Local Rule RULE 5.10: SEALED CASES, DOCUMENTS FOR IN CAMERA REVIEW, AND EX PARTE DOCUMENTS
C.D. Ill. — Civil rule
RULE 5.10 SEALED CASES, DOCUMENTS FOR IN CAMERA REVIEW, AND EX PARTE DOCUMENTS
(A) Filing Under Seal.
(1) Sealed Cases.
All documents in sealed cases must be submitted conventionally to the Clerk's Office for filing.
(2) Sealed Documents.
The Court does not approve of the filing of documents under seal as a general matter. A party who has a legal basis for filing a document under seal without prior court order must electronically file a motion for leave to file under seal. The motion must include an explanation of how the document meets the legal standards for filing sealed documents. The document in question may not be attached to the motion as an attachment but rather must be electronically filed contemporaneously using the separate docket event "Sealed Document." In the rare event that the motion itself must be filed under seal, the motion must be electronically filed using the docket event "Sealed Motion."
(3) Service.
Parties must not use the Court's electronic notice facilities to serve documents in sealed cases or individually sealed documents. A publicly viewable Notice of Electronic Filing will be generated for a sealed document, but the document itself will not be viewable electronically. Service must be made in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Local Rules of this Court. A certificate of service must be attached to the filed document.
(4) Denial of Requests to Seal.
In the event that a motion for leave to file under seal is denied, the document tendered will remain under seal, and it will not be considered by the presiding judge for any purpose. If the filer wishes to have the document considered by the Court, it must be re-filed in the normal fashion as an unsealed document. The Court may, in its discretion, order a sealed document to be made public if (1) the document is filed in disregard of legal standards, or (2) if the document is so intricately connected with a pending matter that the interests of justice are best served by doing so.
(B) Documents Submitted for In Camera Review.
The Rules applicable to Sealed Documents also apply to documents submitted for in camera review.
(C) Ex Parte Submissions.
A party who has a legal basis to file a submission without giving notice to other parties should file the submission electronically as either an "Ex Parte Document" or an "Ex Parte Motion."