Post #1720563
2026-03-18 16:23 UTC
Replies (3)
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@Fishercat@kolektiva.social 2026-03-18 17:18
@ShadSterling @trisweb @siderea S'true. I hadn't thought of that. While it doesn't make sense to me that someone seeking records of their own name change would be considered "the public," there are any number of ways that could happen.
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@siderea@universeodon.com 2026-03-18 21:03
@ShadSterling From what it says in the article and from what I *think* is another example of impounded records I know about, that shouldn't be a problem. But, ironically, I just ran into an example of another situation in which it would be. The reason I was talking to the court about this and it got mentioned in passing is that *I* am trying to get legal proof of someone else's name change, with potentially profound legal consequences for me: I am trying to prove I am my father's daughter and he changed his name. His name on my birth certificate is not his name on his own certificate. And at issue is a matter of *citizenship*. Fortunately, at the moment, this is not an obstacle for me, because that was in the 1960s and those are still public. Turns out there are other parties who have a very legitimate interest in legal proof of name changes: the descendants. Impounding those records can be like "closing" an adoption record: a child might get cut off from knowing facts about their ancestry they have a legitimate right to know, including medical and legal facts. Like legal facts having to do with citizenship status. So I am of VERY mixed feelings. I have long thought the name change laws were insufficient re privacy, for precisely the reasons in the article. OTOH, this. I want to be very clear: part of the reason my father changed his name was due to an abuser in his family. That abuser, who is dead and gone, is precisely the party I ultimately need to prove my descent from. I am truly on both sides of this at once. @Fishercat @trisweb
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@SnarkWasABoojum@tech.lgbt 2026-03-18 23:35
@ShadSterling @Fishercat @trisweb @siderea You can always get your own records (the sealing doesn't apply to you). It's still possible to get the records for other people too, but now you have to file a motion with the court to unseal them and the court will want a good reason, etc. It's definitely a higher bar (well, anything is a higher bar then "look on the website") and notably more difficult for the requestor.