3d Cir. L.A.R. Misc. 113.12

(a) Parties, counsel, or other persons filing any document, whether electronically or in

paper, must refrain from including, or must partially redact where inclusion is necessary, the

following personal data identifiers from all documents filed with the court, including exhibits

thereto, whether filed electronically or in paper, unless otherwise ordered by the court:

(1) Social Security numbers. If an individual’s Social Security number must be

included, only the last four digits of that number should be used.

(2) Names of minor children. If the involvement of a minor child must be

mentioned, only the initials of that child should be used.

(3) Dates of birth. If an individual’s date of birth must be included, only the year

should be used.

(4) Financial account numbers. If financial account numbers are relevant, only

the last four digits of these numbers should be used.

(5) Home addresses. In criminal cases, if a home address must be included, only

the city and state should be listed.

(b) In compliance with the E-Government Act of 2002, a party wishing to file a

document containing the personal data identifiers listed above may:

(1) File an un-redacted version of the document under seal, or

(2) File a reference list under seal. The reference list must contain the complete

personal data identifier(s) and the redacted identifier(s) used in its (their) place in the filing. All

references in the case to the redacted identifiers included in the reference list will be construed to

refer to the corresponding complete personal data identifier. The reference list must be filed

under seal, and may be amended as of right.

(c) The un-redacted version of the document or the reference list must be retained by the

court as part of the record. The court may, however, still require the party to file a redacted copy

for the public file.

(d) The responsibility for redacting these personal identifiers rests solely with the party,

counsel, or other person filing the document. The clerk will not review each pleading for

compliance with this rule.

Table of Contents

Source: Model Local Rules

Cross Reference: Judicial Conference Policy on Privacy and Public Access to

Electronic Case Files

Comments: It is each filer’s responsibility to redact information from

documents submitted by the filer. Documents containing

prohibited personal identifiers must be redacted by the parties so as

not to include un-redacted Social Security numbers, financial

account numbers, names of minor children, or dates of birth. In

criminal cases, home addresses also must be redacted. Information

should be provided in shortened form, rather than completely

omitted, with Social Security numbers represented as XXX-XX-

1234, financial account numbers reduced to the last four digits,

names of minor children represented as initials, dates of birth

represented by year, and home addresses listed only by city and

state.

Parties should consult the “Guidance for Implementation of the

Judicial Conference Policy on Privacy and Public Access to

Electronic Criminal Case Files.” This Guidance explains the policy

permitting remote public access to electronic criminal case file

documents and sets forth redaction and sealing requirements for

documents that are filed. The Guidance also lists documents for

which public access should not be provided. A copy of the

Guidance is available at the court’s website. For further

information on privacy issues, see the Judicial Conference policies

on privacy and public access to documents filed in civil, criminal,

and bankruptcy cases, as well as section 205(c) of the E-Government Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-347, 116 Stat. 2899,

2914, as amended by Pub. L. No. 108-281, 118 Stat. 889 (2004).