. The parties should provide the Court courtesy copies of all sentencing submissions.
CRITICAL
Motions for sealed filings must be filed electronically following specific procedures.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court's ECF system in conformity with the court's standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
Confidential information filed with court must be filed under seal
All information subject to confidential treatment in accordance with the terms of this Stipulation and Order that is filed with the Court, and any pleadings, motions or other papers filed with the Court disclosing any Confidential Information, shall be filed under seal to the extent permitted by law
CRITICALCivil cases
Documents/information labeled 'CONFIDENTIAL – PRODUCED PURSUANT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER' are confidential by court order.
I have been informed by counsel that certain documents or information to be disclosed to me in connection with the matter entitled ___________________________ have been designated as confidential. I have been informed that any such documents or information labeled “CONFIDENTIAL – PRODUCED PURSUANT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER” are confidential by Order of the Court.
CRITICAL
Confidential information must be returned or destroyed within 30 days after final judgment, except counsel may retain working files.
At the conclusion of litigation, the Confidential Information and any copies thereof shall be promptly (and in no event later than thirty (30) days after entry of final judgment no longer subject to further appeal) returned to the producing party or certified as destroyed, except that the parties’ counsel shall be permitted to retain their working files on the condition that those files will remain confidential.
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Documents containing confidential information must be filed under seal, with producing party responsible for satisfying preconditions.
Any pleadings, motions or other papers filed with the Court disclosing any Confidential Information, shall be filed under seal to the extent permitted by law (including without limitation any applicable rules of court) and kept under seal until further order of the Court. To the extent the Court requires any further act by the parties as a precondition to the filing of documents under seal (beyond the submission of this Stipulation and Order Regarding Confidential Information), it shall be the obligation of the producing party of the documents to be filed with the Court to satisfy any such precondition. Where possible, only confidential portions of filings with the Court shall be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Unredacted copy with highlighted redactions must be emailed to Chambers and Courtroom Deputy when filing redacted documents.
When a party seeks to file a document in redacted form, the party also shall e-mail to Chambers (CronanNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov) and to the Courtroom Deputy, Meghan Henrich (Meghan_Henrich@nysd.uscourt s.gov) an unredacted copy of the document highlighting the proposed redactions.
CRITICALCivil cases
Meet and confer required before filing sealed/redacted documents.
The party seeking leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form shall meet and confer with all other parties in the case (as well as any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
CRITICALCivil cases
Letter-motion required for sealed/redacted filings on ECF.
Where a party seeks leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form, the party shall file a letter- motion seeking leave to do so on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. ECF Rules and Instructions.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sealing Entire Documents. Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. The party should instead e-mail an unredacted copy of the submission to Chambers (CronanNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov) and to the Courtroom Deputy, Meghan Henrich (Meghan_Henrich@nysd.uscourts.gov) and include as an attachment to the e- mail a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner addressing the standards set forth in 9.B.ii above.
Sealing Entire Documents. Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. The party should instead e-mail an unredacted copy of the submission to Chambers (CronanNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov) and to the Courtroom Deputy, Meghan Henrich (Meghan_Henrich@nysd.uscourts.gov) and include as an attachment to the e- mail a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner addressing the standards set forth in 9.B.ii above.
CRITICALCriminal cases
E-mailing of Documents to Chambers. Simultaneously, the party should e- mail to Chambers (CronanNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov) and to the Courtroom Deputy, Meghan Henrich (Meghan_Henrich@nysd.uscourts.gov) (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion described in 9.B.ii above, should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions under seal.
E-mailing of Documents to Chambers. Simultaneously, the party should e- mail to Chambers (CronanNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov) and to the Courtroom Deputy, Meghan Henrich (Meghan_Henrich@nysd.uscourts.gov) (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion described in 9.B.ii above, should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Except for redactions referenced in 9.A above, all redactions of public court filings require Court approval. Any party seeking to file a document in redacted form shall proceed in the following three steps:
Except for redactions referenced in 9.A above, all redactions of public court filings require Court approval. Any party seeking to file a document in redacted form shall proceed in the following three steps:
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sealing Exhibits. Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures in 9.B above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit.
Sealing Exhibits. Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures in 9.B above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Two categories of information may be redacted without court approval: sensitive information and information requiring caution.
The parties are referred to the E- Government Act of 2002 and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”). There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.”
CRITICALCriminal cases
Only pages containing redacted material are filed under seal.
If any material is redacted from a publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
A Rule 26(c) protective order may bind parties to treat documents as confidential but cannot authorize filing documents under seal absent a court finding made on document-by-document review under the Court's Individual Rules, subject to the presumption of public access.
Any such order may bind the parties to treat as confidential documents so classified but may not authorize the parties to file documents under seal absent an appropriate court finding. That finding will be made, if ever, upon a document-by-document review pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Court's Individual Rules and Practices and subject to the presumption in favor of public access to "judicial documents."
CRITICALCivil cases
Any agreement for designating materials as confidential must conform to the Court's Individual Rules regarding the filing of materials under seal.
Any agreement between the parties for designating materials as confidential must conform to the Court’s Individual Rules regarding the filing of materials under seal.
CRITICAL
Sealed documents must be filed under seal on ECF and related to motion
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Publicly file redacted document and under seal file unredacted version with highlights
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed on ECF and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Two categories of information can be redacted without court approval: sensitive and caution categories.
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.”
CRITICAL
Certain sensitive information must be redacted without court approval.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
CRITICAL
All redactions not in permitted categories require court approval.
Except for redactions permitted by the previous paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval.
CRITICAL
Any party seeking to file a document with partial redactions should file on ECF a letter motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions. The letter motion must be filed in public view, must explain the purpose of the redactions and why the redactions are consistent with the standards discussed in Rule 9(B) above, and should not include the confidential information sought to be redacted.
Any party seeking to file a document with partial redactions should file on ECF a letter motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions. The letter motion must be filed in public view, must explain the purpose of the redactions and why the redactions are consistent with the standards discussed in Rule 9(B) above, and should not include the confidential information sought to be redacted.
CRITICAL
Sealed entire documents require public letter motion with explanation
Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should file on ECF a letter motion seeking leave to file the document under seal. The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit.
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit.
CRITICAL
Request leave to file sealed documents on paper if unable to use ECF
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
Motions to seal must be filed publicly and explain reasons without confidential info.
The motion to seal must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Parties unable to file electronically must move for leave to file traditionally.
Any Party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
For redactions, file public redacted version and sealed unredacted version with highlights.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICAL
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases may be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases may be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICAL
The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Sealed documents must be contemporaneously filed under seal and related to motion.
When using the electronic method, the proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Unredacted documents must be filed under seal on paper if sealing application is granted
If the application is granted, the unredacted document must be filed under seal in the traditional manner, on paper, in conformity with the sealed records filing procedures available at https://nysd.uscourts.gov/programs/records/sealed.
CRITICAL
Redacted documents must be contemporaneously filed publicly in ECF.
Where the motion to seal seeks permission to redact information from a document, the filing party shall contemporaneously file the redacted document in public view in the ECF system.
CRITICAL
Sealed filings must comply with ECF Rules and Instructions.
Any Party wishing to file any document under seal must generally comply with the sealed filing instructions in the ECF Rules and Instructions. The Court will not file any documents not submitted in compliance with these rules.
CRITICAL
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system.
CRITICAL
Motions to seal must be filed publicly and explain reasons without confidential info.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Sealed filings must comply with ECF Rules and Instructions; Court will not file non-compliant documents.
Any Party wishing to file any document under seal must generally comply with the sealed filing instructions in the ECF Rules and Instructions. The Court will not file any documents not submitted in compliance with these rules. Parties may choose to use either the electronic filing method or traditional filing method, both of which are described below.
CRITICAL
Parties unable to file electronically under seal must move for leave to file traditionally on paper.
Any Party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
Motions for sealed/redacted filings must be filed electronically via ECF.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system.
CRITICAL
Unredacted documents must be filed under seal on paper if application is granted.
If the application is granted, the unredacted document must be filed under seal in the traditional manner, on paper, in conformity with the sealed records filing procedures available at https://nysd.uscourts.gov/programs/records/sealed.
CRITICAL
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Sealed documents must be filed under seal in ECF and related to motion; docket text must be public and non-confidential.
When using the electronic method, the proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
For redactions in public filings, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with highlights.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases may be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases may be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICAL
The motion to seal must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
The motion to seal must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Redacted documents must be filed publicly in ECF when seeking permission to redact.
Where the motion to seal seeks permission to redact information from a document, the filing party shall contemporaneously file the redacted document in public view in the ECF system.
CRITICAL
Social Security numbers, minor children's names, dates of birth, and financial account numbers must be redacted from public filings without prior court permission.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. Such sensitive information includes: Social Security numbers; names of minor children; dates of birth; and financial account numbers.
CRITICAL
If sensitive information must be included, personal identifiers must be partially redacted under the cited rules and policies.
If such information must be included, personal identifiers must be partially redacted in accordance with the above-cited rules and policies in order to protect any privacy interest.
CRITICAL
Supporting papers must be separately e-filed and may be sealed or redacted only as necessary to protect the information sought to be sealed.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
A request to redact a publicly filed document requires filing a redacted public copy and a sealed, unredacted copy with the proposed redactions highlighted.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the redactions highlighted.
CRITICAL
A proposed sealed document must be filed under seal in ECF at the same time as the motion and electronically related to it.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICAL
When material is redacted from a publicly filed document, only pages containing the redactions are filed under seal.
If any material is redacted from a publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Bring a complete copy of the affected pages, marked to identify the redactions, to the sentencing proceeding for the Court to file under seal.
Bring a complete copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICAL
A party seeking to redact information outside the eleven Privacy Policy categories must serve and file an application when serving the sentencing submission.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served.
CRITICAL
Sensitive information must be omitted from court filings unless its inclusion is necessary and relevant to the case.
Sensitive information and information requiring caution must not be included in any document filed with the Court unless such inclusion is necessary and relevant to the case.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sealed or confidential letters may be emailed as PDF attachments.
Letters to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information may be emailed as a text-searchable .pdf attachment to the Court (LimanNYSDChambers @nysd.uscourts.gov) with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel.
CRITICAL
All redactions except those under FRCP 5.2 require court approval.
All redactions other than those under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 require Court approval. The Court will review each proposed redaction individually.
CRITICAL
File sealed document with redacted text highlighted, relate to letter-motion, keep docket summary public.
File the document under seal with the text sought to be redacted highlighted and visible (or otherwise prominently marked so that it is clear what is sought to be redacted). Electronically relate the sealed document to the letter-motion. The summary docket text will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be redacted or filed under seal. The sealed document itself will not be viewable by the public.
CRITICAL
Letter-motion must explain reasons for redactions/sealing without including confidential info.
File a letter-motion in public view, explaining the particular reasons for seeking to file the document with redactions or under seal. A separate explanation must be provided for each and every portion of the document sought to be redacted (or for why the document in full should be maintained under seal). The letter-motion should not include confidential information sought to be redacted or filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Letter-motions for sealed filings must be filed electronically through ECF.
Letter-motions for approval of redacted or sealed filings and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through ECF in conformity with the Court's standing order, 19-mc-00583, and S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions, Section 6.
CRITICAL
Parties must move for leave to file by other means if unable to comply with ECF sealing requirements.
Any party unable to comply with the requirements for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file by other means.
CRITICAL
Filing party must meet and confer with producing party; if producing party doesn't object, filing party must inform court within 1 week.
The filing party must meet and confer with the party who produced the confidential information (the “Producing Party”). If the Producing Party does not seek to keep that information redacted or under seal, the filing party must so inform the Court by letter to be filed within one week of the letter-motion.
CRITICAL
Filing party must re-file document with redactions consistent with producing party's proposal if approved.
If the Court approves the Producing Party’s redactions, the filing party will be ordered to re-file the document with redactions consistent with those proposed by the Producing Party.
CRITICAL
Letter-motion must indicate confidential information from another party and may request 1-week delay.
If a party seeks to file a document with redactions or under seal because the document contains information marked confidential by another party, the letter-motion filed in Step 1 must so indicate and may request that the Court not rule on the letter-motion for one week.
CRITICAL
Failure to file letter within 1 week constitutes grounds for unsealing.
Failure by the Producing Party to file a letter within one week will constitute grounds for unsealing.
CRITICAL
File redacted version on public docket, use placeholder if filing completely under seal.
File the document on the public docket with the confidential information redacted. If seeking to file the document completely under seal because there is a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access for the entire document, file a placeholder. Electronically relate the document to the letter-motion.
CRITICAL
Producing party must file letter-motion in public and under seal within 1 week, with redacted and highlighted versions.
If the Producing Party seeks continued redaction or sealing of any materials, the Producing Party shall within one week: i. File a letter-motion in public view, explaining the particular reasons for seeking to keep the document with redactions or under seal, and attach as an exhibit the document with the confidential information redacted. ii. File the same letter under seal and attach as an exhibit the document with the requested redactions highlighted and visible (or otherwise prominently marked so that it is clear what is sought to be redacted).
CRITICALCriminal cases
Only pages containing redacted material from a publicly filed document will be filed under seal.
If any material is redacted from the publically filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Bring to the sentencing proceeding a copy of the pages containing redactions, marked to identify the redacted information, for the Court to file under seal.
Bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publically filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
A party seeking to redact information beyond the eleven Privacy Policy categories must serve and file an application when the sentencing submission is served.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served.
CRITICAL
Sensitive information (SSN, minor names, DOB, account numbers) must be redacted without court approval.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. Such sensitive information includes: Social Security numbers; names of minor children; dates of birth; and financial account numbers.
CRITICAL
Proposed sealed documents must be contemporaneously filed under seal and electronically related to motion.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Motions to seal must be public, explain reasons, and not include the confidential information itself.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Sealed documents must be filed under seal in ECF and linked to the motion.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Redaction requests require public filing with proposed redactions and sealed filing of unredacted version with highlights.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
For redaction motions, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with highlights via ECF.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Certain sensitive information must be redacted without prior court approval per FRCP 5.2.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. Such sensitive information includes: Social Security numbers; names of minor children; dates of birth; and financial account numbers.
CRITICAL
Sealed/redacted filing motions must be filed electronically via ECF per standing order 19-mc-00583.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court's ECF system in conformity with the court's standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICAL
Sealed/redacted documents must be submitted by hand delivery or email to chambers
The proposed sealed/redacted document, a copy of the motion to seal, and any supporting papers must be contemporaneously submitted to the Court by hand delivery or emailed to chambers (outside the ECF system) at PreskaNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov
CRITICAL
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Redacted documents must be filed in public view on ECF system
Where the motion to seal seeks permission to redact information from a document, the filing party shall contemporaneously file the redacted document in public view in the ECF system.
CRITICAL
Application required for redactions beyond 11 Privacy Policy categories.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so shall be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction.
CRITICAL
Redacted pages must be filed under seal; send redacted copy to chambers and hand up at sentencing.
If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. A copy of the redacted material should be sent to chambers and also an additional copy should be handed up at the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials.
CRITICAL
Motion to seal must be filed publicly with reasons, without confidential info
The motion to seal must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal, and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
3. Sealing/Redaction Requiring Court Approval .....................................................4
3. Sealing/Redaction Requiring Court Approval .....................................................4
CRITICAL
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the Court’s ECF system in conformity with the Southern District’s standing order, 21-mc-13, available here, and § 6 of the SDNY ECF Rules & Instructions, available here.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the Court’s ECF system in conformity with the Southern District’s standing order, 21-mc-13, available here, and § 6 of the SDNY ECF Rules & Instructions, available here.
