UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS
STANDING PROCEDURAL CIVIL ORDER RE: SEALING COURT DOCUMENTS
May 15, 2015
Saris, U.S.D.J.
Generally speaking, the Court DENIES motions to seal
memoranda and attachments in their entirety on the ground that a
presumption of openness governs court filings. However, a party
may redact a public filing and seek to file under seal truly
confidential matters. Any motion to seal shall be supported by an
affidavit by a person explaining the need for the sealing. The
docket clerk shall not seal any document that does not contain
this affidavit.
The party seeking redaction in a court filing must have good
cause for asserting confidentiality beyond mere agreement of the
parties to a designation of confidentiality for a particular
document or deposition under a protective order. The attorney
for the party seeking protection for the redacted material shall
be subject to Fed. R. Civ. P. 11. If the party seeking
protection is not the party filing the document, where feasible,
the parties shall confer prior to filing the document on the
public docket.
In the event of dispute, or inability to confer in a
meaningful way beforehand, the full memorandum with the
confidential information shall be filed under seal pending the
preparation of a redacted document to be filed publicly or
resolution of the dispute. Any such redacted document shall be
filed within seven (7) working days of filing the sealed
document. When a document is under seal, the party shall file a
courtesy paper copy of the complete unredacted document filed in
connection with a contested matter. The Court instructs the Clerk
to unseal the sealed document if no timely redacted document or
motion to resolve dispute is filed.
/s/ Patti B. Saris
PATTI B. SARIS
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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