HB 681: Domestic relations; sealing of name change petitions upon request; provide

Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1), a person seeking to keep their name change petition sealed (kept out of the public record) generally has to show they are a victim of family violence or human trafficking. This bill removes that requirement. Instead, any petitioner could ask the court to file their name change petition under seal, and the court would decide whether to allow it, without needing to first determine the person is a violence or trafficking victim. If the court agrees to seal the petition, it can also waive the usual public notice requirements. The court can later unseal the petition or require a redacted public version, and it must keep sealed filings as part of the record. The bill also removes the definitions of 'family violence' and 'human trafficking' from this Code section, since those terms are no longer used as the legal standard for sealing.

• Removes the requirement that a petitioner prove they are a victim of family violence or human trafficking before asking a court to seal a name change petition.
• Allows any person filing a name change petition to ask the court to keep the petition under seal.
• Lets a court waive the usual public notice requirements if it agrees to seal the petition, rather than only when victim status is proven.
• Deletes the Code section's definitions of 'family violence' and 'human trafficking' since they are no longer tied to the sealing standard.
• Keeps the court's power to later unseal a petition or require a redacted public version, and requires sealed filings to be kept in the record.

People petitioning Georgia courts to legally change their name, including those who previously would have needed to prove they were victims of family violence or human trafficking to get privacy protections. Superior court clerks and judges handling name change filings are also affected.

Currently, only people who can show they were victims of family violence or human trafficking can ask a court to seal a name change petition. This bill would let any petitioner make that request, potentially giving broader privacy protection to people changing their names for other personal reasons.

• Section 1 revises subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1 by deleting the definitions of 'family violence' and 'human trafficking'.
• Section 1 revises subsection (c)(1) to let any petitioner, not just alleged victims, ask the court to file a name change petition under seal.
• Section 1 revises subsection (c)(2) so the court can waive publication requirements simply by authorizing that a petition be kept under seal, rather than by first finding victim status.
• Section 1 revises subsection (c)(4) to remove the condition tying the petition's hearing delay to a finding about victim status.
• Section 1 keeps subsection (c)(3) and (c)(5), letting courts later unseal petitions or require redacted public versions, and requiring sealed filings to remain part of the record.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2025-03-03House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2025-02-28House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2025-02-27House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Jasmine Clark (D, HD-108)Patrocinador principal
• Park Cannon (D, HD-058)
• Karla Drenner (D, HD-085)
• Imani Barnes (D, HD-086)

• name change
• court records
• privacy
• domestic relations law