Guide § 12: Privacy Protection and Redactions

In accordance with Fed. R. App. P. 25(a)(5), registered attorneys must redact all documents, including briefs, consistent with the privacy policy of the Judicial Conference of the United States. Required redactions include social security numbers and taxpayer identification numbers (the filer shall include only the last four digits of a social security or tax identification number), birth dates (use year of birth only), minors' names (initials may be used), and financial account numbers (except those identifying property allegedly subject to forfeiture in a forfeiture proceeding). It is the responsibility of the filer to redact pleadings appropriately. Pursuant to the privacy policy of the Judicial Conference and applicable statutory provisions, remote electronic access to immigration and social security dockets is limited to the attorneys in the case who are registered in ECF. In this regard, the clerk will restrict electronic public access in these cases to judges, court staff, and the parties and attorneys in the appeal or agency proceeding. The court will not restrict access to orders and opinions in these cases. Parties seeking to restrict access to orders and opinions must file a motion explaining why that relief is required in a given case.