The following privacy rules shall apply to all pleadings and documents filed in all criminal actions in the county courts of Nebraska.
§ 6-1466.Protection of personal and financial information in criminal records.
Article 14: Uniform County Court Rules of Practice and Procedure · Last amended January 1, 2022 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis rule limits Social Security numbers, birth dates, minors’ names, and financial account numbers in Nebraska criminal filings to partial, non-identifying references, while exempting defendant identity information, providing separate victim-information protections, and allowing sealed or reference-list filings.
Full Text of § 6-1466
(A) Redacted Filings. In any filing with the court that contains an individual's Social Security number; a taxpayer identification number; a birth date; the name of an individual known to be a minor; or a financial account number, a party or nonparty making the filing may include only, unless otherwise ordered by the court:
(1) a reference to Social Security number or taxpayer identification number (no digits);
(2) the year of the individual's birth;
(3) a minor child's initials;
(4) the last four digits of a financial account number.
(B) Exemptions. The redaction requirement does not apply to the following:
(1) the date of birth of a defendant or person subject to detention;
(2) the name of a defendant or person subject to detention;
(3) a financial account number or real property address that identifies the account or property allegedly subject to forfeiture in a forfeiture proceeding;
(4) the record of an administrative or agency proceeding;
(5) the record of a court or tribunal, if that record was not subject to this rule when originally filed;
(6) a filing covered by § 6-1466(D).
(C) Victim Information. Personal identifying information, other than a victim's name, shall be prevented from being disclosed on pleadings and documents filed in criminal actions that may be available to the public. Victims eligible for protection are defined in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 29-119. The Crime Victim Information Form, as set forth in Appendix 10 shall:
(1) be completed by the County Attorney (or deputy) at initial filing;
(2) be separately tendered with any such pleading or other document, pursuant to Neb. Ct. R. § 2-210;
(3) always have the following language visible, "THIS DOCUMENT IS CONFIDENTIAL AND SHALL NOT BE PART OF THE COURT FILE OR PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC PURSUANT TO N.R.S.81-1848." The clerk of the court shall keep the document separate from the case file but accessible to the judges and court staff. The data contained therein may be reproduced or stored in JUSTICE or other court case management system. Such document, image, or data shall be electronically marked and shall not be accessible or viewable by the public.
The personal identifying information identified in Crime Victim Information Form, Appendix 10, shall not be included in any court order or judgment.
(D) Filings Made Under Seal. The court may, on its own motion or for good cause shown, order that a filing be made under seal without redaction. See Neb. Ct. R. § 2-210. The court may later unseal the filing or order the person who made the filing to file a redacted version for the public record.
(E) Protective Orders. For good cause, the court may by order in a case:
(1) require redaction of additional information; or
(2) limit or prohibit a nonparty's access to a document filed with the court.
(F) Option for Additional Unredacted Filing Under Seal. A person making a redacted filing may also file an unredacted copy under seal. The court shall retain the unredacted copy as part of the record, under seal. The person making the filing shall follow the procedures set forth in § 2-210.
(G) Option for Filing a Reference List. A filing that contains information set forth as provided by § 6-1466(A) may be filed together with a reference list that identifies each item of redacted information and specifies an appropriate identifier that uniquely corresponds to each item listed. The reference list shall be filed under seal and may be amended as of right. The court shall retain the reference list as part of the record, under seal. Any reference in the case to a listed identifier will be construed to refer to the corresponding item of information as stated on the reference list.
(H) The responsibility for redacting information set forth in § 6-1466(A) rests solely with counsel of record. The clerk of the court shall not be required to review documents for compliance with this rule. If a clerk of the court identifies a violation of this rule, the clerk may, at his or her option, provide a redacted document for public access. However, the clerk electing to provide a redacted copy for public access shall maintain the original document without any alterations thereof, which document shall only be available to the court and to the parties or counsel of record.
Amendment History
§ 6-1466 adopted February 27, 2013; § 6-1466 amended September 16, 2015; § 6-1466 amended June 9, 2021, effective January 1, 2022; § 6-1466 amended November 17, 2021, effective January 1, 2022.
Plain-English Summary
Criminal case files are public once charges are filed, which raises the same privacy concerns as civil files for anyone whose sensitive information turns up in the paperwork. This rule sets the default: a filing that would otherwise include a Social Security or taxpayer identification number, a birth date, a minor’s name, or a financial account number may include only a bare reference to the number, the year of birth, a minor’s initials, or the account number’s last four digits, unless the court orders otherwise. Certain filings fall outside this redaction requirement altogether, including a defendant’s or detained person’s own name and birth date, account or property identifiers needed in a forfeiture proceeding, and records from administrative or other-court proceedings that were not subject to this rule when first filed.
Crime victims get separate, stronger protection. Personal identifying information other than a victim’s name has to stay off any pleading or document that could reach the public, using the Crime Victim Information Form completed by the county attorney at the initial filing, tendered separately, marked confidential, and kept apart from the case file though available to judges and court staff — and none of that information may appear in a court order or judgment.
The rule also gives courts and filers added flexibility. A court can order a filing made entirely under seal without redaction, for good cause or on its own motion, and can later unseal it or require a redacted public version. A person making a redacted filing can also submit an unredacted copy under seal as part of the record, or file a sealed reference list that ties each redacted item to a unique identifier so later references in the case still make sense. As with the civil version of this rule, responsibility for redacting rests with counsel of record, not the clerk, though a clerk who spots a violation may provide a redacted copy for public access while preserving the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What information must be redacted from a criminal filing in county court?
Where a filing would include a Social Security or taxpayer identification number, a birth date, a minor’s name, or a financial account number, only a bare reference, the birth year, the minor’s initials, or the last four digits of the account number may appear, unless the court orders otherwise.
Does a defendant’s own birth date and name have to be redacted?
No. The rule specifically exempts the date of birth and name of a defendant or person subject to detention from the redaction requirement.
How is a crime victim’s identifying information protected in a criminal filing?
Through the Crime Victim Information Form, completed by the county attorney and filed separately from the case, marked confidential, kept apart from the case file, and never included in a court order or judgment, except that the victim’s name itself is not required to be withheld.
Can I file an unredacted document if the full information is still needed in the record?
Yes. A person making a redacted filing may also file an unredacted copy under seal, which the court retains as part of the sealed record.
What is a reference list, and how does it work with redaction?
It is a sealed filing that identifies each item of redacted information and assigns it a unique identifier; any later reference in the case to that identifier is read as referring back to the corresponding protected information.
Who is responsible for redacting personal information in a criminal filing?
Counsel of record bears that responsibility. The clerk is not required to review filings for compliance, though a clerk who identifies a violation may provide a redacted copy for public access while keeping the unaltered original available only to the court and counsel.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Judicial Branch, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Nebraska. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: redact ssn criminal case nebraskacrime victim information form appendix 10reference list redaction criminal filingseal criminal filing county court nebraskaprotect defendant birth date court record