Rule 90.2.Sealing records

On the motion of a party subject to the court's jurisdiction, or of any other person who may be affected, the court may order sealed all or part of the legal and social files, the records of the court, and any private or confidential records of a party — if it determines that sealing is in the best interest of the party or person affected.

Who may ask. Not only the parties. Anyone who may be affected can move, which matters in a court where the person with the most to lose from disclosure — a child, a relative, a witness — is often not a party at all.

What may be sealed. Legal files, social files, court records and private records, in whole or in part. The partial option is the one usually reached for: a single evaluation or medical record can be sealed without closing the rest.

Sealing sits on top of Rule 90.1, which has already made these files private. This rule is for the material that should not be seen even by those the earlier rule lets in.