When a transcript is filed in federal court, remote access through PACER is restricted for 90 days so parties can request redaction of personal identifiers and the transcriber can sell copies of the work they produced. During those 90 days, you buy copies from the transcriber of record. After 90 days, the transcript becomes remotely available on PACER.
What the restriction period is for
Two purposes drive the rule. First, privacy: parties get a window to ask that personal data identifiers like Social Security numbers be redacted before the transcript opens to the world. Second, compensation: transcript production is funded by the parties who order it, and the restriction window lets the transcriber sell copies of the original work before free-flowing PACER access undercuts it.
During the window the transcript is visible on the docket as an entry, and parties to the case can view it at the courthouse, but remote downloads are blocked for everyone.
Getting a copy during the window
The docket entry for the transcript names the transcriber of record. Contact them, or if the transcriber is Access Transcripts, order directly through our copy orders store with your case number and hearing date. Copies are priced below original rates and delivered electronically. If you wait out the 90 days, PACER per-page fees apply instead.