Opinion ID: 1581877
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: New Subdivision (f), Request to Determine Confidentiality of Court Records in Criminal Cases

Text: Subdivision (f) is new and provides the procedures for requesting a confidentiality determination for criminal trial and appellate court records. The new subdivision is the culmination of suggestions, which were intended to protect the identities of confidential informants, made by the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association and the Florida Public Defender Association in the original sealing case, [26] the subsequent joint work of the RJA and CPR Committees, the alternative proposal of the Access Committee, and later suggestions by the Consolidated Rules Committee. The more restrictive subdivision (f)(3) procedures we adopt here balance the established policy of protecting from public disclosure information that reveals the identity of a confidential informant or concerns an active criminal investigation [27] with the public's constitutional right to access to court records. Under subdivisions (f)(1) and (f)(2), the subdivision (e) procedures for noncriminal trial court records and subdivision (g) procedures for noncriminal appellate court records apply to the majority of motions to determine the confidentiality of court records in criminal cases. The exception is the narrow set of records governed by the more restrictive subdivision (f)(3) procedures. The Court revised the proposals submitted by the committees to ensure that the more restrictive procedures that apply under this subdivision are narrowly applied. As revised, the restrictive procedures apply to requests to determine the confidentiality of criminal court records that pertain to a plea agreement, substantial assistance agreement, or other court record that reveals the identity of a confidential informant or active criminal investigative information. A subdivision (f)(3) motion must be based on a request for confidentiality under subdivisions (c)(9)(A)(i) (confidentiality required to prevent a serious and imminent threat to administration of justice), (c)(9)(A)(iii) (confidentiality required to protect a compelling governmental interest), [28] (c)(9)(A)(v) (confidentiality required to avoid substantial injury to innocent third parties), or (c)(9)(A)(vii) (confidentiality required to comply with established public policy) of the rule. Information that is the subject of a subdivision (f)(3) motion must be treated as confidential by the clerk pending a ruling on the motion. At the urging of the Consolidated Rules Committee, with the support of the Access Subcommittee and the Florida Public Defender Association, we have included a provision that requires that a subdivision (f)(3) motion be treated as confidential pending a ruling on the motion or until otherwise ordered by the court. Cf. §§ 119.071(2)(c); 119.071(2)(f); 119.0714(1)(f), Fla. Stat. (2009). However, we reject the suggestion that the motion and the court records that are the subject of the motion must not be indicated on the public docket. If filings that are subject to this subdivision are not noted on the docket, the result would be a false docket, by omission. We have previously explained our condemnation of prior practices that resulted in reports of hidden cases and secret dockets. In re Amends. to Fla. Rule of Jud. Admin. 2.420Sealing of Court Records & Dockets, 954 So.2d at 16. Therefore, consistent with new subdivision (f)(4), which cautions that this subdivision does not authorize the falsification of court records or progress dockets, [29] we have added language that requires the motion and any filings containing information that is the subject of the motion to be indicated on the public docket. The filings must be indicated in a manner that does not reveal the confidential nature of the information. To ensure that the motion, which must be indicated on the docket by generic title, can be docketed without revealing the nature of the motion, the motion must be titled Motion to Determine Confidentiality of Court Records, as are other motions to seal filed under the rule. The subdivision (e)(3)(A)-(G) (requirements for orders granting motion), (e)(6) (sanctions), [30] and (g)(7) (lower tribunal may revisit appellate court's sealing order) procedures apply under subdivision (f)(3). However, the subdivision (e)(1) (requirements for motion), (e)(2) (requirements for hearing, record of hearing, public notice of hearing, time for ruling), (e)(3)(H) (publishing order), (e)(4) (notice of order), and (e)(5) (motion to unseal) procedures do not apply. For subdivision (f)(3) motions filed in the trial court, unless the parties agree to the relief requested, the hearing on the motion must be held within fifteen days of the filing of the motion. We have added the requirement that the hearing must be an open proceeding, but any person may request that the court conduct all or part of the hearing in camera to protect subdivision (c)(9)(A) interests. A motion under this subdivision may be filed in an appellate court with respect to a record for which no confidentiality determination has been made by the lower tribunal. We also have endorsed provisions that will ensure that both the trial and appellate courts must issue a ruling on the motion expeditiously. A trial court must rule within ten days of the hearing on a contested motion or within ten days of the filing of an agreed-upon motion. An appellate court must rule within ten days of the filing of a response on a contested motion or within ten days of the filing of an uncontested motion. The records cannot be sealed, under the restrictive procedures, for longer than is necessary to achieve the objective of the motion and never longer than 120 days. Extensions for up to sixty days may be requested by filing another motion under the subdivision. Orders issued under the subdivision will not be published unless directed by the court and will be indicated on the docket only by noting the entry of the order.