ENTERED
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COU APR I 4 2003
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF WEST VIR NIA
SAMUELL KAY, CLERK
U. S. District & B· wtry ('p
Southe, tJ ''" ,ct of We·,;•
IN RE: GENERAL ORDER ADDRESSING JUDICIAL CONFERENCE
PRIVACY POLICY REGARDING PUBLIC ACCESS TO
ELECTRONIC CASE FILES
0 R D E R
In compliance with the policy of the Judicial Conference of
the United States, and the E-Government Act of 2002, and in order
to promote electronic access to case files while also protecting
personal privacy and other legitimate interests, parties shall
refrain from including, or shall partially redact where inclusion
is necessary, the following personal data identifiers from all
pleadings filed with the court, including exhibits thereto,
whether filed. electronically or in paper,. unless otherwise .
ordered by the Court.
a. Social Security numbers. If an individual's social
security number must be included in a pleading, only
the last four digits of that number should be used.
b. Names of minor children. If the involvement of a
minor child must be mentioned, only the initials of
that child should be used.
c. Dates of birth. If an individual's date of birth
must be included in a pleading, only the year should be
used.
d. Financial account numbers. If financial account
numbers are relevant, only the last four digits of
these numbers should be used.
In compliance with the E-Government Act of 2002, a party
wishing to file a document containing the personal data
identifiers listed above may file an unredacted document under
seal. This document shall be retained by the court as part of
the record. The court will require the party to file a redacted
copy for the public file.
The responsibility for redacting these personal identifiers
rests solely with counsel and the parties. The Clerk will not
review each pleading for compliance with this rule.
The Clerk of Courts shall forward certified copies of this
order to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts
and to the Clerk's offices of the various divisions within the
Southern District of West Virginia.
ENTER:
DAVID A. FABER
CHIEF JUDGE, U. S. DISTRICT COURT
c\,_,\...\\.~-~
CHARLES H. HADEN II
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
_7,
JOH NHAVER, JR.
UN S DISTRICT JUDGE
ROBERT C. CHAMBERS
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
RO~~
TH V. HALLANAN
ITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