CRITICAL
Proposed sealed document must be filed under seal and related to motion
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Information or documents designated as “confidential” shall not be disclosed to any person, except: a. □ The requesting party and counsel, including in-house counsel;
Information or documents designated as “confidential” shall not be disclosed to any person, except: a. □ The requesting party and counsel, including in-house counsel;
CRITICAL
The Confidential Information may be displayed to and discussed with the persons identified in Paragraphs 4(c) and (d) only on the condition that prior to any such display or discussion, each such person shall be asked to sign an agreement to be bound by this Order in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A. In the event such person refuses to sign an agreement in the form attached as Exhibit A, the party desiring to disclose the Confidential Information may seek appropriate relief from the Court.
The Confidential Information may be displayed to and discussed with the persons identified in Paragraphs 4(c) and (d) only on the condition that prior to any such display or discussion, each such person shall be asked to sign an agreement to be bound by this Order in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A. In the event such person refuses to sign an agreement in the form attached as Exhibit A, the party desiring to disclose the Confidential Information may seek appropriate relief from the Court.
CRITICAL
Counsel may designate documents and information as confidential in good faith.
Counsel for any party may designate any document, information contained in a document, information revealed in an interrogatory response or information revealed during a deposition as confidential if counsel determines, in good faith, that such designation is necessary to protect the interests of the client.
CRITICAL
At the conclusion of litigation, the Confidential Information and any copies thereof shall be promptly (and in no event later than thirty (30) days after entry of final judgment no longer subject to further appeal) returned to the producing party or certified as destroyed, except that the parties’ counsel shall be permitted to retain their working files on the condition that those files will remain confidential.
At the conclusion of litigation, the Confidential Information and any copies thereof shall be promptly (and in no event later than thirty (30) days after entry of final judgment no longer subject to further appeal) returned to the producing party or certified as destroyed, except that the parties’ counsel shall be permitted to retain their working files on the condition that those files will remain confidential.
CRITICAL
this Stipulation and Order that is filed with the Court, and any pleadings, motions or other papers filed with the Court disclosing any Confidential Information, shall be filed under seal to the extent permitted by law (including without limitation any applicable rules of court) and kept under seal until further order of the Court. To the extent the Court requires any further act by the parties as a precondition to the filing of documents under seal (beyond the submission of this Stipulation and Order Regarding Confidential Information), it shall be the obligation of the producing party of the documents to be filed with the Court to satisfy any such precondition. Where possible, only confidential portions of filings with the Court shall be filed under seal.
this Stipulation and Order that is filed with the Court, and any pleadings, motions or other papers filed with the Court disclosing any Confidential Information, shall be filed under seal to the extent permitted by law (including without limitation any applicable rules of court) and kept under seal until further order of the Court. To the extent the Court requires any further act by the parties as a precondition to the filing of documents under seal (beyond the submission of this Stipulation and Order Regarding Confidential Information), it shall be the obligation of the producing party of the documents to be filed with the Court to satisfy any such precondition. Where possible, only confidential portions of filings with the Court shall be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
It is hereby ordered by the Court that the following restrictions and procedures shall apply to certain information, documents and excerpts from documents supplied by the parties to each other in response to discovery requests:
It is hereby ordered by the Court that the following restrictions and procedures shall apply to certain information, documents and excerpts from documents supplied by the parties to each other in response to discovery requests:
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redacted filings under seal require letter to Chambers with highlighted proposed redactions; hard copy if over 25 pages.
Except as provided in Section I.6 below regarding sentencing letters, any party wishing to file in redacted form any document under seal, or any portion thereof, shall email a letter to Chambers explaining the reasons for seeking to file under seal. The party shall attach to its letter one full set of the relevant page(s) or document(s) in highlighted form (i.e., with the proposed redactions highlighted). If the submission exceeds 25 pages, it shall be delivered in hard copy by hand as provided in Section C.6 above.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redactions beyond specified categories require court approval and email to chambers
(b) Redactions Requiring Court Approval. If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application filed at the time the sentencing submission is served. The application shall clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding. The party shall email an unredacted copy of the filing to Schofield_NYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redacted pages from sentencing documents must be filed under seal
6. Redactions Related to Sentencing. If any material is redacted from a publicly filed document relating to sentencing, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Counsel shall bring to the sentencing proceeding a copy of the pages containing redactions, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICAL
Supporting papers for sealing must be filed electronically and may be sealed/redacted only as necessary.
the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Sealed documents must be filed under seal in ECF and related to the motion; docket text must not contain confidential information.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
For redaction approval, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with highlights.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Redactions and Filing Under Seal. .................................................................................. 3
Redactions and Filing Under Seal. .................................................................................. 3
CRITICAL
Redaction requests require letter-motion with specific content and dual filing (public redacted + sealed unredacted with highlights).
Where a party seeks leave to file a document with redactions, the party shall file a letter-motion on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion shall (1) request the redactions; (2) indicate whether the party’s adversary consents to the redactions and, if the adversary does not consent, describe the basis for objection; (3) describe the efforts to meet and confer; and (4) explain why redactions are appropriate in light of the presumption of public access to the federal courts. The letter-motion shall be filed in public view and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter-motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICAL
Redactions not covered in Rule I(D)(1) require court permission
Other than redactions referenced in Rule I(D)(1), supra, any party wishing to file a submission in redacted form or under seal must request permission to do so. Unless delayed docketing is requested, the requesting party shall proceed as outlined in Rules I(D)(3) and I(D)(4), infra.
CRITICAL
Meet and confer with adversary before requesting court permission to redact or seal
Prior to requesting the Court’s permission to redact or seal, the requesting party shall meet and confer with their adversary in a good- faith effort to narrow the need for redactions or sealing and to secure consent, if possible.
CRITICAL
Criminal cases: Entire sealed submissions require email to Chambers with letter-motion explaining sealing purpose.
Any party seeking to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) shall not file anything on ECF in the first instance and shall email the submission and a letter-motion to Chambers. The letter-motion must explain the purpose of the sealing and why sealing is appropriate in light of the presumption of public access. If the party believes that the letter-motion itself should be sealed or redacted, the letter-motion should so state and should provide the justification therefor.
CRITICAL
Criminal cases: Sealed exhibits require single-page placeholder on ECF, letter-motion, and email to Chambers.
Any party seeking leave to file a fully sealed exhibit attached to an unsealed or redacted document shall file the main document (in accordance with Rule I(D)(4)(i), supra, if the party is seeking redactions to the main document) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit. The party shall simultaneously file a letter-motion on ECF requesting leave to file in that manner and email the submission and letter-motion to Chambers in accordance with Rule I(D)(4)(iv)–(v), infra.
CRITICAL
Criminal cases: Redacted documents require simultaneous ECF filing, letter-motion, and email to Chambers.
The party shall file the redacted version of the document on ECF and shall simultaneously file a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions and email Chambers, in accordance with Rule I(D)(4)(iv)–(v), infra.
CRITICAL
If the parties have redacted or filed under seal any portion of the motion papers or attendant exhibits, courtesy copies are to be unredacted, but the portions redacted from public filings should be highlighted so that the Court will know to refrain from quoting those passages in opinions and orders.
If the parties have redacted or filed under seal any portion of the motion papers or attendant exhibits, courtesy copies are to be unredacted, but the portions redacted from public filings should be highlighted so that the Court will know to refrain from quoting those passages in opinions and orders.
CRITICAL
Sealed document requests require letter-motion with specific content and contemporaneous sealed filing.
Where a party seeks leave to file a document in sealed form, the party shall file a letter-motion on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion shall (1) request the sealing; (2) indicate whether the party’s adversary consents to the sealing and, if the adversary does not consent, describe the basis for objection; (3) describe the efforts to meet and confer; and (4) explain why sealing is appropriate in light of the presumption of public access to the federal courts. The letter-motion shall be filed in public view and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order, if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal). Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and, thus, should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed documents must be filed under seal in ECF and related to the motion; docket text remains public.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed/redacted filings in civil cases must be filed electronically through ECF with motion for approval.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the Court’s ECF system
CRITICALCivil cases
Motions to seal must be filed publicly with explanation, supporting papers filed separately under seal or redacted.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal (including why the redactions are consistent with the standards discussed in Paragraph 9(B) above), and should not include the confidential information sought to be filed under seal or redacted. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be redacted.
CRITICALCivil cases
For redactions in public filings, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with highlights.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed on ECF and related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties unable to file under seal electronically must seek leave to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirements for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
Motions for sealed/redacted filings must follow specific court procedures and standing order.
Sealing/Redactions Requiring Court Approval. Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the Court’s ECF system in conformity with the Court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Parties may not, unless necessary, include the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers, and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
Parties may not, unless necessary, include the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers, and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties may not, unless necessary, include the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers, and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
Parties may not, unless necessary, include the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers, and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties must comply with ECF Privacy Policy for document submissions.
Regarding document submissions, the parties must comply with the E-Government Act of 2002 and the Southern District’s ECF Rules & Instructions, Section 21, Privacy and Public Access to ECF Cases (“ECF Privacy Policy”).
CRITICALCivil cases
Applications required for redactions beyond ECF Privacy Policy categories.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the ECF Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redacted pages containing sensitive information must be filed under seal.
Parties may redact the above five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number; medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government) as described in the ECF Privacy Policy, without application to the Court. If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Letters under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information must be delivered to the Court via email or mail, but not both.
Letters under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information shall be delivered to the Court via email or mail. Do not email and mail the same letter.
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties must comply with the E-Government Act of 2002 and the SDNY ECF Privacy Policy regarding privacy redactions in document submissions.
Regarding document submissions, the parties must comply with the E-Government Act of 2002 and the Southern District's ECF Rules & Instructions, Section 21, Privacy and Public Access to ECF Cases ("ECF Privacy Policy"). See also Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110 (2d Cir. 2006).
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties may not include the five categories of sensitive information (social security numbers, minors' names, dates of birth, financial account numbers, home addresses) in submissions unless necessary, and must redact them in the specified manner.
Parties may not, unless necessary, include the five categories of "sensitive information" in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers, and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
CRITICALCivil cases
Redactions beyond the eleven ECF Privacy Policy categories require an application sent to Chambers by email (copying opposing counsel) before filing, clearly identifying and explaining the redaction.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the ECF Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be sent to Chambers by email, copying opposing counsel, prior to filing the redacted document on ECF. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redactions within the eleven ECF Privacy Policy categories (e.g., an individual's cooperation with the government) may be made without an application to the Court, and only the pages containing redacted material are filed under seal.
regarding an individual's cooperation with the government) as described in the ECF Privacy Policy, without application to the Court. If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed/redacted filings must be filed electronically through ECF system following court's standing order and ECF rules.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the Court’s Standing Order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motion for sealing must be filed publicly with reasons; supporting papers may be filed under seal/redacted as needed.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
For redactions in publicly filed documents: file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with highlights, both electronically related to motion.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Documents cannot be filed under seal without court order; must include affidavit and legal memorandum addressing sealing standards and Lugosch v. Pyramid Co.
Notwithstanding any other provision, no document may be filed with the Clerk under seal without a further Order of this Court addressing the specific documents or portions of documents to be sealed. Any application to seal shall be accompanied by an affidavit or affidavits and a memorandum of law, demonstrating that the standards for sealing have been met and specifically addressing the applicability of Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110, 119-120 (2d Cir. 2006) and any other controlling authority.
CRITICALCivil cases
Proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in ECF and related to motion; summary docket text remains public.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Only pages containing redacted material from a publicly filed document will be filed under seal.
If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redactions beyond the eleven Privacy Policy categories require an application served and filed with the sentencing submission that identifies and explains the redaction; the Court will address it at sentencing.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
CRITICALCriminal cases
When material is redacted from a public filing, only pages containing redactions are filed under seal; a copy of the redacted material should be sent to Chambers and another marked copy handed up at sentencing.
If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. A copy of the redacted material should be sent to Chambers and also an additional copy should be handed up at the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials.
CRITICAL
In this regard, the parties are referred to E-Government Act of 2002 and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not, unless necessary, to include the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers, and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
In this regard, the parties are referred to E-Government Act of 2002 and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not, unless necessary, to include the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers, and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
CRITICAL
Pages with redacted material must be filed under seal and brought to sentencing.
If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICAL
Sealed/redacted filings require electronic filing through ECF system per standing order 19-mc-00583
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICAL
Redactions beyond 11 Privacy Policy categories require court application.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
CRITICAL
Sealed/redacted filings require paper submission to Court and email to chambers
The proposed sealed/redacted document, a copy of the motion to seal and any supporting papers must be contemporaneously submitted to the Court in paper form, by hand delivery or mail. Digital copies of these documents must also be emailed to chambers (outside the ECF system) at David_C_Gonzalez@nysd.uscourts.gov.
CRITICAL
Proposed sealed documents must be contemporaneously filed under seal in ECF and related to motion
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
If an electronically filed submission contains redactions, an unredacted version must be emailed to Chambers.
If an electronically filed submission contains any redacted information, an unredacted version shall be e-mailed to Chambers.
CRITICALCriminal cases
A party seeking to redact information beyond the eleven Privacy Policy categories must serve and file an application when serving its sentencing submission.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Bring a copy of the redacted pages, marked to identify the redacted information, to the sentencing proceeding for the Court to file under seal.
Bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
When a publicly filed document contains redactions, only the pages containing redacted material are filed under seal.
If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
All redactions/sealing except specified categories require court approval.
Except for redactions permitted by the previous Paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Six categories of information requiring caution can be redacted without court approval.
Parties may also, without prior Court approval, redact from their public filings the six categories of information requiring caution described in the Privacy Policy (i.e., any personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government).
CRITICALCriminal cases
At the same time, the party should email to Chambers: (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion seeking leave to file should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions or under seal.
At the same time, the party should email to Chambers: (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion seeking leave to file should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions or under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions.
If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should email an unredacted copy of the submission to Chambers and should include as an attachment to the email a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document under seal.
Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should email an unredacted copy of the submission to Chambers and should include as an attachment to the email a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sealed or confidential letters may be emailed as PDF attachments with copies to all counsel, with specific subject line requirements.
Any letter to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information may be emailed as a text-searchable PDF attachment to the Court with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel (unless the submission is being made ex parte). Any such email shall state clearly in the subject line: (1) the caption of the case, including the lead party names and docket number; and (2) a brief description of the contents of the letter. Parties shall not include substantive communications in the body of the email; such communications shall be included only in the letter itself.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sensitive information (SSN, minor names, DOB, account numbers, addresses) can be partially redacted without court approval.
Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
CRITICALCriminal cases
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit.
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Two categories of information can be redacted without court approval: sensitive information and information requiring caution.
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.”
CRITICALCriminal cases
The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF.
The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Only pages containing redacted material from a publicly filed document are filed under seal.
If any material is redacted from a publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
At sentencing, the party must bring the redacted pages marked to identify the redactions for the Court to file under seal.
The party shall bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed material, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redactions beyond the twelve Privacy Policy categories require an application served and filed when the sentencing submission is served.
If a party redacts information beyond the twelve categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served.
CRITICALCivil cases
The parties are referred to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2, the E-Government Act of 2002, and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]). Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records (including information regarding treatment and diagnosis), employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
The parties are referred to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2, the E-Government Act of 2002, and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]). Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records (including information regarding treatment and diagnosis), employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
CRITICALCivil cases
All sealing or redactions not covered by B.1 require court approval and must be narrowly tailored to justify secrecy.
Except for those permitted by Paragraph 4.B.1, all sealing and redactions require Court approval. To be approved, redactions must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies them and otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICALCivil cases
redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal. The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal. The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
For motions to redact public documents: file redacted version publicly, file unredacted version under seal on ECF, both related to the motion.
ii. Redacted Document(s). Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed letters or those with sensitive/confidential info must be e-filed via ECF per standing order 19-MC-00583 and ECF Rules section 6.
Letters to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-MC-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
(If a request contains sensitive or confidential information, it may be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-MC-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.)
(If a request contains sensitive or confidential information, it may be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-MC-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.)
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed motion must be filed publicly with explanation.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed or confidential letters must follow specific ECF procedures.
