What does it mean when they say your divorce decree is public record?

I look at public records often as part of my job. A public record is just what it is called - any member of the public can look at it. This includes civil, criminal, divorce, family (such as custody disputes), small claims, tax liens, utility delinquencies etc. For a divorce record, any person that knows your full name could go to the court house and request to look at your divorce record. I have seen divorce records that include the parties addresses and a lot of personal information. I have seen records that have emails back and forth of the ex husband and wife fighting. It can also include all property that was split including addresses for businesses owned, make and model of cars, addresses of homes owned, names and visitation rights of children involved and so much more. I have also seen public records that include peoples social security numbers, however I have never seen that in a divorce record.
You can always go to the court house and request to view your divorce record to see exactly what is in it. I’m not sure but there may be ways to seal your record. You would have to check with a lawyer for that.
Every court I have dealt with requires that you fill out a form giving your name at least before looking at the record. The court maintains a log of every person that looks at each record. There may be a way you could see who has looked at your divorce record if you are concerned.
Hope this helps!