From today's decision by Judge Joshua Wolson (E.D. Pa.) in Doe v. Temple Univ.:
Courts are public. That's a foundational principle in American society. It means we give the public access to judicial records, we keep our courtrooms open for the public to watch the proceedings, and we require the parties litigating in court to disclose their identities. There are exceptions to all of these rules, but they are just that—exceptions. They get invoked sparingly, or we risk swallowing the general rule.
Plaintiff in this case seeks to invoke two exceptions to these rules. He wants me to let him proceed as a John Doe, rather than revealing his name, and he wants me to let him keep much of the material he submitted in support of his motion to proceed anonymously under seal. Plaintiff's request to proceed anonymously falls well short of the required showing, however.
He suffers from an autoimmune condition that others who came before him in federal court also suffered. Yet his predecessors disclosed their identities, as have thousands of other plaintiffs who have chronic conditions and who seek protection under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Plaintiff's case is not exceptional, and while I sympathize with his desire not to tell the world his name, he has not demonstrated that the fear that keeps him from doing so is a reasonable one. I will therefore deny his motion to proceed anonymously. I will also deny his motion to seal records that he submitted in support of the motion to proceed anonymously, with the exception of some documents that I did not consider in reaching my decision….
