Court records are separated by case activity status and/or document type. In the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse, records are located in three different rooms, Open Records Room, Closed Records Room and the Records Management Unit/Sealed Documents. In the White Plains Courthouse, all records may be requested from the Office of the Clerk. Also, 24-hour electronic access to certain court records is available through the PACER service.

Sealed Records Filing Instructions

(Must Be Submitted In Court Supplied Sealing Envelope Only)

In order for a document to be filed under seal, a protective order must be signed or a request by letter must be granted by a judge. A copy of the order or letter must be presented when filing the document. The only exceptions are if the entire action has been placed under seal or a judge has signed the sealing envelope and submits it directly to the sealed records clerk.

All documents filed must contain original signatures. All envelopes must be submitted in person. No envelopes will be accepted by mail.

For ECF cases, all documents and exhibits, if any, must be submitted on a CD Rom in PDF format. There will be no exceptions. Exhibits in large volumes should not be filed in hard copy absent a court order but the exhibits must be included on the CD Rom. The exhibits are to be retained at the attorney’s office for safekeeping.

Information that must be included on the front of the sealing envelope is as follows: Attorney’s information, case caption, case number, date of protective order, name of judge who signed the order and the contents listed in the lower left hand corner. Place all contents in the envelope but do not seal it as the contents must be verified. Provide a copy of the completed envelope if you wish to have it stamped received.

If you use a messenger service, please be certain the envelope and documents are in proper order. It is our experience that when a sealed filing is rejected the service does not always explicitly convey the reason.

In Manhattan, sealed records are accepted each business day between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays at:

500 Pearl Street
Records Management Department, Room 270

If you arrive after 4:30 p.m. you can use the electronic time clock to stamp the date and time in the upper right hand corner of the envelope. The clock is located next to the night deposit box by the Worth Street entrance. Do not put the documents in the night deposit box. Present the envelope the following business day to receive the previous day’s file date.

In White Plains, sealed records are accepted each business day between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays at:

Charles L. Brieant Federal Building and Courthouse
Clerk’s Office, Room 147
300 Quarropas Street, White Plains, NY, 10601