USDCNH Clerk's Office Preamble: The Judicial Conference of the United States has requested that each district post the notice below in anticipation of electronic case filings in criminal cases. The notice is a suggestion, not a rule, and recommends a course of action that the district presumes attorneys follow in the regular course. Please note that while this notice recommends counsel consider filing a motion to seal when submitting documents containing any of the sensitive information identified below, such a request must still satisfy the requirements necessary to justify sealing the document as well as the requirements of LR 83.11.

NOTICE OF ELECTRONIC AVAILABILITY OF CRIMINAL CASE FILE DOCUMENTS

Please be informed that documents will be filed electronically, and available to the public over the Internet, in all criminal cases filed in this district after January 1, 2005.

You should not include sensitive personal information, as outlined below, in any document filed with the court. You must remember that any personal information not otherwise protected will be made available over the Internet via WebPACER. Pursuant to LR 8.1, the following personal data identifiers must be partially redacted from the document whether it is filed traditionally or electronically: Social Security numbers to the last four digits; financial account numbers to the last four digits; names of minor children to the initials; and dates of birth to the year. In compliance with the E-Government Act of 2002 and LR 8.1, a party may file under seal an unredacted copy of the pleading or a reference sheet containing a key to the redacted personal identifiers. This document shall be retained by the court as part of the record.

Because filings will be remotely, electronically available and may contain information implicating not only privacy but also personal security concerns, exercise caution when filing a document that contains any of the following information and consider accompanying any such filing with a motion to seal. Until the court has ruled on any motion to seal, no document that is the subject of a motion to seal, nor the motion itself or any response thereto, will be available electronically or in paper form.

1. any personal identifying number, such as driver's license number;
2. medical records, treatment and diagnosis;
3. employment history;
4. individual financial information;
5. proprietary or trade secret information;
6. information regarding an individual's cooperation with the government;
7. information regarding the victim of any criminal activity;
8. national security information;
9. sensitive security information as described in 49 U.S.C. § 114(s); and
10. the home address of any witness, victim or member of law enforcement.

Counsel is strongly urged to share this notice with all clients so that an informed decision about the inclusion of certain materials may be made. If a redacted document is filed, it is the sole responsibility of counsel and the parties to be sure that all documents and pleadings comply with the rules of this court requiring redaction of personal data identifiers. The clerk will not review filings for redaction.

New Civil Cover Sheet

Please note that the civil cover sheet, also known as the JS 44, has been modified to include five (5) new nature of suit codes. You should begin using the new civil cover sheet for all civil cases filed after January 1, 2005. This new form is now available in a fillable PDF format on our web page at www.nhd.uscourts.gov. To access the document, click on "Case Processing" on the left navigation bar, select "Frequently Used Forms" on the next page, and under the "Civil Forms" section select "Civil Cover Sheet." Remember, if you have PDF conversion software you can save this and all our fillable forms onto your own computer and submit them electronically through ECF.

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