Prof. Kirtley Praises Federal Judge's Policy on Sealing Court Records

Professor Jane Kirtley was quoted in a story in the Daily Report concerning Federal District Judge J. Owen Forrester's new case management policy forbidding lawyers in civil cases to file any sealed documents, even if the parties have agreed to confidentiality. Requests to seal must be filed directly with the judge, and only a "very good cause" will justify secrecy. Professor Kirtley observed, "If parties decide they are going to settle their dispute in a federal court of law, one of the obligations is that they have to proceed in public."