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Reports & Studies on Secrecy in the Courts

Below are selected articles, reports, studies, and testimony on the impact of secrecy in the courts. These resources are organized by date. You may contact Media.Replies@justice.org with any questions.

1999-Present | 1992-1998 | Pre-1992

1999-Present

Robert Timothy Reagan, Shannon R. Wheatman, et. al. [Federal Judicial Center], Sealed Settlement Agreements in Federal District Court (June 2004)
Richard A. Zitrin, Open Courts with Sealed Files: Secrecy's Impact on American Justice (2000)
Laurie Kratky Doré, Professor of Law, Drake University Law School, The Confidentiality Debate and the Push to Regulate Secrecy in Civil Litigation (2000)
Richard A. Zitrin, The Case Against Secret Settlements (Or, What You Don't Know Can Hurt You), 2 J. Inst. for Study Legal Ethics 115 (1999).
Laurie Kratky Doré, Secrecy by Consent: The Use and Limits of Confidentiality in the Pursuit of Settlement, 74 Notre Dame L. Rev. 283 (1999).

1992-1998

Paul McMasters, Judicial Secrecy: A Case Of Hubris In the Court, Freedom Forum Online, Feb. 26, 1998.
Robert A. Clifford, Zipped Up Documents Zapping the Public, Chicago Law., June 1997, at 10.
James L. Gilbert, Francis H. Hare, Jr., and Stuart Ollanik, Negotiation and Settlement: The Price of Silence, 30 Trial 17 (Jun. 1994).
Philip H. Corboy, Secret Settlements: The Challenges Remain, 29 Trial 123 (Jun. 1993).
Larry E. Coben, Beware of Secrecy Agreements: A New Judicial Approach Is Required To Protect the Public, 3 Prod. Liab. L.J. 255 (1992).
Philip H. Corboy, Court Secrecy: The Closed Circle and the Public Interest, 3 Md. J. Contemp. Legal Issues 1 (1991-92).
Nicole Schultheis and Arthur Bryant, Unnecessary Secrecy in Civil Litigation: Combating the Threat to Effective Self-Governance, 3 Md. J. Contemp. Legal Issues 49 (1991-92).

Pre-1992

Lloyd Doggett and Michael J. Mucchetti, Public Access to Public Courts: Discouraging Secrecy In the Public Interest, 69 Tex. L. Rev. 643 (1991).
Bob Gibbins, Secrecy Versus Safety: Restoring the Balance, 77 ABA J. 74 (Dec. 1991).
Eugene I. Pavalon and Thomas G. Alvary, Protective and Secrecy Orders: Time For Change, 27 Trial 110 (Mar. 1991).
Dianne Jay Weaver, Secrets That Can Kill Have No Place In Our Courts, 19 BNA Prod. Safety & Liab. Rep. 701 (June 14, 1991).
Court Secrecy Often Puts Public At Risk, 26 Trial 65 (Jul. 1990)
Interview with former U.S. District Judge Jim Carrigan ($ - fees apply) (D. Colo.), reprinted from USA Today, Apr. 23, 1990.
Francis H. Hare, Jr. and James L. Gilbert, Products Liability—Resisting Confidentiality Orders, 26 Trial 50 (Oct. 1990).
Larry E. Coben, Protective Orders: Manufacturers Hide Behind Them, 22 Trial 34 (Aug. 1986).