Harris County District Courts Sealing & Redaction Procedures

5 rules from official source documents

Procedures for filing sealed or redacted documents, including required motions and formats.

CRITICALCivil cases

Parties seeking to seal court records must comply with Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a.

If the parties are seeking an order that would provide that any documents filed in the records of the court shall be sealed and not open to the public, then the parties must comply with Texas Rule Civil Procedure 76a.

Judge Kyle Carter

WARNING

Exhibits should be redacted before being offered; exhibits redacted after admission are marked as 'A' exhibits with the unredacted original kept by the court reporter, and any offered exhibit must be tendered to the court reporter.

Redactions should be made prior to the exhibit being offered. Exhibits redacted after the exhibit is admitted (subject to redaction or without initial objection) are to be marked as an “A” exhibit and the original, unredacted exhibit is kept by the court reporter for the record. Once an exhibit is offered (even if not admitted), it must be tendered to the court reporter.

Judge Cheryl Elliott Thornton

WARNINGCivil cases

Confidential matters in withdrawal motions may be filed under seal.

Matters which are confidential may be filed under seal.

Judge Michael Gomez

INFO

Confidential information (such as reasons for withdrawal) may be filed under seal.

Matters which are confidential may be filed under seal.

Judge Latosha Lewis Payne

INFO

Confidential matters included in a motion to withdraw may be filed under seal.

Confidential matters may be filed under seal.

Judge Lauren Reeder

Common questions about Harris County District Courts sealing & redaction procedures

How does Harris County District Courts handle sealed or redacted filings?

Judge Kyle Carter: Parties seeking to seal court records must comply with Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a.

View rule Official source Source: page 1, section PROTECTIVE ORDERS

Judge Cheryl Elliott Thornton: Exhibits should be redacted before being offered; exhibits redacted after admission are marked as 'A' exhibits with the unredacted original kept by the court reporter, and any offered exhibit must be tendered to the court reporter.

View rule Official source Source: page 1, section COURT DECORUM

Judge Michael Gomez: Confidential matters in withdrawal motions may be filed under seal.

View rule Official source Source: page 1, section XII. Motions to Withdraw as Attorney of Record

2 more rules answer this question.

Related categories

Back to all rules for this court

Page & Word Limits

Maximum page counts and word limits for motions, briefs, and other filings by judge.

Courtesy Copy Requirements

When and how to deliver courtesy copies to chambers, including triggers, timing, and formatting.

Electronic Filing Rules

Electronic filing requirements, permitted filing channels, EFSP portals, and exceptions.

Filing Timing and Cure Windows

Filing cutoffs, deemed-filed rules, rejection handling, cure periods, and outage procedures.