Letters to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-MC-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
Court approval required for sealing/redactions not covered by Paragraph 4.B.1.
Except for those permitted by Paragraph 4.B.1, all sealing and redactions require Court approval. To be approved, redactions must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies them and otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICALCivil cases
File redacted document publicly and unredacted copy under seal.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
File sealed/redacted motions electronically through ECF.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-MC-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed filing motions must be filed electronically via ECF.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
Certain sensitive information must be redacted without court approval.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. Such sensitive information includes: Social Security numbers; names of minor children; dates of birth; and financial account numbers.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed filing motions must be filed publicly with reasons.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
In cases where the Part I judge has issued a sealing order, the plaintiff should provide Chambers with a copy of the sealing order and copies of any documents it submitted in support of the sealing request. Requests for continued sealing must be supported by particularized allegations justifying such relief, such as allegations suggesting that the named defendant is likely to abscond from the District with attachable assets absent a sealing order.
In cases where the Part I judge has issued a sealing order, the plaintiff should provide Chambers with a copy of the sealing order and copies of any documents it submitted in support of the sealing request. Requests for continued sealing must be supported by particularized allegations justifying such relief, such as allegations suggesting that the named defendant is likely to abscond from the District with attachable assets absent a sealing order.
CRITICALCivil cases
Certain sensitive information (SSN, minor children names, DOBs, financial account numbers) must be redacted without court approval per FRCP 5.2.
Sealing/Redactions Not Requiring Court Approval. Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. Such sensitive information includes: Social Security numbers; names of minor children; dates of birth; and financial account numbers.
CRITICALCivil cases
Proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in ECF and electronically related to motion; summary docket text public but must exclude confidential information.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motions for approval of sealed/redacted filings must be filed electronically through ECF system per standing order 19-mc-00583 and ECF Rules sections 6 and 21.
Sealing/Redaction Requiring Court Approval. Motions or letter-motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court's ECF system in conformity with the court's standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, sections 6 and 21.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motion required for leave to file sealed documents on paper instead of ECF
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper. In that case, paper copies shall be served contemporaneously upon all other parties.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redacted documents must be publicly filed with proposed redactions and unredacted version filed under seal with highlights
publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motions to compel production of inadvertently disclosed information must be filed under seal and may not rely on the fact of inadvertent production as a ground.
The receiving party may move the Court for an Order compelling production of the Inadvertently Disclosed Information. The motion shall be filed under seal, and shall not assert as a ground for entering such an Order the fact or circumstances of the inadvertent production.
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties must publicly file a redacted copy of Confidential Court Submissions via ECF and file the unredacted copy under seal with the Clerk.
In filing Confidential Discovery Material with this Court, or filing portions of any pleadings, motions, or other papers that disclose such Confidential Discovery Material (“Confidential Court Submission”), the Parties shall publicly file a redacted copy of the Confidential Court Submission via the Electronic Case Filing System. The Parties shall file an unredacted copy of the Confidential Court Submission under seal with the Clerk of this Court, and the Parties shall serve this Court and opposing counsel with unredacted courtesy copies of the Confidential Court Submission.
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties filing documents under seal must simultaneously file a letter brief and supporting declaration justifying continued sealing on a particularized basis.
In accordance with Rule 5 of this Court’s Individual Practices, any party filing documents under seal must simultaneously file with the Court a letter brief and supporting declaration justifying – on a particularized basis – the continued sealing of such documents.
CRITICAL
Certain sensitive information must be redacted without court approval under FRCP 5.2.
A. Filing Under Seal in Civil and Miscellaneous Cases 1. Sealing/Redactions Not Requiring Court Approval. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
CRITICAL
Redaction/sealing applications must be filed with sentencing memorandum; redacted version on ECF, unredacted to Chambers.
If a party seeks to redact or seal information (beyond the (eleven) categories of information identified in the Southern District of New York’s ECF Privacy Policy), an application to do so must be served and filed with the Court at the time the sentencing memorandum is served. The application should clearly identify the proposed redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction or sealing and state whether opposing counsel agrees to the redaction or sealing. The redacted version must be filed on ECF. The unredacted version shall be submitted to Chambers for the Court’s determination as to whether sealing of such document is appropriate.
CRITICAL
No documents may be filed under seal without prior court authorization.
1. No pleadings, motions, or other documents may be filed under seal without prior authorization from the Court. When specifically authorized, counsel may email to bermannysdchambers@nysd.uscourts.gov an unredacted submission with a request to file under seal. If authorized to file under seal, counsel shall thereafter file a redacted version on the public docket.
CRITICAL
Sealed filings require court approval and must follow specific procedures.
2. Sealing/Redaction Requiring Court Approval. Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICAL
Service of sealed documents must be done outside ECF with proof of service filed in ECF
Service must now be accomplished outside of ECF by other appropriate means as provided by the applicable Federal Rules of Procedure. Service of filed documents outside the ECF system must always be followed by the filing of proof of service in the ECF system.
CRITICAL
Sealed orders must be served in paper form by first-class mail or other secure means.
Sealed orders of the court will be served in paper form by first-class mail or other secure means approved by the issuing judge.
CRITICAL
Sealed court orders must be served by first-class mail or other secure means approved by judge
Sealed court orders will be served by first-class mail or other secure means approved by the issuing judge.
CRITICAL
Sealed documents cannot be served via CM/ECF; must use other appropriate means.
Service of Sealed Documents Filed in CM/ECF – Because sealed documents filed in CM/ECF are no longer electronically accessible or viewable by non-court users, service of those documents can no longer be accomplished through CM/ECF. Parties must serve sealed documents by other appropriate means consistent with the applicable Federal Rules of Procedure.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sealed/sensitive letters may be emailed as PDF with copies to all counsel.
Letters to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information may be emailed as a .pdf attachment to Abrams_NYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel.
CRITICALCivil cases
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
CRITICALCivil cases
File letter-motion seeking leave to file document under seal on ECF following Standing Order 19-MC-583
The party shall electronically file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions.
CRITICALCivil cases
Two categories of information may be redacted without court approval: sensitive information and information requiring caution
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.”
CRITICALCivil cases
All redactions or sealing of public court filings require court approval except for permitted categories
Except for redactions permitted by the previous Paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval.
CRITICALCivil cases
For redacted public filings, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed documents must be filed under seal and related to the motion; docket text remains public.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motions for sealed filings must be public and explain reasons; supporting papers filed separately.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motions for sealed/redacted filings must be filed electronically with specific requirements.
B. Sealing/Redaction Requiring Court Approval. Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the Court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
Non-electronic sealed documents must be emailed to Chambers; non-sensitive documents must also be filed on ECF
The moving party must also: a. Follow the instructions for Electronic Filing (Rule 5(B)), except that any documents that would otherwise be filed under seal on ECF must be emailed to Chambers (CaproniNYSDChambers@ nysd.uscourts.gov). The party may transmit documents as attachments or via a link to a drop box from which the Court may download the documents. Any documents that do not contain sensitive information must be electronically filed on ECF, in addition to being emailed to Chambers. Unless a party seeks to file a redacted or sealed document ex parte, opposing counsel must be copied on to all communications with the Court.
CRITICALCivil cases
Non-Rule 5.2(a) redactions/sealing require letter motion explaining why sealing is appropriate under Lugosch presumption of access.
Any party wishing to file any document, or any portion thereof, in redacted form or under seal for reasons other than Rule 5.2(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure must file a letter motion requesting permission from the Court to do so. The letter must explain why sealing is appropriate in light of the presumption of access discussed by the Second Circuit in Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110, 119–20 (2d Cir. 2006).
CRITICALCivil cases
File letter motion requesting sealing/redaction in public view on ECF.
File, in public view on ECF, the letter motion requesting sealing or redaction.
CRITICALCivil cases
Rule 5.2(a) redactions don't need court approval but require filing unredacted version under seal or emailing to chambers.
Redactions made pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2(a) do not require Court approval, but the parties must either file the unredacted document(s) under seal on ECF or email the unredacted document(s) to Chambers, at CaproniNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov.
CRITICALCivil cases
Non-electronic sealing requires explanation of why ECF sealing cannot be used
Any party seeking to seal or redact a document without filing the relevant documents on ECF must explain in the party’s letter motion requesting sealing or redactions why the party is unable or unwilling to use electronic sealing on ECF.
CRITICALCivil cases
File supporting papers as separate ECF entry, may be under seal/redacted only as necessary.
File, as a separate entry on ECF, any papers in support of the letter motion. Supporting papers may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Approved non-electronic sealed filings must be submitted to Sealed Records Department with order, unredacted copies, and PDF CD
If the request to file under seal or in redacted form using non-electronic filing is approved, the party that made the request must: a. File with the Sealed Records Department: 1 (1) a copy of the Court’s order granting the redaction/sealing request; (2) an unredacted copy of the document(s) that were the subject of the redaction/sealing request; and (3) a CD containing electronic copies, in PDF format, of the unredacted document(s) that were the subject of the redaction/sealing request.
CRITICALCivil cases
File, under seal on ECF, the documents that are the subject of the sealing or redaction request. If a party is filing a motion for redactions, the proposed redactions must be highlighted in the unredacted document(s) filed under seal. The sealed documents must also be marked in the ECF system as related to the letter motion. Note: the summary docket text associated with the sealed document will be visible to the public and should not include any information sought to be filed under seal.
File, under seal on ECF, the documents that are the subject of the sealing or redaction request. If a party is filing a motion for redactions, the proposed redactions must be highlighted in the unredacted document(s) filed under seal. The sealed documents must also be marked in the ECF system as related to the letter motion. Note: the summary docket text associated with the sealed document will be visible to the public and should not include any information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Documents in sealed cases or previously ordered sealed documents must be filed under seal on ECF with courtesy copy to chambers if over 20 pages.
If a case is entirely under seal or if the Court previously ordered that certain documents be filed under seal or with specific redactions, a party need not again request permission to file under seal. The party must file any such document electronically on ECF, under seal, and provide, via mail or hand-delivery, a courtesy copy to Chambers if the document exceeds 20 pages.
CRITICALCivil cases
File redacted versions of documents in public view on ECF.
File, in public view on ECF, the redacted versions of any documents that are the subject of a motion to redact.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redacted version must be filed on ECF unless entire document is sealed.
File the redacted version of the document on ECF, unless the party seeks to file the entire document under seal;
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redacted information must be highlighted in unredacted copy.
Information to be redacted must be highlighted.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Permission required to file redacted or sealed submissions.
Any party wishing to file a submission in redacted form or under seal must request permission to do so.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Sealed or confidential letters may be emailed as PDF with all counsel copied.
Letters to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information may be emailed to the Court at BroderickNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov as a .pdf attachment. All counsel must be copied on the email.
CRITICAL
Sealed/redacted filings must follow standing order 19-mc-00583 and ECF Rules. Letter motions ≤5 pages may be faxed to Chambers; >5 pages must be mailed or hand delivered.
Motions or letter motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases, and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed either by hard copy or electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with standing order 19-mc-00583 and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6. Hard copy letter motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings may be faxed to Chambers if no more than five pages in total and must be mailed or hand delivered to the Court if greater than five pages.
CRITICAL
Requesting party must identify all parties who should have access to sealed/unredacted versions of proposed filings.
The party requesting approval of a sealed or redacted filing must identify all parties and/or other case participants that the party believes should be granted access to the sealed or unredacted versions of the proposed filings.
CRITICAL
Sensitive personal information (SSN, minor names, DOB, financial account numbers) must be redacted without court approval per Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2.
Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. Such sensitive information includes: Social Security numbers; names of minor children; dates of birth; and financial account numbers.
CRITICAL
Sealing motions must be public, explain reasons, omit confidential info; supporting papers may be sealed/redacted as needed.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the reasons for seeking to file that information under seal, and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request. Redaction or sealing must be tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents. In general, the parties’ consent or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement between litigants is not, by itself, a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request. Redaction or sealing must be tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents. In general, the parties’ consent or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement between litigants is not, by itself, a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICAL
Redaction requests require public filing of redacted document and sealed unredacted copy with highlighted redactions, both on ECF related to motion.
When the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (i) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions; and (ii) electronically file, under seal, a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and be related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Proposed sealed documents must be filed contemporaneously under seal on ECF, related to the motion; docket text is public.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed, under seal, in the ECF system, as electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
In this regard, the parties are referred to E-Government Act of 2002 and the SDNY Electronic Case Filing Rules & Instructions, Section 21, Privacy and Public Access to ECF cases, (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not, unless necessary, to include the 5 categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers; names of minor children [use the initials only]; dates of birth [use the year only]; financial account numbers; and home addresses [use only the city and state]). Parties may redact the 5 categories of “sensitive information” and the 6 categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying numbers; medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government) as described in the Privacy Policy, without application to the Court. If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal. If a party redacts information beyond the 11 categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
In this regard, the parties are referred to E-Government Act of 2002 and the SDNY Electronic Case Filing Rules & Instructions, Section 21, Privacy and Public Access to ECF cases, (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not, unless necessary, to include the 5 categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers; names of minor children [use the initials only]; dates of birth [use the year only]; financial account numbers; and home addresses [use only the city and state]). Parties may redact the 5 categories of “sensitive information” and the 6 categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying numbers; medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government) as described in the Privacy Policy, without application to the Court. If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal. If a party redacts information beyond the 11 categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
CRITICAL
Sealed/redacted filings require electronic filing through ECF with motion.
Motions or letter motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the ECF system in conformity with the Court’s standing order, 19-mc-583, and Section 6 of the ECF Rules & Instructions.
CRITICAL
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Proposed sealed documents must be filed under seal and related to the motion.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Sensitive information must be redacted from public filings per FRCP 5.2 without prior court permission.
Rule 5.2 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
CRITICAL
For redactions, file public version with redactions and sealed unredacted version.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party must: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICAL
Motions for sealed/redacted filings must be submitted through ECF per standing order 19-mc-583.
Motions or letter motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the ECF system in conformity with the Court's standing order, 19-mc-583, and Section 6 of the ECF Rules & Instructions.
CRITICAL
Motions to seal must be filed publicly with reasons, excluding confidential info.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal, and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed/redacted filings require letter-motion filed electronically on ECF
The letter-motion requesting approval of sealed or redacted filings and the document(s) as to which sealing is requested must be filed electronically on ECF in compliance with standing order No. 19-mc-00583 and § 6 of the SDNY ECF Rules & Instructions.
CRITICALCivil cases
Documents to be sealed must be filed under seal and related to letter-motion
The document(s) as to which sealing is requested must be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF and electronically related to the letter-motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redacted documents must be publicly filed with unredacted version under seal
If the letter-motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is otherwise to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document in the proposed redacted form, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document, with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealing/redaction must be narrowly tailored and consistent with public access presumption
To be approved, any sealing or redaction of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve the purpose that requires the sealing or redaction and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents described in Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110, 119-20 (2d Cir. 2006).
CRITICALCivil cases
For redacted documents: file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with highlights.
If the letter-motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is otherwise to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document in the proposed redacted form, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document, with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealing requires court permission sought via letter-motion filed electronically on ECF.
Filing under seal requires permission of the Court, which may be sought via letter-motion. The letter-motion requesting approval of sealed or redacted filings and the document(s) as to which sealing is requested must be filed electronically on ECF in compliance with standing order No. 19-mc-00583 and § 6 of the SDNY ECF Rules & Instructions.
CRITICALCivil cases
Letter-motion for sealing must be filed publicly with explanation
The letter-motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal, and should not include any of the confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Documents sought to be sealed must be filed contemporaneously under seal on ECF and related to the letter-motion.
The document(s) as to which sealing is requested must be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF and electronically related to the letter-motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and therefore should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Opposing parties must respond to sealing/redaction requests via ECF
If a sealing or redaction request is based on another party's designation of documents or information as "confidential," or if any party opposes the sealing or redaction request, that other party shall respond to the requesting party's letter-motion via ECF on the schedule set forth above in § 2(e).
