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Sealed Documents

All litigants are directed to Local Rule 5.8 for the filing of material under seal. Also a standing order has been entered by Judge Reinhard as to the form that is to be attached to the envelope of the sealed document. Standing Order Implementing General Rule 10 of the Local Rules. Attached Form

Parties are reminded that the standard to seal a document is much higher than to mark something confidential, and thus any application to file a document under seal should contain an explanation, on a document by document basis, why each should be sealed.  See generally Baxter Int'l, Inc. v. Abbott Labs., 297 F.3d 544, 545 (7th Cir. 2002) ("Secrecy is fine at the discovery stage, before the material enters the judicial record.  But those documents, usually a small subset of all discovery, that influence or underpin the judicial decision are open to public inspection unless they meet the definition of trade secrets or other categories of bona fide long-term confidentiality." (citations omitted)).