Federal Court Redaction Requirements
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 requires redaction of the following from court filings:
Show only last 4 digits
Show only last 4 digits
Show only the year
Use initials only
Show only last 4 digits
Legal Document Types
Court Filings
Complaints, motions, briefs, and pleadings.
Discovery Documents
Interrogatories, depositions, document productions.
Exhibits
Financial records, medical records, contracts.
Affidavits
Witness statements and declarations.
Settlement Agreements
Confidential terms and financial details.
Subpoena Responses
Third-party document productions.
Redaction Best Practices
✓ Do
- • Verify redactions are permanent
- • Check all pages including exhibits
- • Review metadata for hidden text
- • Maintain privilege log for redacted items
- • Keep unredacted copies secure
✗ Don't
- • Use black highlight (can be removed)
- • Assume scanned PDFs are safe
- • Forget OCR text layers
- • Over-redact and lose relevant info
- • Skip quality review before filing
Why Lawyers Choose SafeRedact
AI Detection
Automatically finds SSNs, account numbers, and other PII across hundreds of pages.
True Redaction
Permanently removes data from all PDF layers—not just visual overlay.
Fast Review
Review AI suggestions and apply with one click. Hours of work in minutes.
⚠️ Professional Responsibility Note
Attorneys have ethical obligations to protect client confidentiality. SafeRedact is a tool to assist with redaction—counsel remains responsible for verifying all PII is properly redacted before filing. Always review AI suggestions and check local court rules for specific redaction requirements.