CRITICALCivil cases
Protective order survives termination; confidential materials must be returned or destroyed within 30 days.
This Protective Order shall survive the termination of the litigation. Within 30 days of the final disposition of this action, all Confidential Discovery Material and all copies thereof, shall be promptly returned to the producing person, or, upon permission of the producing person, destroyed.
CRITICALCivil cases
Disclosing party must produce privilege log within 5 business days of return/destruction.
Within five (5) business days of the notification that such Inadvertently Disclosed Information has been returned or destroyed, the disclosing person shall produce a privilege log with respect to the Inadvertently Disclosed Information.
CRITICALCivil cases
Receiving parties must return/destroy inadvertently disclosed privileged info within 5 business days.
If a disclosing person makes a claim of inadvertent disclosure, all receiving persons shall, within five (5) business days, return or destroy all copies of the Inadvertently Disclosed Information, and provide a certification of counsel that all such information has been returned or destroyed.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motions to compel production of inadvertently disclosed privileged information must be filed under seal.
If a receiving person files a motion to compel production of the Inadvertently Disclosed Information, that motion shall be filed under seal, and shall not assert as a ground for entering such an order the mere fact of the inadvertent production.
CRITICALCivil cases
Confidential information should be separated via redaction when possible.
Where the confidential portion is reasonably separable from the non-confidential portion, via redaction or otherwise, only the confidential portion shall be so designated.
CRITICALCivil cases
No presumption that confidential discovery materials will be filed under seal; parties must follow individual judge practices for pretrial sealing requests.
Notwithstanding the designation of material as "Confidential" in discovery, there is no presumption that such Confidential Discovery Material will be filed with the Court under seal. The parties shall follow the individual practices of the Magistrate or District Judge to whom they direct pretrial requests for filing under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed filings require both sealed and redacted versions; sensitive info must be redacted.
The parties are reminded that the filing of any papers or portions of papers under seal is only permitted pursuant to an order of the Court or these Individual Practices. (This does not apply to the sensitive information described in Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2 which must be redacted and for which no Court order is required). To the extent papers proposed for filing contain material that one or both sides believe should be filed under seal, the party shall (1) file the materials under seal and (2) publicly file the materials in redacted form (that is, in a form that redacts information that is proposed to be sealed).
CRITICALCivil cases
At the time of the filing of the redacted and unredacted versions of the materials, the filing party shall either (1) state that the redactions are a result of a Confidentiality Order designation made by another party and that such other party has an obligation to file a motion to seal within 7 days or (2) file a motion to seal (either as a formal motion or as a letter motion) that justifies the proposed sealing by citing case law and providing any factual explanation required to justify the sealing.
At the time of the filing of the redacted and unredacted versions of the materials, the filing party shall either (1) state that the redactions are a result of a Confidentiality Order designation made by another party and that such other party has an obligation to file a motion to seal within 7 days or (2) file a motion to seal (either as a formal motion or as a letter motion) that justifies the proposed sealing by citing case law and providing any factual explanation required to justify the sealing.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed filings require both sealed and redacted versions, with redactions clearly indicated.
The parties are reminded that the filing of any papers or portions of papers under seal is only permitted pursuant to an order of the Court or these Individual Practices. (This does not apply to the sensitive information described in Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2 which must be redacted and for which no Court order is required). To the extent papers proposed for filing contain material that one or both sides believe should be filed under seal, the party shall (1) file the materials under seal and (2) publicly file the materials in redacted form (that is, in a form that redacts information that is proposed to be sealed). The set of papers filed under seal shall highlight any proposed redactions or otherwise clearly indicate where they occur.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motion to seal must be filed within 7 days, either by the filing party or the designating party.
At the time of the filing of the redacted and unredacted versions of the materials, the filing party shall either (1) state that the redactions are a result of a Confidentiality Order designation made by another party and that such other party has an obligation to file a motion to seal within 7 days or (2) file a motion to seal (either as a formal motion or as a letter motion) that justifies the proposed sealing by citing case law and providing any factual explanation required to justify the sealing. In cases where the request to seal arises because of an opposing party’s designations, the opposing party has the obligation to make the written application to the Court justifying the proposed sealing and shall make the application within 7 days of the filing.
CRITICALCivil cases
Procedures required for filing documents under seal or with redactions
Unless otherwise ordered, any party wishing to file a document or portion thereof under seal or with redactions must comply with the following procedures on or before the date on which the relevant filing is due.
CRITICALCivil cases
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures described above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit. The party should simultaneously file a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner according to the procedure described in Paragraphs G(3)(a–c) supra.
Any party seeking leave to file an unsealed or redacted document with a fully sealed exhibit attached thereto should file the main document (in accordance with the procedures described above, if the party seeks to do so with redactions) on ECF, accompanied by a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any exhibit that the party seeks leave to file under seal, regardless of the actual length of such exhibit. The party should simultaneously file a letter-motion seeking leave to file in that manner according to the procedure described in Paragraphs G(3)(a–c) supra.
CRITICALCivil cases
Any party seeking to file a document with partial redactions should comply with the following three steps: a. ECF Filing of the Redacted Document(s). The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF. b. Filing or Emailing of a Letter Motion Seeking Leave to File with Redactions. If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions. The letter- motion must explain the purpose of the redactions, and why the redactions are consistent with the standards discussed in Paragraph G(2), supra. (The party should endeavor to draft the letter-motion in a form that can be filed publicly on ECF. If, however, the party believes that the letter-motion itself should be sealed or redacted, the party should include an unredacted copy of the letter-motion as an attachment to the email described in Paragraph G(3)(c) below, and, if possible, file a redacted version of the letter-motion on ECF). c. Emailing of Documents to Chambers. At the same time, the party should email to RicardoNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov, copying all counsel or the pro se litigant if they are unrepresented: (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion described in Paragraph G(3)(b), should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions or under seal.
Any party seeking to file a document with partial redactions should comply with the following three steps: a. ECF Filing of the Redacted Document(s). The party should file the redacted version of the document on ECF. b. Filing or Emailing of a Letter Motion Seeking Leave to File with Redactions. If the party is seeking leave of the Court to redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file on ECF a letter-motion seeking leave to file the document with those redactions. The letter- motion must explain the purpose of the redactions, and why the redactions are consistent with the standards discussed in Paragraph G(2), supra. (The party should endeavor to draft the letter-motion in a form that can be filed publicly on ECF. If, however, the party believes that the letter-motion itself should be sealed or redacted, the party should include an unredacted copy of the letter-motion as an attachment to the email described in Paragraph G(3)(c) below, and, if possible, file a redacted version of the letter-motion on ECF). c. Emailing of Documents to Chambers. At the same time, the party should email to RicardoNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov, copying all counsel or the pro se litigant if they are unrepresented: (1) a clean (i.e., unredacted) copy of the document; (2) a copy of the document highlighting the information that has been redacted in the ECF filing; and (3) an unredacted copy of the letter-motion described in Paragraph G(3)(b), should the party also be seeking leave to file that letter-motion with redactions or under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Except for redactions permitted by the previous paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval. To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
Except for redactions permitted by the previous paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval. To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed or confidential letters must be emailed to chambers as PDF with all counsel copied
Letters to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information that a party does not wish to appear on the docket should be sent by email to RicardoNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov as a .pdf attachment with all counsel copied, or the pro se litigant if they are unrepresented.
CRITICALCivil cases
Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should email an unredacted copy of the submission to RicardoNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov, copying all counsel or the pro se litigant if they are unrepresented, and should include as an attachment to the email a letter-motion with a proposed order (in Word document format) seeking leave to file the document under seal. The letter- motion must explain why sealing is justified in light of the standards discussed in Paragraph G(2) above. If the party believes that the letter-motion itself should be sealed or redacted, the letter-motion should so state and should provide the justification therefor. The Court will include instructions for filing sealed or redacted versions of the document and accompanying letter-motion, if necessary, in any order disposing of the motion to seal.
Any party seeking leave to file under seal an entire submission (with or without exhibits) should not file anything on ECF in the first instance. Instead, the party should email an unredacted copy of the submission to RicardoNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov, copying all counsel or the pro se litigant if they are unrepresented, and should include as an attachment to the email a letter-motion with a proposed order (in Word document format) seeking leave to file the document under seal. The letter- motion must explain why sealing is justified in light of the standards discussed in Paragraph G(2) above. If the party believes that the letter-motion itself should be sealed or redacted, the letter-motion should so state and should provide the justification therefor. The Court will include instructions for filing sealed or redacted versions of the document and accompanying letter-motion, if necessary, in any order disposing of the motion to seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
If the Court grants the letter motion, thereby approving the proposed sealing or redactions, the party should then file an entirely public version of the documents with the approved redactions or a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any sealed document. This means there will be two sets of filings on the docket: one clean version under seal and viewable by Court users only, and one public version with the approved redactions and sealed pages.
If the Court grants the letter motion, thereby approving the proposed sealing or redactions, the party should then file an entirely public version of the documents with the approved redactions or a single page marked “SEALED” in place of any sealed document. This means there will be two sets of filings on the docket: one clean version under seal and viewable by Court users only, and one public version with the approved redactions and sealed pages.
CRITICALCivil cases
Except for redactions permitted by the previous paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval. To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
Except for redactions permitted by the previous paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval. To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
CRITICALCivil cases
If the party is seeking leave of the Court to seal or redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file a letter motion seeking leave to do so. The letter motion must explain the purpose of the redactions, and why the redactions are consistent with the standards discussed in Paragraph G(2), supra, including citations to relevant case law.
If the party is seeking leave of the Court to seal or redact the document (i.e., if the redactions are not among the categories of redactions that can be made without Court approval), the party should simultaneously file a letter motion seeking leave to do so. The letter motion must explain the purpose of the redactions, and why the redactions are consistent with the standards discussed in Paragraph G(2), supra, including citations to relevant case law.
CRITICALCivil cases
The party should file a clean copy of the entire document under seal on ECF. This sealed filing should include all attachments to the main document (such as exhibits), even if not every attachment contains material that the party seeks to redact or seal.
The party should file a clean copy of the entire document under seal on ECF. This sealed filing should include all attachments to the main document (such as exhibits), even if not every attachment contains material that the party seeks to redact or seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
At the same time, the party should email RicardoNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov, copying all counsel or the pro se litigant if they are unrepresented: (1) a copy of each document with the proposed redactions highlighted or a clean copy if the party seeks to seal the entire document; and (2) a clean copy of the letter motion described in Paragraph G(3)(b).
At the same time, the party should email RicardoNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov, copying all counsel or the pro se litigant if they are unrepresented: (1) a copy of each document with the proposed redactions highlighted or a clean copy if the party seeks to seal the entire document; and (2) a clean copy of the letter motion described in Paragraph G(3)(b).
CRITICALCivil cases
Any party seeking to file a document under seal or in redacted form shall proceed as follows: i. Meet and Confer. The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the redaction or sealing request.
Any party seeking to file a document under seal or in redacted form shall proceed as follows: i. Meet and Confer. The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the redaction or sealing request.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed/redacted motions must comply with Rule 9.
When leave is sought to file a motion under seal or with redactions, the parties must comply with Rule 9.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed documents require a letter-motion filed in public view, with the sealed document filed separately under seal on ECF.
ii. Sealed Document(s). The party shall electronically file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be separately and contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order, if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal). Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and, thus, should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties unable to file electronically under seal may email letter-motions to chambers with specific formatting requirements.
iv. Submission by Email. Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal on ECF, or who believes that a particular document should not be electronically filed at all, shall file a letter-motion by email, seeking leave of the Court to file in a different manner. Such letter- motions may be emailed to ReardenNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov as text-searchable PDF attachments, with copies simultaneously delivered to all counsel. In the subject line, the cover email should state clearly: (1) the caption of the case, including the lead party names and docket number; and (2) a brief description of the contents of the letter. Parties shall not include substantive communications in the body of the email. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, letter-motions seeking leave to file in a different manner shall not exceed five double-spaced pages.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redacted documents require a letter-motion filed in public view, with the redacted version publicly filed and the unredacted version filed under seal on ECF.
iii. Redacted Document(s). Where a party wishes to file a document in redacted form, the party shall electronically file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document in redacted form on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall: (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter-motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redactions or sealing of public court filings require court approval unless permitted by Rule 9.A.
Except for redactions permitted by Rule 9.A, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval. To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must otherwise be consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents. See, e.g., Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110, 119-20 (2d Cir. 2006). In general, the parties’ consent, or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement between litigants, is not sufficient to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents. See, e.g., In re Gen. Motors LLC Ignition Switch Litig., No. 14-MD-2543 (JMF), 2015 WL 4750774, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 11, 2015).
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties may redact sensitive information and information requiring caution without court approval, following specific formatting rules.
Without prior permission from the Court, parties may redact two categories of information from public court filings: “sensitive information,” and information requiring “caution.” Unless necessary, parties should not include in public filings the five categories of “sensitive information” (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use the City and State only]). Without Court approval, parties may also redact from public filings the six categories of information requiring “caution” described in the Privacy Policy (i.e., any personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the Government).
CRITICAL
The letter motion to seal must be filed in public view, explain the reasons for sealing, and exclude the confidential information; supporting papers are filed separately and may be sealed or redacted only to the extent necessary.
The letter motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal, and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be filed separately and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
A party seeking to file redacted material based on a Confidential designation must request leave by letter motion explaining the reasons for sealing.
Any party wishing to file in redacted form any pleading, motion, memorandum, exhibit, or other document, or any portion thereof, based on a party's designation of information as Confidential, must make a specific request to the Court by letter motion explaining the reasons for seeking to file that submission under seal.
CRITICAL
The filing party must publicly file the redacted document and electronically file under seal the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
The filing party shall also (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICAL
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF and electronically related to the letter motion, with a public docket text that excludes confidential information.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the letter motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
If sealing is approved no further submissions are required; if denied in part, the party must refile the document with modified redactions as directed by the Court.
If the Court approves the filing under seal, no further submissions shall be required. If the Court denies, in part, the motion for filing under seal, the party who made the submission shall be required to refile the document with modified redactions as directed by the Court.
CRITICAL
Confidential Materials may be redacted or filed under seal only as the Court directs upon appropriate application or as required by FRCP 5.2.
All Confidential Materials filed with the Court may be redacted or filed under seal only as the Court directs upon appropriate application by either party or as required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2, which describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings.
CRITICAL
A pending sealing application does not toll deadlines; parties must file the redacted version on ECF, serve the unredacted papers on opposing parties, and provide courtesy copies of the unredacted version to Chambers.
The pendency of the application to seal does not affect any deadlines that may govern the proposed filing. The parties shall comply with such deadlines by filing the redacted version on ECF, serving the unredacted papers at issue on any opposing parties, and providing courtesy copies of the unredacted version to Chambers.
CRITICAL
For redaction approval motions, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with highlights.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Sealed filings require both public redacted version and sealed unredacted version with redactions highlighted.
to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Joint submission required for redaction requests based on another party's confidential designation.
If a request for redactions is based on another party’s designation of information as Confidential, the parties shall confer and jointly submit the request for redactions.
CRITICAL
Motion for seal must be public; supporting papers filed separately under seal only as necessary.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Sealed/redacted filing requests must be filed electronically via ECF per standing order 19-mc-00583.
Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICAL
Proposed sealed documents must be contemporaneously filed under seal in ECF and electronically related to motion.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Parties must move for leave to file sealed documents on paper if unable to use ECF system.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
Request to file redacted documents under seal requires letter motion with specific legal justification.
Any party wishing to file in redacted form any pleading, motion, memorandum, exhibit, or other document, or any portion thereof, based on a party’s designation of information as Confidential, must make a specific request to the Court by letter motion explaining the reasons for seeking to file that submission under seal and addressing the request in light of the Court of Appeals’ opinions in Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110 (2d Cir. 2006) and Bernstein v. Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossman LLP, 814 F.3d 132 (2d Cir. 2016).
