Court rules govern the conduct and procedures used within courts. These rules govern everything from when motions are heard to how many pages a complaint can be. Court rules may be passed by legislatures or adopted by courts themselves. Accordingly, court rules have the effect of statutory law. Litigators are required to be as familiar with court rules as they are with substantive law.
Rules applying to the United States District Courts
Rules Applying to the United States Courts of Appeals
Rules Applying to Other United States Courts
Local Rules
Local rules are rules that apply to procedure within a particular Court or particular courtrooms. For example, a particular judge may want three copies of all documents submitted or may only hear particular motions on certain days of the week. These rules must be consistent with the overarching Federal Rules of Procedure and with federal legislation.
Local rules are most easily found on court websites. To find rules relating to practice within a particular courtroom, you may look for that judge's page on the court website.
You can locate federal court websites through the Federal Court Finder on UScourts.gov.
The California Rules of Court govern procedures within the California courts. Title 8 of the Rules specifically applies to the California Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeal.
As with the federal courts, California courts also have local rules that apply to practice within a particular court. You can locate local rules by accessing an individual court's website or by using this list from the California courts website.