In my limited experience and understanding, I would think any information pertaining to the case that is possible evidence would be presented to the court in order to determine the most appropriate verdict. So why seal documents if they could heavily impact the verdict? Isn’t that like saying “Hey, the defendants gun was recovered, but we’re going to set that fact aside, and you can’t use that against him.”
In: Other
What you’re thinking of is excluding evidence. This usually happens because it has been improperly obtained or tainted in some way. The defendant’s gun may not be allowed as evidence if the police violated the defendant’s fourth amendment rights while obtaining it.
A seal is preventing the public from seeing information that the parties to the trial have access to. For example, a juvenile defendant’s name may be sealed to protect them, but everyone in the courtroom will know who they are.
Latest Answers