CRITICALCivil cases
Confidential materials may only be redacted/filed under seal with court direction
All Confidential Materials filed with the Court may be redacted or filed under seal only as the Court directs upon appropriate application by either party.
CRITICALCivil cases
Redaction requests require public filing with redactions and sealed filing of unredacted version
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (1) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (2) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motion to seal must be filed publicly and explain reasons without including confidential info
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Proposed sealed document must be filed under seal and related to motion
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed/redacted filings must be filed electronically through ECF system
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19‐mc‐00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, Section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
Paper filing requires motion for leave if unable to comply with electronic filing
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICALCivil cases
All settlement conference communications are strictly confidential, off the record, inadmissible at trial, and may not be used in discovery.
All settlement conferences are "off the record." All communications relating to settlement are strictly confidential and may not be used for any purpose other than settlement. They are not to be used in discovery and will not be admissible at trial.
CRITICALCivil cases
To file under seal: file a redacted copy on ECF, file a sealed copy on ECF, and email an unredacted copy to chambers.
Any party wishing to file a document under seal or in redacted form shall (1) file on ECF a redacted copy of the document, (2) file on ECF a sealed copy of the document, and (3) submit to Chambers an unredacted copy by email.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed documents cannot be accessed on ECF; parties must separately serve opposing counsel with sealed materials outside of ECF.
Pursuant to S.D.N.Y. Standing Order M10-468, sealed documents are not accessible or viewable on ECF; accordingly, parties must separately serve opposing counsel with any sealed materials in a manner other than the ECF system.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motions to seal must address the Second Circuit's Lugosch and Bernstein standards and include proposed redactions.
Any letter motion requesting that material remain under seal must explain the reasons for seeking to file the material under seal and address the request in light of the Court of Appeals' opinions in Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110 (2d Cir. 2006) and Bernstein v. Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossman LLP, 814 F.3d 132 (2d Cir. 2016). Any sealing request shall include the requesting party's proposed redactions.
CRITICALCivil cases
If parties cannot agree to unredact all sealed material, the confidentiality-seeking party must file a letter motion within 3 business days of the meet and confer.
A motion is required whenever one or more parties seek to maintain sealed material. If the parties cannot agree to unredact all redacted material, then, within 3 business days of the parties' meet and confer, the party seeking to preserve confidentiality must make a specific request to the Court by letter motion. If more than one party seeks to preserve confidentiality, the parties shall confer and submit a joint letter.
CRITICALCivil cases
When ordered to unredact, the party must file unredacted documents on ECF within 3 business days of the court's order.
If the Court directs that any previously redacted material be unredacted, the party who submitted the previously redacted document shall, within 3 business days after the Court's unredaction order, file on ECF the documents complying with the Court's order.
CRITICAL
Redaction requests based on another party’s Confidential designation require joint submission after conferral.
If a request for redactions is based on another party’s designation of information as Confidential, the parties shall confer and jointly submit the request for redactions.
CRITICAL
Counsel must discuss in good faith need to seal confidential materials; agreed documents may be filed without redaction.
To avoid the unnecessary filing of documents under seal, counsel for the parties will discuss, in good faith, the need to file Confidential Materials under seal. If the parties agree in writing that a particular document that has been designated Confidential Material shall not be filed under seal, that document can be filed without redaction and such filing will not be a breach of any Stipulation of Confidentiality.
CRITICAL
Approved sealing motions require no further submissions; denied motions require refiling with modified redactions per court direction.
If the Court approves the filing under seal, no further submissions shall be required. If the Court denies, in part, the motion for filing under seal, the party who made the submission shall be required to refile the document with modified redactions as directed by the Court. The Court will file under seal any clean and unredacted pages for which the Court has approved redactions.
CRITICAL
Confidential materials may only be redacted or sealed per court direction via application or FRCP 5.2 requirements.
All Confidential Materials filed with the Court may be redacted or filed under seal only as the Court directs upon appropriate application by either party or as required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2, which describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings.
CRITICALCivil cases
If seal motion denied in part, refile with modified redactions as directed by Court
If the Court approves the filing under seal, no further submissions shall be required. If the Court denies, in part, the motion for filing under seal, the party who made the submission shall be required to refile the document with modified redactions as directed by the Court.
CRITICALCivil cases
Confidential materials may be redacted or filed under seal only with Court direction or as required by FRCP 5.2.
All Confidential Materials filed with the Court may be redacted or filed under seal only as the Court directs upon appropriate application by either party or as required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2,
CRITICALCivil cases
Supporting papers for seal motion may be filed under seal or redacted as needed
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties must discuss in good faith whether confidential materials need to be filed under seal.
To avoid the unnecessary filing of documents under seal, counsel for the parties will discuss, in good faith, the need to file Confidential Materials under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Pro se litigants unable to file electronically must mail/hand-deliver sealed submissions to Pro Se Intake Unit
A pro se litigant who is unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system shall mail or hand-deliver to the Pro Se Intake Unit a submission containing (a) the letter-motion requesting sealing and (b) the proposed sealed document, which shall be enclosed in a separate sealed envelope that is clearly marked “Document To Be Filed Under Seal.”
CRITICALCivil cases
Proposed sealed document must be filed under seal and related to motion in ECF
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Court will file under seal clean unredacted pages for approved redactions
The Court will file under seal any clean and unredacted pages for which the Court has approved redactions.
CRITICALCivil cases
For redactions in public filings, file redacted version publicly and unredacted under seal
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motion to seal must be filed publicly and explain reasons without confidential info
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed/redacted filings require letter-motion filed electronically through ECF system
Letter-Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICAL
Motions for sealed/redacted filings must be filed electronically through ECF
2. Sealing/Redactions Requiring Court Approval. Motions or Letter- Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s) must be filed electronically through the Court’s ECF system in conformity with the Court’s Standing Order, 19-mc-583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, Section 6, available at https://nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf-related-instructions.
CRITICAL
Filing under seal requires court permission.
Filing under seal requires permission of the Court. Unless otherwise ordered, any party wishing to file a document or
CRITICALCivil cases
Motion to seal must be filed publicly and explain reasons without including confidential information.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
Proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal and electronically related to the motion.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed/redacted filings must be filed electronically through ECF system following specific standing order and ECF rules.
Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the Court’s ECF system in conformity with the Court’s Standing Order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6.
CRITICALCivil cases
Request to file redacted/sealed documents must be made by letter explaining reasons and legal basis.
Any party wishing to file a redacted pleading, motion, memorandum, exhibit, or other document, or any portion thereof, must make a specific request to the Court by letter explaining the reasons for seeking to file that submission under seal and addressing the request in light of the governing law.
CRITICALCivil cases
Supporting papers for seal motions may be filed under seal or redacted only as necessary.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
For redaction approval, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with highlights, both electronically related to motion.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Sealing request letter must be filed within 3 business days of redacted filing.
Within three business days of the date the redacted document is filed, the party filing the redacted document must file a letter on ECF in conformity with the court’s standing order, No. 19-MC-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, Section 6. 6 seeking permission to file the document, or a portion thereof, under seal.
CRITICAL
Motion required to file sealed documents on paper instead of ECF.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
Sealed filings require redacted ECF copy, sealed unredacted copy, and permission letter.
Filing under seal and redacting information not covered by Rule 5.2 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires permission of the Court. Unless otherwise ordered, any party wishing to file a document or portion thereof under seal must do the following on or before the date on which the relevant brief, declaration or other document is due: (1) file a redacted copy of the document via ECF, from which the material claimed to require confidential treatment has been removed or concealed; (2) file the unredacted sealed document in the ECF system under seal. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion; and (3) file a letter on ECF seeking permission to file the document under seal and explaining the need to withhold the material at issue from the public record notwithstanding the strong presumption of public access to “judicial documents” under the First Amendment and the common law.
CRITICAL
Redacted and unredacted sealed versions must be filed simultaneously for confidential materials.
A party wishing to file a Letter-Motion (or opposition or reply) that contains material claimed by either party to require confidential treatment may file a redacted copy of the document on ECF, removing or concealing such information only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal. At the time of filing, the party also shall contemporaneously file the unredacted sealed document in the ECF system under seal, with the redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
Confidential designation limited to specific categories of sensitive information
The person producing any given Discovery Material may designate as Confidential only such portion of such material the public disclosure of which either is restricted by law or will cause harm to the business, commercial, financial or personal interests of the producing person and/or a third party to whom a duty of confidentiality is owed and that consists of: (a) previously nondisclosed financial information (including without limitation profitability reports or estimates, percentage fees, design fees, royalty rates, minimum guarantee payments, sales reports and sale margins); (b) previously nondisclosed information relating to ownership or control of any non-public company; (c) previously nondisclosed sensitive commercial information relating to any party’s business including, but not limited to, tax data; proposed strategic transactions or other business combinations; internal audit practices, procedures and outcomes; trade secrets; marketing plans and strategies; studies or analyses by internal or outside experts; competitive analyses; customer or prospective customer lists and information; product or service pricing or billing agreements or guidelines; and/or confidential project-related information; (d) any information of a personal or intimate nature regarding any individual; or (e) any other category of information hereinafter given confidential status by the Court.
CRITICALCivil cases
With respect to the Confidential portion of any Discovery Material other than deposition transcripts and exhibits, the producing person or that person’s counsel may designate such portion as “Confidential” by: (a) stamping or otherwise clearly marking as “Confidential” the protected portion in a manner that will not interfere with legibility or audibility; and (b) producing for future public use another copy of said Discovery Material with the confidential information redacted.
With respect to the Confidential portion of any Discovery Material other than deposition transcripts and exhibits, the producing person or that person’s counsel may designate such portion as “Confidential” by: (a) stamping or otherwise clearly marking as “Confidential” the protected portion in a manner that will not interfere with legibility or audibility; and (b) producing for future public use another copy of said Discovery Material with the confidential information redacted.
CRITICALCivil cases
Non-Disclosure Agreements required for certain recipients of confidential discovery material
Prior to any disclosure of any Confidential Discovery Material to any person referred to in subparagraphs 6(d), 6(f) or 6(g) above, such person shall be provided by counsel with a copy of this Protective Order and shall sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement in the form annexed as an Exhibit hereto stating that that person has read this Protective Order and agrees to be bound by its terms. Said counsel shall retain each signed Non-Disclosure Agreement, hold it in escrow, and produce it to opposing counsel either prior to such person being permitted to testify (at deposition or trial) or at the conclusion of the case, whichever comes first.
CRITICALCivil cases
Confidential discovery material may only be used for litigation purposes
Recipients of Confidential Discovery Material under this Protective Order may use such material solely for the prosecution and defense of this action and any appeals thereto, and specifically (and by way of example and not limitations) may not use Confidential Discovery Material for any business, commercial or competitive purpose. Nothing contained in this Protective Order, however, will affect or restrict the rights of any person with respect to its own documents or information produced in this action. Nor does anything contained in this Protective Order limit or restrict the rights of any person to use or disclose information or
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealing procedures differ for non-dispositive vs dispositive matters, with specific sections to follow.
All persons seeking to file redacted documents or documents under seal with the Court in connection with non-dispositive matters shall follow Section II(B)(3) of Magistrate Judge Aaron’s Individual Practices. With respect to dispositive matters, the Individual Rules of the presiding District Judge shall be followed; if the parties have consented to the jurisdiction of Magisrate Judge Aaron for all purposes, then with respect to dispositive motions, Section III(E) shall be followed.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed filings must include a publicly filed redacted copy via ECF.
Any Party filing a motion or any other papers with the Court under seal shall also publicly file a redacted copy of the same, via the Court’s Electronic Case Filing system, that redacts only the Confidential Discovery Material itself, and not text that in no material way reveals the Confidential Discovery Material.
CRITICALCivil cases
A Party may be requested to produce Discovery Material that is subject to contractual or other obligations of confidentiality owed to a third party. Within two business days of receiving the request, the receiving Party subject to such obligation shall inform the third party of the request and that the third party may seek a protective order or other relief from this Court. If neither the third party nor the receiving Party seeks a protective order or other relief from this Court within 21 days of that notice, the receiving Party shall produce the information responsive to the discovery request but may affix the appropriate controlling designation.
A Party may be requested to produce Discovery Material that is subject to contractual or other obligations of confidentiality owed to a third party. Within two business days of receiving the request, the receiving Party subject to such obligation shall inform the third party of the request and that the third party may seek a protective order or other relief from this Court. If neither the third party nor the receiving Party seeks a protective order or other relief from this Court within 21 days of that notice, the receiving Party shall produce the information responsive to the discovery request but may affix the appropriate controlling designation.
CRITICALCivil cases
With respect to deposition transcripts, a producing person or that person’s counsel may designate such portion as Confidential either by (a) indicating on the record during the deposition that a question calls for Confidential information, in which case the reporter will bind the
With respect to deposition transcripts, a producing person or that person’s counsel may designate such portion as Confidential either by (a) indicating on the record during the deposition that a question calls for Confidential information, in which case the reporter will bind the
CRITICAL
Filing under seal requires Court permission.
Filing under seal requires permission of the Court.
CRITICAL
Unless the Court orders otherwise, a party seeking to file a document or part of one under seal must follow the stated procedures by the filing due date.
Unless otherwise ordered, any party wishing to file a document or portion thereof under seal must comply with the following procedures on or before the date on which the relevant filing is due.
CRITICAL
Sensitive information described in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 must be redacted from public filings without prior Court permission.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior Court permission.
CRITICAL
Court permission required to file documents under seal.
Filing under seal requires permission of the Court.
CRITICALCivil cases
Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings must be filed electronically through ECF system in conformity with Local Civil Rule 5.2 and Court's standing orders.
B. Sealing/Redaction Requiring Court Approval. Motions or letter motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the ECF system in conformity with Local Civil Rule 5.2, the Court’s standing orders (19-mc-583 and 25-mc-421), and Section 6 of the ECF Rules & Instructions.
CRITICALCivil cases
For redactions from publicly filed documents, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal with redactions highlighted. Both must be electronically filed through ECF.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party must: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties unable to file under seal electronically must move for leave to file in traditional manner on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICALCivil cases
Proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in ECF system and electronically related to the motion. Summary docket text will be open to public inspection.
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the reasons for seeking to file that information under seal, and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the reasons for seeking to file that information under seal, and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Parties may redact 11 categories of sensitive information without court application; only redacted pages filed under seal; marked copy must be brought to sentencing.
Parties may redact the five categories of "sensitive information" and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government) as described in the Privacy Policy, without application to the Court. If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redaction beyond the 11 categories identified in the Privacy Policy requires a court application filed with the sentencing submission.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served. The application should clearly identify the redaction and explain the reasons for the redaction. The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redactions beyond 11 categories require application served and filed with sentencing submission.
If a party redacts information beyond the eleven categories of information identified in the Privacy Policy, an application to do so must be served and filed at the time the sentencing submission is served.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Redacted pages must be filed under seal and brought to sentencing with redaction markings.
If any material is redacted from the publicly filed document, only those pages containing the redacted material will be filed under seal. Bring a copy of those pages to the sentencing proceeding, marked to indicate what information has been redacted from the publicly filed materials, to give to the Court for filing under seal.
CRITICAL
All sealing and redactions require Court approval except for specified sensitive information
B. Sealing and Redactions Requiring Court Approval. Except as permitted by Section 4.A, all sealing and redactions require Court approval. Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6. The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal, and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Proposed sealed documents must be filed under seal and electronically related to the motion
The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Parties must seek leave to file sealed documents on paper if unable to use ECF system.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
All sealing and redactions except those in Section 4.A require Court approval.
B. Sealing and Redactions Requiring Court Approval. Except as permitted by Section 4.A, all sealing and redactions require Court approval.
