SB 59 Confidentiality Project

SB 59 is a new California law that makes all newly filed name and/or gender marker change cases automatically confidential beginning July 1, 2026. But for youth and adults who filed before these and similar legal protections went into effect, their name and/or gender marker cases likely remain publicly accessibly both in person at the court and through an online search, which can leave trans folks at risk of outing, harassment, and doxxing.

SB 59 allows adults and minors whose cases were filed previously and publicly to ask the court to make their case records confidential.

Via this project, trained pro bono volunteers help youth and adult clients remotely complete and file the necessary court form to request confidentiality for a currently public name and/or gender marker change case. Making these records confidential can help protect a person’s privacy rights, safety, and personal information from dissemination and public access.

Sign up via this link to receive free SB 59 help at our clinic on September 14 at 5pm, hosted on Zoom!

If you want free help making your previously filed name and/or gender marker change case confidential, please complete this confidential online intake form. Once we receive your information, we will do our best to assign a pro bono volunteer through the Law Foundation who can work with you for free to file a confidential request, which will be automatically granted by the court at no charge. Please allow approximately 1-2 weeks for us to contact you. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact us at probono.info@lawfoundation.org.