A Template for Redaction
“The purest treasure mortal times afford
Is spotless reputation.”
As you now know, an amendment to Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 20(B), effective July 1, 2026, sets forth detailed requirements for omitting or redacting confidential information from briefs. (See BoB 82 - Act to Redact, Jan. 22, 2026.) Specifically, the Rule states that:
The person or entity responsible for omitting and redacting Confidential Information must certify in writing that the Filing complies with this Rule. Certification is made by attaching to or including in the Filing a signed, dated Certificate of Redaction Compliance identifying the Filing by case style and number and verifying that all documents in the Filing comply with the omission and redaction requirements of this Rule.
Tenn. R. App. P. 20(B)(4)(a)
In the collegial spirit, I offer you the template we have used for filings in the Tennessee Court of Appeals post-July 1, 2026:
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF TENNESSEE
AT [Jackson/Nashville/Knoxville]
MAGELLAN APPELLANT, ) Court of Appeals Case No.
)
Appellant )
) Rule [3,9,etc] Appeal from the
v. ) [Final Order/Judgment/etc]
) of the [Circuit/Chancery/etc]
APPLETON APPELLEE, ) Court for [County],Tennessee ) Case No. [#]
Appellee )
) [Trial Court Judge][GU1]
CERTIFICATE OF REDACTION COMPLIANCE
I certify that this filing complies with the Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 20B. All documents in this filing comply with the omission and redaction requirements of Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 20B.
s/ Alfred Attorney
Alfred Attorney, BPR#[ ]
Date: [ ]
Put this Certificate of Redaction Compliance on your checklist for inclusion in your Court of Appeals filings, along with the standard Certificate of Compliance and Certificate of Service.
And, if you are going to use this template, please remember to put the right names in there; my paralegal made this template. He’s a big Tom Swift fan.