CRITICAL
Motions for sealed/redacted filings must be filed on ECF in public view with reasons; supporting papers filed separately and may be sealed/redacted only as necessary.
Motions or Letter Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court's ECF system in conformity with the court's standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6. The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal, and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICAL
Party seeking to file sealed materials must notify opposing party to file a letter within 3 days explaining the need for sealing.
When a party seeks leave to file sealed or redacted materials on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, that party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the materials.
CRITICAL
Parties unable to file sealed documents electronically through ECF must move for leave to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
CRITICAL
For redactions in publicly filed documents: file redacted version publicly and unredacted version with highlights under seal, both related to the motion.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
For redactions in publicly filed documents, file redacted version publicly and unredacted version under seal
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be publicly filed, the filing party shall: (a) publicly file the document with the proposed redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
No sealed filings without court order addressing specific documents.
No document may be filed with the Clerk under seal without an order of this Court addressing the specific documents to be sealed.
CRITICAL
- Must include
- affidavits, memorandum of law, specific case citations
Sealing application requires affidavits, memorandum of law, and specific case citations.
Any application to seal shall be accompanied by an affidavit or affidavits and a memorandum of law, demonstrating that the standards for sealing have been met and specifically addressing Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110 (2d Cir. 2006), in a civil case or United States v. Amodeo, 71 F.3d 1044 (2d Cir. 1995), in a criminal case, and any other controlling authority.
CRITICAL
- Must include
- affidavits, memorandum of law, specific case citations +1 more
Sealing application must include proposed redacted version for public docketing.
The application shall also include a proposed redacted version of the document(s) in question for public docketing.
WARNINGCivil cases
PIN numbers, medical records, employment history, financial information, trade secrets, home addresses, and cooperation information may warrant motion for sealed/redacted filing.
Other information that should be treated with caution and may warrant a motion for approval of sealed or redacted filing includes: personal identifying numbers (PIN numbers); medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; home addresses; and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government.
WARNING
Parties may redact specified sensitive and cautionary categories without applying to the Court.
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying numbers; medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government) as described in the Privacy Policy, without application to the Court.
WARNINGCivil cases
Parties unable to file sealed documents via ECF may submit by email as text-searchable PDF with case caption and docket number in subject line; substantive communications belong in the letter only.
iv. Submission by Email. Any party unable to comply with the requirements for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who believes that a particular document should not be electronically filed at all, shall file a letter-motion seeking leave of the Court to file in a different manner. If the party is unable to file such a letter-motion on ECF or believes there is good cause not to file such a letter-motion on ECF, the party may submit it by email as a text-searchable PDF attachment with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel. Any such email shall state clearly in the subject line: (1) the caption of the case, including the lead party names and docket number; and (2) a brief description of the contents of the letter. Parties may not include substantive communications in the body of the email; such communications may be included only in the body of the letter.
WARNINGCivil cases
Any party unable to comply with the requirements for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who believes that a particular document should not be electronically filed at all, shall file a letter-motion seeking leave of the Court to file in a different manner. If the party is unable to file such a letter-motion on ECF or believes there is good cause not to file such a letter-motion on ECF, the party may submit it by email as a text-searchable PDF attachment with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel. Any such email shall state clearly in the subject line: (1) the caption of the case, including the lead party names and docket number; and (2) a brief description of the contents of the letter. Parties may not include substantive communications in the body of the email; such communications may be included only in the body of the letter.
Any party unable to comply with the requirements for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who believes that a particular document should not be electronically filed at all, shall file a letter-motion seeking leave of the Court to file in a different manner. If the party is unable to file such a letter-motion on ECF or believes there is good cause not to file such a letter-motion on ECF, the party may submit it by email as a text-searchable PDF attachment with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel. Any such email shall state clearly in the subject line: (1) the caption of the case, including the lead party names and docket number; and (2) a brief description of the contents of the letter. Parties may not include substantive communications in the body of the email; such communications may be included only in the body of the letter.
WARNINGCriminal cases
Redactions and sealing beyond the permitted categories require Court approval and must be narrowly tailored.
Except for redactions permitted by the previous Paragraph, all redactions or sealing of public court filings require Court approval. To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
WARNINGCriminal cases
Sealed or sensitive letters may be emailed as text-searchable PDFs with specific subject line requirements.
Any letter to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information may be emailed as a text-searchable PDF attachment to the Court with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel (unless the submission is being made ex parte). Any such email shall state clearly in the subject line: (1) the caption of the case, including the lead party names and docket number; and (2) a brief description of the contents of the letter.
WARNING
When an application includes privileged or sensitive material, redacted copies may be filed on ECF and unredacted hard copies supplied to chambers.
Redacted copies may be filed on ECF, with unredacted hard copies supplied to chambers, if the application includes privileged or sensitive material.
WARNING
The summary docket text is public, while the sealed document is not, and the docket text should omit information sought to be sealed.
The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include the information sought to be filed under seal.
WARNING
Parties may redact the listed sensitive and cautionary information categories under the Privacy Policy without applying to the Court.
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying numbers; medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government) as described in the Privacy Policy, without application to the Court.
WARNING
Court will not redact decisions unless parties prove material is truly confidential within 10 days
The Court does not ordinarily file decisions under seal or redact material from them. If the Court issues a decision in this case that refers to “confidential” material under this stipulation, the decision will not be published for ten days. The parties must, within that ten-day period, identify to the Court any portion of the decision that one or more of them believe should be redacted, provide the Court with the purportedly confidential material, and explain why that material is truly confidential. The Court will then determine whether the material is in fact genuinely deserving of confidential treatment. The Court will only redact portions of a publicly available
WARNINGCivil cases
Parties unable to file electronically under seal must seek court permission to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
WARNING
Parties unable to file electronically under seal must seek leave to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
WARNING
Specified sensitive information and information requiring caution may be redacted from public filings without prior Court permission, with the stated limits on sensitive information.
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from this Court: "sensitive information" and information requiring "caution." Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of "sensitive information" (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]). Parties may also, without prior Court approval, redact from their public filings the six categories of information requiring caution described in the Privacy Policy (i.e., any personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government).
WARNING
Parties may redact the specified sensitive and cautionary information without court approval.
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
WARNINGCivil cases
Request leave to file on paper if unable to comply with electronic filing requirements.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
WARNINGCivil cases
Notify opposing parties of need to file explanation within 3 days when seeking sealed/redacted filing based on their request.
When a party seeks leave to file sealed or redacted materials on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, that party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the materials.
WARNINGCivil cases
Must confer with adversary before seeking TRO unless Rule 65(b) requirements are met.
A party must confer with his or her adversary before making an application for a temporary restraining order, unless the requirements of Fed. R. Civ. P. 65(b) are met.
WARNINGCivil cases
Additional sensitive information categories may require court approval for sealing/redaction.
Other information that should be treated with caution and may warrant a motion for approval of sealed or redacted filing includes personal identifying numbers (PIN numbers); medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; home addresses; and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government.
WARNINGCivil cases
Court unlikely to seal trial evidence or summary judgment materials.
All persons are hereby placed on notice that the Court is unlikely to seal or otherwise afford confidential treatment to any Discovery Material introduced in evidence at trial or supporting or refuting any motion for summary judgment, even if such material has previously been sealed or designated as Confidential.
WARNINGCriminal cases
Unless a party requests that a letter be filed under seal, parties should assume substantive letters will be docketed.
Absent a request to file a letter under seal, the parties should assume that any substantive letter will be docketed by the Court.
WARNINGCriminal cases
Parties may redact the specified sensitive and cautionary information categories without court approval.
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
WARNINGCivil cases
Parties may redact the specified sensitive information and information requiring caution without court approval.
B. Redactions Not Requiring Court Approval. Without Court approval, parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy.
WARNING
Government may seek protective order to delay Brady/Giglio disclosure only in exceptional circumstances
(6) For good cause shown, the Government may seek a protective order delaying disclosure of such materials and information, but applications for such orders should only be made in exceptional circumstances.
WARNINGCriminal cases
Sealed or confidential letters may be emailed as text-searchable PDF to chambers with copies to all counsel.
Any letter to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information may be emailed as a text-searchable PDF to ReardenNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov, with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel (unless the submission is being made ex parte).
WARNINGCivil cases
When motion papers are redacted or sealed, courtesy copies must be unredacted with the redacted portions highlighted.
If the parties have redacted or filed under seal any portion of the motion papers or attendant exhibits, courtesy copies are to be unredacted, but the portions redacted from public filings should be highlighted.
WARNINGCivil cases
Party consent or a confidentiality agreement alone is not a valid basis to overcome the presumption of public access to judicial documents.
In general, the parties' consent or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement between litigants is not, by itself, a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
WARNINGCivil cases
Parties unable to e-file under seal on ECF, or who believe a document should not be filed on ECF, must move for leave to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal on ECF, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be filed on ECF, must move for leave of the Court to file on paper.
WARNINGCivil cases
Parties seeking to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with opposing parties in advance to narrow the scope.
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
WARNINGCivil cases
The parties are referred to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 and the SDNY ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use the City and State only]). Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
The parties are referred to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 and the SDNY ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use the City and State only]). Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
WARNINGCivil cases
Email submission allowed for sealed documents when ECF filing not possible
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal on ECF, or who believes that a particular document should not be electronically filed at all, shall file a letter-motion by email, seeking leave of the Court to file in a different manner.
WARNING
Other information that should be treated with caution and may warrant a motion for approval of sealed or redacted filing includes: personal identifying numbers (PIN numbers); medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; home addresses; and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government.
Other information that should be treated with caution and may warrant a motion for approval of sealed or redacted filing includes: personal identifying numbers (PIN numbers); medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; home addresses; and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government.
WARNING
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
WARNING
Late designation of confidential information allowed within 14 days after discovery closes or document production.
The disclosure of a document or information without designating it as “confidential” shall not constitute a waiver of the right to designate such document or information as Confidential Information provided that the material is designated pursuant to the procedures set forth herein no later than that latter of fourteen (14) days after the close of discovery or fourteen (14) days after the document or information’s production. If so designated, the document or information shall thenceforth be treated as Confidential Information subject to all the terms of this Stipulation and Order.
WARNINGCivil cases
Sealed or confidential letters must follow sealing procedures in section 4.A-B.
Letters to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information must be filed in accordance with 4.A-B below.
WARNINGCivil cases
A protective order may require confidential treatment but cannot authorize filing under seal without an appropriate Court finding, which is determined, if at all, by document-by-document review under the Court’s rules and the presumption of public access.
Any such order may bind the parties to treat as confidential documents so classified but may not authorize the parties to file documents under seal absent an appropriate court finding. That finding will be made, if ever, upon a document-by-document review pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Court’s Individual Rules and Practices and subject to the presumption in favor of public access to “judicial documents.”
WARNING
Parties are reminded to omit sensitive information from submissions unless necessary and to use the specified abbreviated forms for minor children’s names, birth dates, and home addresses.
The parties are referred to the E-Government Act of 2002 and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., Social Security numbers, names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers, and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
WARNING
The listed sensitive categories should be treated cautiously and may warrant a motion for approval to file under seal or in redacted form.
Other information that should be treated with caution and may warrant a motion for approval of sealed or redacted filing includes: personal identifying numbers (PIN numbers); medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; home addresses; and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government.
WARNING
Redactions and sealing must be narrowly tailored and consistent with the presumption of public access to judicial documents.
To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
WARNING
An unredacted copy of the document should be sent to Chambers inbox.
An unredacted copy of the document should be sent to Chambers inbox.
WARNING
Redactions must be narrowly tailored and consistent with public access presumption.
To be approved, redactions must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies them and otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
WARNING
Additional sensitive information (PINs, medical, employment, financial, trade secrets, addresses, cooperation) may require court approval for sealing.
Other information that should be treated with caution and may warrant a motion for approval of sealed or redacted filing includes: personal identifying numbers (PIN numbers); medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; home addresses; and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government.
WARNING
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
WARNING
When a party seeks leave to file sealed or redacted materials on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, that party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the materials.
When a party seeks leave to file sealed or redacted materials on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, that party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the materials.
WARNING
Supporting papers for sealed motions must be separately filed and may be sealed/redacted only as necessary.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
WARNING
Sensitive information should not be filed unless necessary and relevant; must be partially redacted if included.
Sensitive information and information requiring caution must not be included in any document filed with the Court unless such inclusion is necessary and relevant to the case. If such information must be included, personal identifiers must be partially redacted in accordance with the above-cited rules and policies in order to protect any privacy interest.
WARNING
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
WARNING
Certain categories require caution and may warrant motion for sealed filing.
Other information that should be treated with caution and may warrant a motion for approval of sealed or redacted filing includes: personal identifying numbers (PIN numbers); medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; home addresses; and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government.
WARNING
Motion required to file sealed materials on paper instead of ECF.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
WARNING
Parties unable to file under seal electronically must seek leave to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
WARNINGCivil cases
14-day advance notice required before using opposing party's confidential information; 7-day window for opposing party to seek sealing.
Unless otherwise ordered, a party seeking to file an opposing party’s confidential information shall so advise the opposing party fourteen (14) days in advance specifying the precise portion of the information the party seeks to use, the general purpose thereof and any redactions to which the party does not object. Within seven (7) days thereafter, the party whose confidential information is sought to be used may make an application to seal in accordance with the first paragraph of this Order, indicating the portion or portions of the information it seeks to have sealed.
WARNINGCivil cases
Parties unable to file electronically under seal must seek court permission to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
WARNINGCivil cases
The parties are referred to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2, the E-Government Act of 2002, and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
The parties are referred to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2, the E-Government Act of 2002, and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) and reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]).
WARNINGCivil cases
If the party is unable to file such a letter-motion on ECF, or believes there is good cause not to file such a letter-motion on ECF, the party may submit it by email (at EngelmayerNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov) as a text-searchable PDF attachment with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel.
If the party is unable to file such a letter-motion on ECF, or believes there is good cause not to file such a letter-motion on ECF, the party may submit it by email (at EngelmayerNYSDChambers@nysd.uscourts.gov) as a text-searchable PDF attachment with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel.
WARNINGCivil cases
File letter-motion seeking leave to file sealed documents differently.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, shall file a letter- motion seeking leave of the Court to file in a different manner.
WARNINGCivil cases
Sensitive information should only be included if necessary and relevant.
Sensitive information and information requiring caution must not be included in any document filed with the Court unless such inclusion is necessary and relevant to the case.
WARNINGCivil cases
Additional sensitive information may require motion for sealing approval.
Other information that should be treated with caution and may warrant a motion for approval of sealed or redacted filing includes: personal identifying numbers (PIN numbers); medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual financial information; proprietary or trade secret information; home addresses; and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government.
WARNINGCivil cases
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
WARNINGCivil cases
Confidential Discovery Material may be disclosed only to enumerated persons (parties, insurers, retained counsel, vendors, mediators/arbitrators, document authors/addressees, witnesses, experts, and stenographers), with mediators/arbitrators, witnesses, and experts required to first execute a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
Where a Producing Party has designated Discovery Material as Confidential, other persons subject to this Order may disclose such information only to the following persons: (a) the Parties to this action, their insurers, and counsel to their insurers; (b) counsel retained specifically for this action, including any paralegal, clerical, or other assistant that such outside counsel employs and assigns to this matter; (c) outside vendors or service providers (such as copy-service providers and document-management consultants) that counsel hire and assign to this matter; (d) any mediator or arbitrator that the Parties engage in this matter or that this Court appoints, provided such person has first executed a Non-Disclosure Agreement in the form annexed as an Exhibit hereto; (e) as to any document, its author, its addressee, and any other person indicated on the face of the document as having received a copy; (f) any witness who counsel for a Party in good faith believes may be called to testify at trial or deposition in this action, provided such person has first executed a Non-Disclosure Agreement in the form annexed as an Exhibit hereto; (g) any person a Party retains to serve as an expert witness or otherwise provide specialized advice to counsel in connection with this action, provided such person has first executed a Non-Disclosure Agreement in the form annexed as an Exhibit hereto; (h) stenographers engaged to transcribe depositions the Parties conduct in this action; and
WARNINGCivil cases
A producing party may designate as Confidential only material that is non-disclosed financial, ownership/control, business-plan, or personal information, or another category the Court designates.
