What Does Redacted Mean in Law? Court Rules, FOIA and How to Read Redactions

Last reviewed: October 6, 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice. These are the federal rules; state courts and state public-records laws have their own versions, so check the rules for your court or agency.

You open a court filing or a government record and find whole lines covered in black boxes. It can feel like something is being hidden from you, and sometimes it is, for reasons the law specifically allows. Knowing why text was removed tells you a lot about what you're reading.

Short answer: What does redacted mean in law? A redacted document has had certain information hidden or removed before it is shared, filed or made public, while the rest stays readable. In the US, redactions usually come from three sources: court privacy rules (like Social Security numbers), Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) exemptions for government records, and claims of privilege during lawsuits.

Privacy redactions in court filings

Federal courts make most filings available to the public, so the rules require personal identifiers to be trimmed before filing.

Civil cases (FRCP 5.2). You may include only the last four digits of a Social Security or taxpayer number, the year of birth, a minor's initials, and the last four digits of a financial account number. Some things are exempt from this rule, such as the official record of a state-court proceeding. The court can also order a document filed under seal, require extra redactions for good cause, or let a party file an unredacted copy under seal alongside the public version. And under Rule 5.2(h), a person who files their own information without redaction and not under seal waives this protection for that information.

Criminal cases (Fed. R. Crim. P. 49.1). The criminal rule is similar but adds home addresses: a filing may include only "the city and state of the home address." It also has its own exemptions, including arrest and search warrants.

Many state courts have similar rules. If you are filing in a state court, check that court's rules or ask the clerk.

FOIA redactions in government records

Under the Freedom of Information Act, federal agencies must release requested records unless one of nine exemptions in 5 U.S.C. § 552(b) applies. In summary, they cover:

1. Properly classified national defense or foreign policy information.
2. Internal personnel rules and practices of an agency.
3. Information another statute specifically exempts from disclosure.
4. Trade secrets and privileged or confidential commercial or financial information.
5. Inter-agency or intra-agency memos that would be privileged in litigation (the deliberative process privilege does not apply to records 25 years or older).
6. Personnel, medical and similar files where disclosure would be a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.
7. Certain law enforcement records, for example where release could interfere with proceedings, invade privacy, reveal a confidential source or endanger someone's safety.
8. Reports about the supervision of financial institutions.
9. Geological and geophysical information about wells.

Agencies cannot withhold an entire record just because part of it is exempt. They must release the "reasonably segregable" parts, show how much was deleted, and note which exemption applies, at the place of the deletion where technically feasible. That is why released pages often carry labels like "(b)(6)" or "(b)(7)(C)" over the blacked-out areas.

State public-records laws work in a similar way but have their own exemptions.

Privilege and redactions in lawsuits

During discovery, parties exchange documents. A party may withhold or redact material protected by attorney-client privilege or as trial-preparation (work product) material, but it cannot do so silently. Under FRCP 26(b)(5)(A), the party must:

• "expressly make the claim"; and
• describe what was withheld "in a manner that, without revealing information itself privileged or protected, will enable other parties to assess the claim."

In practice this is often done with a privilege log, a list that identifies each withheld document or redaction by date, author, recipients, the type of document and the privilege claimed. If the other side disagrees, it can ask the court to decide.

How to read a redacted document

1. Look for a label. FOIA releases usually name the exemption on or near each redaction. Court filings may cite a rule or a sealing order.
2. Check for a privilege log if the document came from discovery in a lawsuit.
3. Read around the gaps. Headings, dates and surrounding sentences often show what kind of information is missing even when the content is hidden.
4. Check the docket. A court case may show a sealed, unredacted version filed separately, or a later order unsealing it. If a case has ended, its outcome may appear as a disposition.
5. Know your options. For FOIA, you can usually file an administrative appeal with the agency. In a lawsuit, you can challenge an inadequate privilege claim.

Common mistakes when redacting your own documents

• Covering text with a shape or highlight in a PDF. The text underneath can often still be copied or searched. Use a proper redaction tool that removes the underlying text.
• Forgetting metadata, headers and attachments. Hidden information can survive in file properties and embedded files.
• Over-redacting. Hiding more than the rules allow can lead to disputes or court orders to produce the material.
• Forgetting your own data. Filing your own unredacted details can waive protection, as Rule 5.2(h) shows.

Health information has its own privacy rules too; see when state privacy law supersedes HIPAA.

Sources

• Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2: Privacy Protection for Filings Made with the Court (Cornell LII)
• Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 49.1: Privacy Protection for Filings Made with the Court (Cornell LII)
• 5 U.S.C. § 552, Freedom of Information Act (Cornell LII)
• Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26: Duty to Disclose; General Provisions Governing Discovery (Cornell LII)