Federal courts
Fed. R. Civ. P. 5.2 · Fed. R. Crim. P. 49.1 · Fed. R. Bankr. P. 9037 · Fed. R. App. P. 25(a)(5)
The federal privacy rules share one standard across civil, criminal, bankruptcy, and appellate practice. Unless the court orders otherwise, a filing that contains any of the items below may show only the limited portion listed. The clerk does not review filings for compliance — the responsibility rests entirely with the filer.
Civil, bankruptcy, and appellate cases
| Information | What may remain |
|---|
| Social Security number | Last four digits |
| Taxpayer-ID number | Last four digits |
| Birth date | Year of birth only |
| Name of a minor | The minor's initials |
| Financial-account number | Last four digits |
Criminal cases add one item
Under Rule 49.1, criminal filings carry the five categories above plus the home address of an individual — of which only the city and state may remain.
Note: The federal rules keep two things unredacted: a filing may still show the financial-account number that is the subject of the action, and (in forfeiture cases) the property that is the subject of the action.
Local rules go further
Individual districts add their own CM/ECF privacy requirements on top of the national rules — for example the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York each publish ECF filing rules and privacy guidance. Always check the local rules and the assigned judge's individual practices for the district you file in.
Official text:
FRCP 5.2 ·
FRCrimP 49.1 ·
FRBP 9037 ·
FRAP 25(a)(5) ·
U.S. Courts CM/ECF privacy policy
New York State
22 NYCRR § 202.5(e) — Omission or Redaction of Confidential Personal Information
In New York Supreme and County Court, Rule 202.5(e) has required omission or redaction of "confidential personal information" (CPI) since March 1, 2015, in both e-filed and paper cases. The filer certifies redaction when filing through NYSCEF.
| Information | What may remain |
|---|
| Taxpayer-ID / Social Security number | Last four digits |
| Birth date | Year of birth only |
| Full name of a minor | The minor's initials |
| Financial-account numberbank, credit/debit card, investment | Last four digits or letters |
Rule 202.5(e) does not apply to matrimonial actions, Surrogate's Court proceedings, or Mental Hygiene Law article 81 proceedings, which are governed separately. A party may move under § 202.5(e)(3) to file an unredacted document where the court needs the CPI.
Official text and forms:
Rule 202.5(e) (NYSCEF) ·
Redaction forms ·
Redaction cover page
California
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1.201 — Protection of privacy
Rule 1.201 requires parties and their attorneys to exclude or redact certain identifiers from papers filed in the court's public file, in paper or electronic form. As with the federal and New York rules, the clerk does not review filings — the responsibility rests solely with the filer.
| Information | What may remain |
|---|
| Social Security number | Last four digits |
| Financial-account number | Last four digits |
Where the identifier is required, a party may (on a showing of good cause and a court order) file a Confidential Reference List of Identifiers, form MC-120. Family, juvenile, and other case types carry additional redaction rules — check the rules for your case type.
Official text:
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 1.201 ·
Form MC-120
Other states and courts
Most states now have a privacy or redaction rule for court filings, and many mirror the federal "last four digits / year of birth / minor's initials" standard — but the categories, the case-type exceptions, and what portion may remain vary.
- Some courts let the last four digits of an account or ID stay so a docket remains readable; others require nothing at all to remain.
- Whether a company's account or tax numbers must be redacted — as opposed to an individual's — differs between courts.
- Family, juvenile, probate, and sealed matters almost always carry stricter, separate rules.
Find your court's rule through the state judiciary's website (search for "redaction" or "privacy" in the rules of court or e-filing rules), the local district or county court's local rules, and the assigned judge's individual practices.
Setting Case Linker to match your court
Case Linker's redaction settings are a list of what a document might contain, not a statement of what your court requires. Read your court's rule, then open Case Linker › Settings › Redaction and set each item to match:
- Turn on the identifier types your court treats as confidential.
- For each, choose whether the last four figures may stay showing or nothing showing — to match what your court allows on the public record.
- Add your own terms — a client, a witness, a minor's name, an address the rule reaches — under your list. That is the only part of a sweep that knows about your specific case.
Case Linker proposes; you decide. Nothing is ever removed from an original — redacted copies are written into a separate Redacted folder. No automated sweep finds everything: read every page before you file.