The Party or person producing or disclosing Discovery Material ("Producing Party") may designate as Confidential only the portion of such material that it reasonably and in good faith believes consists of: (a) previously non-disclosed financial information (including without limitation profitability reports or estimates, percentage fees, design fees, royalty rates, minimum guarantee payments, sales reports, and sale margins); (b) previously non-disclosed material relating to ownership or control of any non-public company; (c) previously non-disclosed business plans, product-development information, or marketing plans; (d) any information of a personal or intimate nature regarding any individual; or (e) any other category of information this Court subsequently affords confidential status.
WARNINGCivil cases
Deposition exhibits or transcript portions may be designated Confidential either on the record during the deposition or by written notice within 30 days after the deposition concludes; during that 30-day period the entire transcript is treated as Confidential.
A Producing Party or its counsel may designate deposition exhibits or portions of deposition transcripts as Confidential Discovery Material either by: (a) indicating on the record during the deposition that a question calls for Confidential information, in which case the reporter will bind the transcript of the designated testimony in a separate volume and mark it as “Confidential Information Governed by Protective Order;” or (b) notifying the reporter and all counsel of record, in writing, within 30 days after a deposition has concluded, of the specific pages and lines of the transcript that are to be designated “Confidential,” in which case all counsel receiving the transcript will be responsible for marking the copies of the designated transcript in their possession or under their control as directed by the Producing Party or that person’s counsel. During the 30-day period following a deposition, all Parties will treat the entire deposition transcript as if it had been designated Confidential.
WARNINGCivil cases
The Court retains discretion on confidential treatment and is unlikely to seal material introduced in evidence at trial even if previously sealed.
The Court also retains discretion whether to afford confidential treatment to any Discovery Material designated as Confidential and submitted to the Court in connection with any motion, application, or proceeding that may result in an order and/or decision by the Court. All persons are hereby placed on notice that the Court is unlikely to seal or otherwise afford confidential treatment to any Discovery Material introduced in evidence at trial, even if such material has previously been sealed or designated as Confidential.
WARNINGCivil cases
With respect to the Confidential portion of any Discovery Material other than deposition transcripts and exhibits, the Producing Party or its counsel may designate such portion as "Confidential" by: (a) stamping or otherwise clearly marking as "Confidential" the protected portion in a manner that will not interfere with legibility or audibility; and (b) producing for future public use another copy of said Discovery Material with the confidential information redacted.
With respect to the Confidential portion of any Discovery Material other than deposition transcripts and exhibits, the Producing Party or its counsel may designate such portion as "Confidential" by: (a) stamping or otherwise clearly marking as "Confidential" the protected portion in a manner that will not interfere with legibility or audibility; and (b) producing for future public use another copy of said Discovery Material with the confidential information redacted.
WARNINGCivil cases
A Producing Party may retroactively designate previously-produced Discovery Material as Confidential by notifying all prior recipients in writing, after which the material is treated as Confidential.
If at any time before the trial of this action a Producing Party realizes that it should have designated as Confidential some portion(s) of Discovery Material that it previously produced without limitation, the Producing Party may so designate such material by so apprising all prior recipients in writing. Thereafter, this Court and all persons subject to this Order will treat such designated portion(s) of the Discovery Material as Confidential.
WARNING
To obtain access to an electronically filed sealed document, users should rely on the copy served by their adversary. A party with a right to access a sealed document may also request a paper copy by contacting the clerk's office.
To obtain access to an electronically filed sealed document, users should rely on the copy served by their adversary. A party with a right to access a sealed document may also request a paper copy by contacting the clerk's office.
WARNING
Sealed documents electronically filed are no longer accessible via ECF or PACER by non-court users
Sealed documents filed electronically will no longer be accessible or viewable through the ECF or PACER systems by non-court users.
WARNING
Service of sealed documents can no longer be done by electronic filing in ECF
Service of sealed documents will no longer be accomplished by electronically filing in the ECF system.
WARNING
Additional Copies of Sealed Documents – Because sealed documents filed in CM/ECF are no longer electronically accessible or viewable by non-court users, a party with the right to access a sealed document in a case who requires a copy of a sealed document may contact opposing counsel or the clerk’s office to request a paper copy. Applicable copy fees will be applied to requests made to the court.
Additional Copies of Sealed Documents – Because sealed documents filed in CM/ECF are no longer electronically accessible or viewable by non-court users, a party with the right to access a sealed document in a case who requires a copy of a sealed document may contact opposing counsel or the clerk’s office to request a paper copy. Applicable copy fees will be applied to requests made to the court.
WARNINGCivil cases
Parties unable to file electronically under seal must seek leave to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
WARNINGCivil cases
Certain sensitive information must be redacted without court approval per FRCP 5.2.
A. Sealing/Redactions Not Requiring Court Approval. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
WARNINGCivil cases
Opposing counsel must have access to all communications unless filing ex parte.
Unless a party seeks to file a redacted or sealed document ex parte, opposing counsel must have access to all communications with the Court.
WARNINGCivil cases
Letter motion must indicate opposing party's consent; confidential designations require joint submission.
The letter must also indicate whether the opposing party consents to the proposed sealing or redaction. If a request to file a redacted document is based on another party’s designation of information as confidential, the parties shall confer and jointly submit the request to file the material in redacted form.
WARNING
Pro se parties must redact sensitive information or request permission to include it.
Pro se parties wishing to file a document already containing this information must submit a version to the Pro Se Intake Unit with this information blacked out or otherwise unidentifiable. If this information is relevant to the case, the filing party must request permission from the Court prior to filing and explain why the information needs to be included.
WARNING
Sensitive/confidential letters must follow sealing procedures in Section 5.
Any letter containing sensitive or confidential information that a party does not wish to appear on the docket must follow the procedures outlined in Section 5, below.
WARNING
Parties unable to file electronically must seek leave to file on paper.
Any party unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system, or who has reason to believe that a particular document should not be electronically filed, must move for leave of the Court to file in the traditional manner, on paper.
WARNINGCivil cases
Discovery confidentiality designation alone does not justify sealing/redaction
The parties are cautioned that the designation of documents as "confidential" for discovery purposes does not, without more, justify a sealing or redaction order.
WARNINGCivil cases
Any person who either objects to any designation of confidentiality, or who, by contrast, requests still further limits on disclosure (such as “attorneys’ eyes only,” reserved for extraordinary circumstances), may at any time prior to the trial of this action serve upon the designating person and all other parties a written notice stating with particularity the grounds of the objection or request. If agreement cannot be reached promptly, counsel for all affected persons shall request a joint telephone call with the Court to obtain a ruling.
Any person who either objects to any designation of confidentiality, or who, by contrast, requests still further limits on disclosure (such as “attorneys’ eyes only,” reserved for extraordinary circumstances), may at any time prior to the trial of this action serve upon the designating person and all other parties a written notice stating with particularity the grounds of the objection or request. If agreement cannot be reached promptly, counsel for all affected persons shall request a joint telephone call with the Court to obtain a ruling.
WARNINGCivil cases
No presumption of sealing for confidential discovery materials; follow individual judge's practices.
Notwithstanding the designation of material as “Confidential” in discovery, there is no presumption that such Confidential Discovery Material will be filed with the Court under seal. The parties shall follow the individual practices of the Magistrate or District Judge to whom they direct pretrial requests for filing under seal.
WARNINGCivil cases
If a request contains sensitive or confidential information, the requesting party should file (1) a redacted version of the letter on the public docket and (2) an accompanying motion to seal, in accordance with the procedures set forth below in § VI.
If a request contains sensitive or confidential information, the requesting party should file (1) a redacted version of the letter on the public docket and (2) an accompanying motion to seal, in accordance with the procedures set forth below in § VI.
WARNINGCivil cases
Any Party who requests additional limits on disclosure (such as “attorneys’ eyes only” in extraordinary circumstances) may at any time prior to the trial of this action serve upon counsel for the receiving Party a written notice stating with particularity the grounds for the request. If the Parties cannot reach agreement promptly, counsel for all Parties will address their dispute to this Court in accordance with Section II of Magistrate Judge Aaron’s Individual Practices.
Any Party who requests additional limits on disclosure (such as “attorneys’ eyes only” in extraordinary circumstances) may at any time prior to the trial of this action serve upon counsel for the receiving Party a written notice stating with particularity the grounds for the request. If the Parties cannot reach agreement promptly, counsel for all Parties will address their dispute to this Court in accordance with Section II of Magistrate Judge Aaron’s Individual Practices.
WARNINGCivil cases
Court unlikely to seal discovery material introduced at trial or in summary judgment motions.
All persons are hereby placed on notice that the Court is unlikely to seal or otherwise afford confidential treatment to any Discovery Material introduced in evidence at trial or supporting or refuting any motion for summary judgment, even if such material has previously been sealed or designated as Confidential.
WARNINGCivil cases
Any Party who objects to any designation of confidentiality may at any time prior to the trial of this action serve upon counsel for the designating person a written notice stating with particularity the grounds of the objection. If the Parties cannot reach agreement promptly, counsel for all Parties will address their dispute to this Court in accordance with Section II of Magistrate Judge Aaron’s Individual Practices.
Any Party who objects to any designation of confidentiality may at any time prior to the trial of this action serve upon counsel for the designating person a written notice stating with particularity the grounds of the objection. If the Parties cannot reach agreement promptly, counsel for all Parties will address their dispute to this Court in accordance with Section II of Magistrate Judge Aaron’s Individual Practices.
WARNINGCivil cases
Confidential information in discovery does not automatically require sealing; parties must follow court procedures for sealing requests.
Notwithstanding the designation of information as “Confidential” in discovery, there is no presumption that such information shall be filed with the Court under seal. The parties shall follow the Court’s procedures for requests for filing under seal.
WARNING
Letters containing sensitive or confidential information that a party does not want on the docket should follow the sealing procedures in Section I.G.
Any letter containing sensitive or confidential information that a party does not wish to appear on the docket should follow the procedures outlined in Section I.G. below.
WARNING
The stated sealing procedures apply only to motions and applications before Judge Figueredo.
These procedures only apply to motions and applications before Judge Figueredo.
WARNINGCriminal cases
Parties may redact 11 categories of sensitive information without court application.
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution... without application to the Court.
INFO
Redactions/sealing must be narrowly tailored and consistent with public access presumption.
To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
INFO
Civil adjournment requests with sensitive/confidential information must be filed on ECF using sealed filing procedures.
A sensitive or confidential letter-motion in a civil case must be filed on ECF in accordance with the pertinent ECF sealed filing procedures (see subdivision A.5. below).
INFO
Court records and dockets presumptively open to public inspection.
Court records and docket sheets are to be accessible to the public, and enjoy a presumption of openness to public inspection.
INFO
Public access presumption rebuttable if closure essential and narrowly tailored.
The presumption is rebuttable upon demonstration that “closure is essential to preserve higher values and is narrowly tailored to serve that interest.”
INFO
Proposed protective orders should include a provision reflecting this requirement.
Proposed protective orders should include a provision reflecting this requirement.
INFOCriminal cases
Sealed or confidential letters may be emailed as PDF attachments with copies to all counsel.
Any letter to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information may be emailed as a text-searchable PDF attachment to the Court with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel (unless the submission is being made ex parte).
INFOCriminal cases
Information requiring caution: personal identifying numbers, medical records, employment history, financial information, proprietary/trade secret info, cooperation with government.
Parties may also, without prior Court approval, redact from their public filings the six categories of information requiring caution described in the Privacy Policy (i.e., any personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government).
INFOCriminal cases
Two categories of information may be redacted without Court approval: sensitive information and information requiring caution.
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.”
INFOCriminal cases
Parties' consent or confidentiality agreements are not sufficient to overcome presumption of public access.
In general, parties’ consent or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement between litigants is not, by itself, a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
INFOCriminal cases
Redactions or sealing must be narrowly tailored and consistent with presumption of public access to judicial documents.
To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
INFOCriminal cases
Letter-motion must explain purpose of redactions and why they meet standards.
The letter-motion must explain the purpose of the redactions, and why the redactions are consistent with the standards discussed in Paragraph 10(B) above.
INFOCriminal cases
Parties may redact sensitive personal information and information requiring caution from public filings without prior Court approval.
Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of "sensitive information" (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]). Parties may also, without prior Court approval, redact from their public filings the six categories of information requiring caution described in the Privacy Policy (i.e., any personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government).
INFOCriminal cases
(The party should endeavor to draft the letter-motion in a form that can be filed publicly
(The party should endeavor to draft the letter-motion in a form that can be filed publicly
INFOCriminal cases
Parties may also redact from their public filings, without prior Court approval, the six categories of information requiring “caution” described in the Privacy Policy, i.e., any personal identifying number, such as a driver’s license number;
Parties may also redact from their public filings, without prior Court approval, the six categories of information requiring “caution” described in the Privacy Policy, i.e., any personal identifying number, such as a driver’s license number;
INFOCivil cases
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
INFOCivil cases
Bring TRO application to court at mutually agreeable time when adversary notified but doesn't consent.
If a party’s adversary has been notified but does not consent to temporary injunctive relief, the party seeking a restraining order must bring the application to the Court at a time mutually agreeable to the party and its adversary, so that the Court may have the benefit of advocacy from both sides in deciding whether to grant temporary injunctive relief.
INFOCivil cases
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking confidential treatment of the information, if any) in advance to narrow the scope of the request.
INFOProposed or draft document; may not be in force
Redacted or sealed documents are generally shared with other parties.
Information contained in a redacted or sealed document authorized by the Court is generally made available to the other parties in the case.
INFOProposed or draft document; may not be in force
Court may grant leave to redact or file documents under seal in limited circumstances.
In limited circumstances, the Court may grant leave to a party to either redact information other than the sensitive information described in the preceding paragraph, or to file a document under seal.
INFOProposed or draft document; may not be in force
Communications will be docketed on public ECF unless sealed.
Absent a request to file a communication with the Court under seal, the Court will docket any substantive communication with the Court on ECF, a publically accessible database.
INFOCriminal cases
Parties may redact 11 categories of sensitive information without court approval.
Parties are reminded not to include, unless necessary, the five categories of sensitive information listed in Rule 21.3 of the SDNY ECF Rules and Instructions (i.e., social security numbers, names of minors, dates of birth, financial account numbers, and home addresses), and to exercise caution with the six categories of sensitive information listed in Rule 21.4 of the SDNY ECF Rules and Instructions (i.e., personal identifying numbers, medical records, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government). A party may, without the Court's approval, redact any such sensitive information.
INFO
Court may grant leave to redact or seal documents beyond sensitive information.
In limited circumstances, the Court may grant leave to a party to either redact information other than the sensitive information described in the preceding paragraph, or to file a document under seal. Information contained in a redacted or sealed document authorized by the Court is generally made available to the other parties in the case.
INFOCivil cases
Parties may redact sensitive information and information requiring caution without court approval, following specific guidelines.
The parties are referred to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 and the S.D.N.Y. ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”). Without prior permission from the Court, parties may redact two categories of information from public court filings: “sensitive information,” and information requiring “caution.” Unless necessary, parties should not include in public filings the five categories of “sensitive information” (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use the City and State only]). Without Court approval, parties may also redact from public filings the six categories of information requiring “caution” described in the Privacy Policy (i.e., any personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the Government).
INFOCriminal cases
Redactions of sensitive information categories don't require court approval.
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the seven categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the Government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
INFO
Two categories of information may be redacted without court approval: sensitive information and information requiring caution.
The parties are referred to Rule 5.2 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”). There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.”
INFOCriminal cases
- Format
Sealed/sensitive letters may be emailed as PDF to chambers with copies to counsel.
