Rule 21.6.Redaction of Protected Identifiers and Filings Under Seal

Rule 21.6 solves a narrower problem than the rest of Rule 21: not whether to close off a whole file, but how to keep specific sensitive information out of the public record while still filing the rest normally. It starts by pointing to OCGA § 9-11-7.1 to define what counts as a protected identifier in the first place.

Family violence and stalking protective orders get their own dedicated process. Any protected identifiers needed to enter the order into the Georgia Protective Order Registry or the National Crime Information Center get placed on a separate page at the end of the order. The clerk uses that page to process the order and then seals it in the case file without needing a separate court order to do so — and it stays sealed unless a court orders otherwise or the law requires disclosure.

For everything else — a filing that would otherwise expose protected identifiers, or one that carries other personal or confidential information — the rule sets a two-step filing process. The filer first puts a redacted version on the public record, then goes directly to the court with the unredacted copy and a proposed order to file it under seal. That sequence keeps the public docket intact while giving the court a clean path to authorize the sealed, complete version.