Privacy Statement |
U.S. District Court
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Privacy, Security, and Filing With the CourtUnless sealed by statute or court order, all documents and information filed in this court are open to the public. This means that anyone in the world who has a personal computer and internet access can obtain access to court records 24/7. In light of this expansion of access to court records, the Judicial Conference of the United States recommends that persons filing documents in the federal courts modify or partially redact personal data identifiers (social security number; date of birth; financial account numbers; and names of minor children) from documents filed with federal courts. If litigants must present sensitive information to the court, they should file a motion seeking a protective order to seal documents before filing the sensitive information. Note that the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit does not favor sealing documents. See Union Oil Co. of Cal. v. Leavell, et al, 220 F.3d 562 (7th Cir. 2000) and Jepson, Inc., v. Makita Electric Works, et al, 30 F.3d 854 (7th Cir. 1994). These cases set forth a strict standard which must be met before a court can grant a protective order. Do not file sensitive information with the court until after a protective order is obtained. The Clerk of Court has no authority to keep anything from public access until after a judge grants a protective order. Even if litigants obtain protective orders from the district court, on appeal, the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit will automatically unseal and make public all sealed documents that are part of an appellate record. Litigants who wish to keep documents sealed on appeal must request an order to that effect within 14 days of the docketing of the appeal. See Seventh Circuit Operating Procedure 10 and Baxter Int’l, Inc. v. Abbott Laboratories, 297 F.3d 544 (7th Cir. 2002). Send Feedback
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