Any letter to be filed under seal or containing sensitive or confidential information may be e-mailed as a text-searchable PDF attachment to the Court (Furman_NYSD Chambers@nysd.uscourts.gov) with a copy simultaneously delivered to all counsel (unless the submission is being made ex parte).
INFO
Supporting papers for sealed motions may be filed under seal or redacted as necessary.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
INFO
Letters should be filed electronically on ECF, unless there is a request to file a letter under seal or a letter contains sensitive or confidential information. For instructions on how to file electronically under seal, see Section 6 below.
Letters should be filed electronically on ECF, unless there is a request to file a letter under seal or a letter contains sensitive or confidential information. For instructions on how to file electronically under seal, see Section 6 below.
INFOCivil cases
Parties may designate documents/responses as confidential in good faith to protect client interests.
Counsel for any party may designate any document, information contained in a document, information revealed in an interrogatory response or information revealed during a deposition as confidential if counsel determines, in good faith, that such designation is necessary to protect the interests of the client.
INFOCivil cases
Documents withheld on privilege/work product grounds follow FRCP 26(b)(5) provisions.
Documents withheld based on a claim of privilege or work product are subject to the provisions of FRCP 26(b)(5).
INFOCivil cases
Information or documents designated as “confidential” shall not be disclosed to any person, except: a. The requesting party and counsel, including in-house counsel; b. Employees of such counsel assigned to and necessary to assist in the litigation;
Information or documents designated as “confidential” shall not be disclosed to any person, except: a. The requesting party and counsel, including in-house counsel; b. Employees of such counsel assigned to and necessary to assist in the litigation;
INFOCriminal cases
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information”, as described in the Privacy Policy, and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information”, as described in the Privacy Policy, and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an
INFO
Supporting papers may be filed under seal or redacted as necessary.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
INFO
FRCP 5.2 requires redaction of sensitive information without court approval.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
INFO
Parties may choose to use either the electronic filing method or traditional filing method, both of which are described below.
Parties may choose to use either the electronic filing method or traditional filing method, both of which are described below.
INFO
FRCP 5.2 requires redaction of sensitive information without court approval.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
INFO
Parties may redact the specified sensitive-information and caution categories without Court approval.
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information ===== PAGE 16 ===== requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
INFO
The Court will address the redaction application at the sentencing proceeding.
The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
INFOCriminal cases
The Court will address the redaction application at the sentencing proceeding.
The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
INFOCriminal cases
Certain redactions do not require court approval
(a) Redactions Not Requiring Court Approval. Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
INFO
Redacted or sealed documents are filed with District’s Sealed Records Department unless delayed docketing is granted.
Unless delayed docketing is specifically requested and granted, the Court will file any redacted or sealed documents with the District’s Sealed Records Department.
INFO
Certain sensitive and caution information may be redacted without court approval
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.” Parties should not include in their public filings, unless necessary, the five categories of “sensitive information” (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]). Parties may also, without prior approval from the Court, redact from their public filings the six categories of information requiring “caution” described in the Privacy Policy (i.e., any personal identifying number, medical records [including information regarding treatment and diagnosis], employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government).
INFO
Court won't enforce confidential settlements; public record required for jurisdiction.
The Court will not retain jurisdiction to enforce confidential settlement agreements. If the parties request that the Court retain jurisdiction to enforce the agreement, the parties must place the terms of their settlement agreement on the public record.
INFOCivil cases
Certain sensitive information must be redacted from public filings without court approval per FRCP 5.2.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
INFO
Certain sensitive information must be redacted from public filings without court approval.
Sealing/Redactions Not Requiring Court Approval. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
INFOCivil cases
Parties may redact the above five categories of "sensitive information" and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number; medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual
Parties may redact the above five categories of "sensitive information" and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number; medical records, treatment and diagnosis; employment history; individual
INFOCivil cases
Rule 5.2 requires redaction of sensitive information from public court filings.
Rule 5.2, Fed. R. Civ. P., describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings
INFOCriminal cases
Parties may redact the identified sensitive and cautionary information categories under the Privacy Policy without applying to the Court.
Parties may redact the five categories of "sensitive information" and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government) as described in the Privacy Policy, without application to the Court.
INFOCriminal cases
Parties may redact the specified sensitive-information and caution categories without applying to the Court.
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government) as described in the Privacy Policy, without application to the Court.
INFOCriminal cases
The Court will address the redaction application at the sentencing proceeding.
The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
INFOCriminal cases
Parties' consent or confidentiality agreements alone don't justify sealing.
In general, parties' consent or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement between litigants is not, by itself, a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
INFOCriminal cases
Redactions/sealing must be narrowly tailored and consistent with public access presumption.
To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
INFOCriminal cases
Parties may redact the five sensitive-information categories and seven caution categories without court approval.
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the seven categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records, treatment and diagnosis, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the Government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
INFOCriminal cases
The court will address the redaction application at the sentencing proceeding.
The application will be addressed at the sentencing proceeding.
INFOCivil cases
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information sought to be filed under seal.
INFOCivil cases
Denied sealing/redaction motions result in order to re-file documents in public view while keeping prior submission sealed.
If a motion for sealing or redactions is denied, the Court will generally order the party to re-file the subject documents on ECF in public view, allowing the party’s prior submission to remain sealed on ECF.
INFOCivil cases
Sealed documents are not officially filed until submitted to Sealed Records Department or ECF
A document is not actually filed under seal or included as part of the official case record until the party files the document physically with the Sealed Records Department or electronically on ECF.
INFOCivil cases
No leave required for redactions under Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2
No Leave Required to Comply with Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no leave is required to redact all but the last four digits of an individual's social-security number or taxpayer-identification number, the day and month of an individual's birth, the name of an individual known to be a minor, or all but the last four digits of a financial-account number, consistent with Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2.
INFOCivil cases
No court permission needed for Rule 5.2 redactions (SSN, birth dates, minor names, financial accounts).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no leave is required to redact all but the last four digits of an individual's social-security number or taxpayer-identification number, the day and month of an individual's birth, the name of an individual known to be a minor, or all but the last four digits of a financial-account number, consistent with Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2.
INFOCivil cases
Inadvertent disclosure of privileged materials does not waive privilege.
If, in connection with this litigation, and despite having taken reasonable steps to prevent the disclosure of information that it claims is subject to a claim of attorney- client privilege or attorney work product, a producing person inadvertently discloses information subject to a claim of attorney-client privilege or attorney work product protection (“Inadvertently Disclosed Information”), such disclosure, in itself, shall not constitute or be deemed a waiver or forfeiture of any claim of privilege or work product protection with respect to the Inadvertently Disclosed Information and its subject matter.
INFOCivil cases
Certain categories of information may be redacted without court approval.
There are two categories of information that may be redacted from public court filings without prior permission from the Court: “sensitive information” and information requiring “caution.”
INFOCivil cases
Redactions required by FRCP 5.2 (sensitive information) do not require court approval.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings. No Court approval is required for these redactions.
INFOCivil cases
Written agreement between parties allows filing confidential materials without redaction.
If the parties agree in writing that a particular document that has been designated Confidential Material shall not be filed under seal, that document can be filed without redaction and such filing will not be a breach of any Stipulation of Confidentiality.
INFO
Parties are advised to consult S.D.N.Y. ECF Rules 21.3 and 21.4 regarding sealing and redactions.
Parties should also consult the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules & Instructions, Rules 21.3 and 21.4, available at https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/rules/ecf-related-instructions.
INFOCivil cases
Rule 5.2 of Federal Rules of Civil Procedure describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court.
A. Sealing/Redactions Not Requiring Court Approval. Rule 5.2 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure describes sensitive information that must be redacted from public court filings without seeking prior permission from the Court. Parties also should consult Rules 21.3 and 21.4 of the ECF Rules & Instructions.
INFO
Redactions and sealing must be narrowly tailored and consistent with public access presumption
To be approved, any redaction or sealing of a court filing must be narrowly tailored to serve whatever purpose justifies the redaction or sealing and must be otherwise consistent with the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents. See Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110, 119-20 (2d Cir. 2006). In general, the parties’ consent or the fact that information is subject to a confidentiality agreement between litigants is not, by itself, a valid basis to overcome the presumption in favor of public access to judicial documents.
INFO
Certain sensitive information categories may be redacted without Court approval
A. Sealing and Redactions Not Requiring Court Approval. The parties are referred to the EGovernment Act of 2002 and the Southern District’s ECF Privacy Policy categories of “sensitive information” in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]). Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records (including information regarding treatment and diagnosis), employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
INFO
Parties may redact 5 categories of sensitive information and 6 categories of caution information without Court approval.
A. Sealing and Redactions Not Requiring Court Approval. The parties are referred to the EGovernment Act of 2002 and the Southern District's ECF Privacy Policy categories of "sensitive information" in their submissions (i.e., social security numbers [use the last four digits only], names of minor children [use the initials only], dates of birth [use the year only], financial account numbers [use the last four digits only], and home addresses [use only the City and State]). Parties may redact the five categories of "sensitive information" and the six categories of information requiring caution (i.e., personal identifying number, medical records (including information regarding treatment and diagnosis), employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government), as described in the Privacy Policy, without Court approval.
INFO
- Must include
- affidavits, memorandum of law, specific case citations +1 more
Rule 5.2 redactions may be made without court application.
Nothing herein is intended to alter or modify the applicability of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2. The redactions expressly authorized by Rule 5.2 may be made without application to the Court.
CRITICAL
Sealed filing applications must include complete unredacted copies and explain redactions.
The email should also include complete, unredacted of all proposed redactions. The application must clearly identify the redaction(s) and explain the reasons for the redaction(s).
CRITICALCivil cases
Parties must meet and confer before seeking to seal or redact documents, and notify opposing parties of the need to file within 3 business days.
Any party seeking leave to file a document under seal or in redacted form shall proceed as follows: i. Meet and Confer. The party should meet and confer with any opposing party (or any third party seeking confidential treatment of the information) file a document under seal or in redacted form on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, the filing party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three business days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the document.
CRITICALCivil cases
Sealed documents require a public letter-motion on ECF, with the sealed document filed contemporaneously under seal on ECF and related to the motion.
ii. Sealed Document(s). The party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document under seal on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document under seal, and should not include confidential information. The proposed sealed document shall be contemporaneously filed under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically related to the motion (or to the relevant Court order if the Court previously granted leave to file the document under seal). Note that the summary docket text, but not the document itself, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
CRITICALCivil cases
iii. Redacted Document(s). Where a party seeks leave to file a document in redacted form, the party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document in redacted form on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall: (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter-motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
iii. Redacted Document(s). Where a party seeks leave to file a document in redacted form, the party shall file a letter-motion seeking leave to file a document in redacted form on ECF in accordance with Standing Order 19-MC-583 and Section 6 of the S.D.N.Y. Electronic Case Filing Rules and Instructions. The letter-motion itself shall be filed in public view, should explain the reasons for seeking to file the document in redacted form, and should not include confidential information. At the same time, the party shall: (1) publicly file on ECF and electronically relate to the letter-motion a copy of the document with the proposed redactions; and (2) file under seal on ECF (with the appropriate level of restriction) and electronically relate to the motion an unredacted copy of the document with the proposed redactions highlighted.
CRITICALCivil cases
If the party seeking relief believes that Rule 65(b)(1)’s requirements can be met and a temporary restraining order should issue without notice to the adverse party, the party should file its papers on ECF under seal (or, if ECF is not a viable option, by email to Chambers) and then email Chambers providing notice.
If the party seeking relief believes that Rule 65(b)(1)’s requirements can be met and a temporary restraining order should issue without notice to the adverse party, the party should file its papers on ECF under seal (or, if ECF is not a viable option, by email to Chambers) and then email Chambers providing notice.
CRITICALCivil cases
Six categories of information requiring caution can be redacted without court approval: medical records, employment history, individual financial information, proprietary/trade secret information, and information about cooperation with government.
Parties may also, without prior Court approval, redact from their public filings the six categories of information requiring "caution" described in the Privacy Policy, i.e., medical records (including any information regarding medical treatment, including for substance abuse, and diagnosis), employment history, individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government.
CRITICALCriminal cases
Email to Chambers a copy of the document that the party seeks to redact or to file under seal and, if the document exceeds 20 pages, deliver to Chambers a courtesy copy (following Rule 2.B above).
Email to Chambers a copy of the document that the party seeks to redact or to file under seal and, if the document exceeds 20 pages, deliver to Chambers a courtesy copy (following Rule 2.B above).
CRITICALCivil cases
Meet and confer required before filing sealed/redacted materials
The party seeking leave to file sealed or redacted materials should meet and confer with any opposing parties (or third parties seeking request. When a party seeks leave to file sealed or redacted materials on the ground that an opposing party or third party has requested it, that party shall notify the opposing party or third party that it must file, within three court days, a letter explaining the need to seal or redact the materials.
CRITICAL
Redaction requests based on party’s own Confidential designation require letter motion explaining reasons and citing Lugosch and Bernstein.
Any party wishing to file in redacted form any pleading, motion, memorandum, exhibit, or other document, or any portion thereof, based on a party’s designation of information as Confidential, must make a specific request to the Court by letter motion explaining the reasons for seeking to file that submission under seal and addressing the request in light of the Court of Appeals’ opinions in Lugosch v. Pyramid Co. of Onondaga, 435 F.3d 110 (2d Cir. 2006) and Bernstein v. Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossman LLP, 814 F.3d 132 (2d Cir. 2016).
CRITICAL
Pro se litigants unable to e-file sealing documents may mail or hand-deliver to Pro Se Intake Unit with sealed, marked envelope.
A pro se litigant who is unable to comply with the requirement for electronic filing under seal through the ECF system shall mail or hand-deliver to the Pro Se Intake Unit a submission containing (a) the letter-motion requesting sealing and (b) the proposed sealed document, which shall be enclosed in a separate sealed envelope that is clearly marked “Document To Be Filed Under Seal.”
CRITICAL
Redaction of public-filed documents requires filing redacted version publicly and unredacted sealed version with highlighted redactions, both via ECF and related to the motion.
Where the motion seeks approval to redact information from a document that is to be filed publicly, the party must (a) electronically file a redacted version of the document that includes only the redactions, and (b) electronically file under seal a copy of the unredacted document with the proposed redactions highlighted. Both documents must be electronically filed through the ECF system and related to the motion.
CRITICAL
Sealing letter-motions in civil cases must be filed via ECF, with public motion, separate supporting papers, and sealed proposed document related to the motion.
Letter-Motions for approval of sealed or redacted filings in civil and miscellaneous cases and the subject documents, including the proposed sealed document(s), must be filed electronically through the court’s ECF system in conformity with the court’s standing order, 19-mc-00583, and ECF Rules & Instructions, section 6. The motion must be filed in public view, must explain the particular reasons for seeking to file that information under seal and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal. Supporting papers must be separately filed electronically and may be filed under seal or redacted only to the extent necessary to safeguard information to be filed under seal. The proposed sealed document must be contemporaneously filed under seal in the ECF system and electronically related to the motion. The summary docket text, but not the sealed document, will be open to public inspection and should not include confidential information sought to be filed under seal.
INFO
Redaction of sensitive categories allowed without court application.
Parties may redact the five categories of “sensitive information” and the six categories of information requiring individual financial information, proprietary or trade secret information, and information regarding an individual’s cooperation with the government) as described in the Privacy Policy, without application to the Court.
How does Southern District of New York handle sealed or redacted filings?
Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses: Process: file redacted on ecf. Sealed/redacted filings require letter-motion filed electronically on ECF
Judge Gregory H. Woods: Process: file redacted on ecf. Certain sensitive information must be redacted from public filings without court approval.
A motion to seal is required for covered sealed filings before Judge Arun Subramanian. Process: file redacted on ecf. To file redacted documents, submit a public letter-motion, publicly file the redacted version, and file an unredacted copy under seal with redactions highlighted.
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