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Reports & Studies
Below is a list of a number of past published studies conducted by the Research Division. Some Center reports are not published or made publicly available due to restrictions in place from the source of the research request. Most research reports can be downloaded and in some instances, a hardcopy publication can be requested. See also Manuals, Monographs, & Guides.
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Unredacted Personally Identifiable Information in Federal Court PACER Documents Appellate Rule 25(a)(5), Bankruptcy Rule 9037, Civil Rule 5.2, and Criminal Rule 49.1 require parties and nonparties to redact certain personally identifiable information (PII) in documents they file with the federal courts, including Social Security numbers (SSNs), individual taxpayer identification numbers (ITINs), birthdates, minors’ names, financial account numbers, and, in criminal filings, home addresses.
Following its December 2022 meeting, CACM asked the Federal Judicial Center (Center) to conduct the following research:
Below are links to the Center’s final project report summarizing all research findings, along with previously completed reports and memorandums containing research findings as presented to the committee over the course of the project (see Attachments A-J). Click here for an overview of the Center’s research findings. |
May 21, 2026 |
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Supplemental Analysis of Unredacted Social Security Numbers in Federal Court PACER Documents At the request of the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management (CACM), the Federal Judicial Center completed a supplemental analysis of unredacted Social Security numbers (SSNs) identified in its 2024 study Unredacted Social Security Numbers in Federal Court PACER Documents. The purpose of this analysis was to determine whether unredacted personally identifiable information (PII) is more common in particular types of court filings and proceedings. |
August 4, 2025 |
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Review of Local District and Appellate Rules Governing Redaction of Private Information in Federal Court Filings At the request of the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management (CACM), the Federal Judicial Center reviewed the local court rules of the district and appellate courts to identify rules requiring redaction of specified private information from court filings. |
August 4, 2025 |
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Review of Local Bankruptcy Rules, Orders, and Procedures Governing Redaction of Private Information in Federal Court Filings At the request of the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management (CACM), the Federal Judicial Center reviewed the local court rules of bankruptcy courts to identify rules requiring redaction of specified private information from court filings. |
August 4, 2025 |
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Intervention in the Federal Courts of Appeals Prepared for the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, this report examines motions to intervene on appeal. Intervention at the beginning of a case is studied in a two-year filing cohort, and intervention at the end of a case, such as after argument or judgment, is examined in a four-year termination cohort. |
July 14, 2025 |
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Appeals of Sua Sponte Remand Orders in Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) Removals, 2014–2023 This study examines how often sua sponte remands were ordered in putative class actions removed to federal court on Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) grounds and how often appeals of those sua sponte remand orders were sought. |
June 5, 2025 |
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Condensed Report on 2023 Federal Judiciary Workplace Survey This condensed report presents a detailed summary of the results of the 2023 Workplace Survey for the Federal Judiciary, which was conducted by the Federal Judicial Center for the Federal Judiciary Workplace Conduct Working Group. Center staff prepared this report at the Working Group’s request to provide context for the Working Group’s recommendations stemming from the survey results. The survey obtained information on the number of employees who said they had experienced wrongful conduct and input about how well the procedures for addressing wrongful conduct are working. It also obtained information about the judiciary’s general working environment to inform the Working Group about the judiciary’s progress toward the goal of its Strategic Plan, updated in 2020, to provide an “exemplary workplace free from discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and abusive conduct,” where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. |
March 31, 2025 |
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United States District Courts’ Local Rules and Procedures on Electronic Filing by Self-Represented Litigants This report compiles local rules and procedures in the ninety-four district courts on electronic filing by self-represented litigants. More than two thirds of the courts permit self-represented litigants to use the court’s electronic filing system at least on a case-by-case basis. Twenty-nine courts (31%) generally prohibit electronic filing by self-represented litigants. The Northern District of Texas generally requires it. Ten other courts (11%) generally permit it. The remaining fifty-four courts (57%) permit self-represented litigants to request permission to use the electronic filing system. A 2022 report included a survey of rules and procedures and interviews with court staff in a selection of appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts: Federal Courts’ Electronic Filing by Pro Se Litigants. |
February 20, 2025 |
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Redaction of Non-Government Party Names in Social Security and Immigration Case Documents At the request of the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management (CACM), the Federal Judicial Center completed a study of unredacted non-government party names in Social Security and immigration case documents. |
February 4, 2025 |
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Default and Default Judgment Practices in the District Courts This report summarizes the actual practices of district courts regarding entry of defaults and default judgments pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 55. |
October 18, 2024 |
