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TRANSCRIPT REDACTION POLICY

Judicial Conference policy requires courts that provide electronic access to court records via the Public 

Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system to also provide such access to transcripts of court 

proceedings. Prior to being made electronically available from a remote location, however, the transcripts 

must conform to RCFC 5.2. The following procedures apply to these policy requirements. 

I. ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC TRANSCRIPTS

(1) A transcript provided to the court by a court reporter or transcriber will be available at the office of 

the clerk of court for inspection only for a period of 90 days (unless extended by the court) after it is 

delivered to the clerk. 

(2) During the 90-day restriction period: 

• the clerk’s office may not make a copy of the transcript; 

• the transcript will be available within the court for internal use;

• a copy of the transcript may be purchased from the court reporter or transcriber; and

• an attorney of record or other filing user in the case who purchases the transcript from the court 

reporter or transcriber may obtain remote electronic access to the transcript through the court’s 

Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system for purposes of creating hyperlinks 

to the transcript in court filings and for other purposes.

(3) During the 90-day restriction period, access to the transcript in CM/ECF is restricted to four types of 

users: 

• court staff;

• public terminal users;

• attorneys of record or other filing users in the case who have purchased the transcript from the 

court reporter or transcriber; and

• other persons as directed by the court. 

(4) After the 90-day restriction period has ended, the filed transcript will be available for inspection and 

copying in the clerk’s office and for download from the court’s CM/ECF system through the 

judiciary’s PACER system. The transcript copy filed with the clerk of court may be reproduced 

without compensation to the court reporter or transcriber under the same terms and conditions that 

any other official public document in the case file may be reproduced. 

(5) The requirement to provide a certified transcript (whether in paper or electronic format, as determined 

by the court) to the clerk for the records of the court is unaffected. 

II. REDACTION OF ELECTRONIC TRANSCRIPTS

(6) Once a transcript is provided to the court, the attorneys in the case are (or, where there is a selfrepresented party, the party is) required to review the transcript to redact personal information 

covered by RCFC 5.2. An attorney or party in the case may review the transcript for redaction

purposes either by purchasing a copy from the court reporter or transcriber or by inspecting the 

transcript at the courthouse using the public terminal.

(7) Within 7 calendar days after the clerk files the official transcript in CM/ECF, a party must file a

Notice of Intent to Request Redaction. If a party does not file notice during the 7-day period, the 

court will assume that redaction of personal data is not necessary. The transcript will remain 

restricted during the 90-day period even if no notice is filed. 
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(8) Within 21 days after the clerk files the official transcript in CM/ECF, the party must submit a 

redaction request to the official transcriber. The redaction request must list the places in the transcript 

where personal information to be redacted appears. During the 21-day period, the transcript will be 

available for inspection at the court's public terminal or for purchase from the court reporter or 

transcriber but will not be available remotely to the public on PACER or for copying from the court's 

public terminal until the 90-day restriction period has ended. 

(9) These procedures are limited to the redaction of the specific personal data identifiers listed in 

RCFC 5.2. During the 21-day period, or longer if the court so orders, a party may move the court for 

additional redactions to the transcript. If a party desires to respond to a motion for additional 

redaction, the court may establish a briefing schedule. The transcript will not be made available on 

the internet until the court has ruled on any such motion. 

(10) If a redaction request is not submitted within 21 calendar days (where the party has filed a Notice of 

Intent to Request Redaction), the court may enter an Order to Show Cause or an order directing the 

clerk to withdraw the Notice of Intent.

(11) Within 31 calendar days after the filing of the transcript, or longer if the court so orders, the court 

reporter or transcriber must perform the requested redactions and submit a redacted version of the 

transcript for filing in CM/ECF. 

Policy Notes: 

(12) This policy applies to transcripts made available via CM/ECF and PACER. It does not affect in any 

way the obligation of the court reporter or transcriber, pursuant to Judicial Conference policy, to 

promptly deliver to the clerk of court the court reporter’s or transcriber’s original records of a 

proceeding or the inclusion of a transcript with the records of the court. 

(13) Nothing in this policy changes any rules or policies with respect to sealing or redaction of court 

records for any other purpose. 

(14) This policy does not affect or limit the right of any party (or any other person or entity) to order 

production of a transcript on an expedited basis. This policy does not affect any court rules or ruling 

requiring the sealing of materials or the protection of sealed materials. 

(15) Extensions of time to comply with the deadlines set forth in this policy will not be routinely granted, 

due to the potential for delay of court of appeals proceedings in the event redaction procedures extend 

beyond 31 days. 

Questions - Please direct all questions concerning this policy to the Office of the Clerk at (202) 357-6406.