Library Guides: Court Rules: Federal and Missouri: Federal Rules

Overview

Court rules govern the procedures used within each court system, as well as the practices litigants must follow in a particular court. Court rules enable the business of the court to run smoothly by putting parties on notice as to what is expected of them. Federal courts have standardized rules for Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure, and Admission of Evidence. For a detailed description of the different types of court rules and an explanation of how court rules are promulgated, see Steven M. Barkan, Roy M. Mersky and Donald J. Dunn, The Fundamentals of Legal Research, Foundation Press, 2009. MU Law Library KF240 .B37 2009

Annotated Rules

Federal Court Rules (Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts)

Federal Rules of Evidence (United States Courts)

Federal Rules E-books (Cornell University Law School)

Lexis: USCS--Court Rules, Annotated (password required)

WestlawNext: US-RULES in the United States Code Annotated (password required)

Missouri Federal Court Rules

The Missouri Federal Courts offer rich websites with court rules and fillable forms.

Section 205 of the E-Government Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-347, requires that federal courts post local rules on their websites. Visit the Court Locator for a listing of all federal court websites.

Federal Rules Interpreted by the Court

Federal Rules Decisions, St. Paul, Minn.: West Pub Co. 1941-. MU Law Library 1122a, WestlawNext (Westlaw password required)

Federal Rules Decisions is part of West's National Reporter System. It publishes cases that construe the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. It also contains all proposed rule changes.