Beginning July 1, 2016, all courts and offices of a circuit or chancery clerk that maintain electronic storage or electronic filing of documents, as defined under section 9-1-51 of the Mississippi Code, and make those documents accessible online must conform with the privacy provisions of the Administrative Procedures for Mississippi Electronic Courts—specifically, Sections 5 and 9 therein.
Rule 5.1.Privacy Protection for Filings Made with the Court
Chapter II: Commencement of Action: Service of Process, Pleadings, Motions, and Orders · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 5.1 requires courts and circuit or chancery clerk's offices that maintain electronic filing or storage and make those records accessible online to conform with the privacy provisions found in Sections 5 and 9 of the Administrative Procedures for Mississippi Electronic Courts.
Full Text of Rule 5.1
Plain-English Summary
Rule 5.1 is a short rule with a narrow trigger. It applies beginning July 1, 2016, and only to courts and offices of a circuit or chancery clerk that maintain electronic storage or electronic filing of documents and make those documents accessible online. A court or clerk's office that keeps records only on paper, or that stores electronic records without making them accessible online, falls outside what this rule requires.
Rather than spell out its own privacy standard, Rule 5.1 points to a separate document — the Administrative Procedures for Mississippi Electronic Courts — and specifically to Sections 5 and 9 of it. Anyone trying to understand what privacy protections apply to a given court's online-accessible filings needs to consult that administrative document directly; Rule 5.1 itself is the pointer, not the standard.
The rule ties naturally to the broader move toward electronic filing addressed elsewhere in these rules, including the Mississippi Electronic Court System referenced in Rule 5. As more courts make case records searchable online, Rule 5.1 is the provision that keeps privacy protections attached to that access rather than left to develop court by court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rule 5.1 apply to every Mississippi court?
No. By its own terms it applies only to courts and offices of a circuit or chancery clerk that maintain electronic storage or electronic filing of documents and make those documents accessible online.
What privacy standard does Rule 5.1 set out on its own?
Rule 5.1 doesn't state its own standard. It requires conformity with the privacy provisions in Sections 5 and 9 of the Administrative Procedures for Mississippi Electronic Courts, a separate administrative document.
When did Rule 5.1 take effect?
The rule applies beginning July 1, 2016.
How does Rule 5.1 relate to the Mississippi Electronic Court System?
It applies to the same kind of electronic filing and storage infrastructure that Rule 5 references when a court adopts the Mississippi Electronic Court System by local rule, focusing specifically on the privacy of records made accessible online.
Where do I find the actual privacy requirements Rule 5.1 refers to?
In Sections 5 and 9 of the Administrative Procedures for Mississippi Electronic Courts, which is a separate document from the rule itself.
Source & verification. Rule text and Advisory Committee Notes are
reproduced verbatim from the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Mississippi. Last verified July 14, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: mississippi electronic filing privacy rulemec privacy protections mississippi court recordsrule 5.1 mississippi civil procedureonline court records privacy mississippicircuit clerk electronic filing privacy