Submission of Sealed Documents
The Court "heavily disfavor[s] sealing information placed in the judicial record" and discourages such requests. June Med. Servs. L.L.C. v. Phillips, 22 F.4th 512, 520–21 (5th Cir. 2022). The parties may agree between themselves to designate documents "confidential" during discovery. The typical standard there involves the parties asserting whether they want that material in the public domain. But filing that material with the Court under seal is a different matter altogether. See Binh Hoa Le v. Exeter Finance Corp., 990 F.3d 410, 417 (5th Cir. 2021).
A party or parties seeking to file a specific document under seal must: (1) move for leave to do so; (2) brief the legal authorities indicating the risks of disclosure outweigh the public’s right to know; and (3) explain that no other viable alternative to sealing exists. See Planned Parenthood of Greater Tex. Family Planning & Preventative Health Servs., Inc. v. Kaufman, No. 1750535, Doc. 00514098372, at 2 (5th Cir. Aug. 1, 2017). All facts recited in any such motion must be verified by the oath or declaration of a person or persons with personal knowledge. See United States v. Edwards, 823 F.2d 111, 119 (5th Cir. 1987). Parties should not seek to file under seal publicly available information. June Med. Servs., 22 F.4th at 521. If any party wishes to submit "confidential" information to the Court, the submission must be filed only in a motion to file under seal.
Submission of Proposed Orders
All motions require a proposed order that must be emailed to Kacsmaryk_Orders@txnd.uscourts.gov and must be in a Word format (not PDF). The subject line of the email must include the case number and the document number of the referenced motion.
Standard of Dress Pursuant to LR 83.16 and LCrR 53.2
The following attire is prohibited in the courtroom: shorts, flip flops, tank tops, halter tops, T-shirts with graphic writing, hats, sunglasses, and tights/athletic wear.
