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How to Redact Case Numbers in a PDF
Case numbers appear in court filings, reports, and exhibits. Target case labels or specific identifiers to remove them safely.
Important: PermanentRedaction permanently removes text from text-based PDFs. Scanned/image-only PDFs are not supported.
Quick notes
Tip: Many PDF editors can only mask text with black rectangles. Masking is not the same as permanently deleting text from the PDF layer.
Step-by-step
Step 1
Identify case numbers within the document (often labeled Case No., Case Number, or Docket).
Step 2
Create a label-aware pattern for case numbers.
See Example: Case number label
Regex
(?i)\b(case|docket)\s*(?:number|no\.?|#)\b\s*[:\-]?\s*[A-Z0-9\-\/]{4,20}
Matches
- Case No. 2023-CV-001234
- Docket # 22-CR-551
Case number formats vary by jurisdiction.
Using regex rules in PermanentRedaction
PermanentRedaction supports deterministic redaction rules using regular expressions.
Patterns like this can be applied across an entire document to permanently remove matching text.
Step 3
Preview matches across the entire document.
Step 4
Export the final PDF with permanent removal.
Step 5
Verify the exported PDF using search and copy tests.
Common mistakes to avoid
Matching unrelated numbers
Reports may contain many other identifiers.
Ignoring multiple case references
Case numbers may appear in headers and footers.
Skipping verification
Always confirm removal in the exported file.
FAQ
Do all courts use the same case format?
No. Formats vary widely by jurisdiction.
Can I redact only certain case numbers?
Yes. Keyword rules can target specific identifiers.
Are scanned PDFs supported?
Not currently.