If a trial court grants an order allowing parties to proceed using pseudonyms, is that order appealable? Today's opinion from 2/2 here says "yes," reasoning thusly:
Orders concerning the sealing of documents are appealable as collateral orders. This is true whether the order is to seal or to unseal. An order to redact a document is also appealable as a collateral order. While there is no specific case applying this rule in the context of an order allowing a party to proceed under a pseudonym, we conclude the reasoning is the same. “Much like closing the courtroom or sealing a court record, allowing a party to litigate anonymously impacts a First Amendment public access right.” Here, the order is final on the collateral matter of allowing the parties to proceed with pseudonyms and is not subject to future proceedings.
Posts
