Florida State University College of Law Library Researching Civil Procedure

Florida State University College of Law Library The Purpose of Court Rules When construing the FRCP, the highlighted language should guide your efforts.

Florida State University College of Law Library Additional Purposes of Court Rules To regulate the business of courts To control the conduct of litigants To establish uniform procedures To provide parties with information and instructions about proceedings

Florida State University College of Law Library Working with Rules

Florida State University College of Law Library Read the Rule Read the Rule Read the Rule! With apologies to Felix Frankfurter (“read the statute…)

Florida State University College of Law Library The U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Print Shop, maintains the current text of of the FRCP and other federal rules in.pdf format:

Florida State University College of Law Library The front page of the rules will state the date on which any amended rules took effect.

Florida State University College of Law Library Research into the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure can look forward from or back to the enactment of the rule.

Florida State University College of Law Library Working forward in Time from a Rule’s Adoption or Amendment: What the Courts say about the text of a rule

Florida State University College of Law Library Look for Intelligent Commentary and Analysis

Florida State University College of Law Library Treatises and other multi-volume works listed here will answer almost every research question regarding the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure that you will ever encounter.

Florida State University College of Law Library Read a Treatise The exhaustive scholarly treatment of the federal rules of civil procedure (as well as those of criminal procedure, appellate procedure, and evidence) makes Federal Practice and Procedure, by Charles A. Wright and others a key starting point for your research. “Wright and Miller” is cited more than a thousand times each year in published federal district and appellate court decisions. Wright and Miller explains the history of each rule, explains how the rule has been interpreted, and cites to cases that have discussed and interpreted the rule. Law Library: 3d ed. West, KF8840 W71 (2 copies, one on Reserve). Westlaw: FPP

Florida State University College of Law Library A less scholarly and more practitioner-oriented multi-volume treatise is James W. Moore, Moore’s Federal Practice, cited in published federal opinions about half as often as Wright and Miller (still a respectable number). Although coverage is similar to that of Wright and Miller, Moore’s also contains the Manual for Complex Litigation and the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence. Law Library: 3d ed. Matthew Bender, KF8837 M Lexis: Legal > Secondary Legal > Matthew Bender > By Area of Law > Federal Practice >

Florida State University College of Law Library Most volumes of Wright and Miller and Moore’s Federal Practice are organized by rule number, with a number of other volumes covering jurisdiction. Good entry points include subject indexes tables of statutes tables of rules. Both Wright and Miller and Moore’s have online indexes. Indexes are frequently more helpful in quickly identifying the proper area of a multi-volume treatise than is a keyword search of the full-text.

Florida State University College of Law Library Federal Procedure, Lawyer’s Edition: A Problem- Solving Textual Analysis of Federal Judicial and Administrative Procedure. West, Law Library: KF8840.F44. Westlaw: FEDPROC Multi-volume treatises organized by subject:

Florida State University College of Law Library Shorter analytical treatises include: Jack H. Friedenthal, et al., Civil Procedure. 5th ed. 2005). Law Library: KF 8840.F (Reserve). Fleming James, Jr., et al., Civil Procedure (5th ed. 2001). Law Library: KF 8840.J Larry L. Teply, Ralph U. Whitten, Civil Procedure (3d ed. 2004). Law Library: KF 8840.T ) (has a more historical perspective of the development of the rules of civil procedure than the other hornbooks)

Florida State University College of Law Library Both the United States Code Annotated (U.S.C.A.) (West) and the United States Code Service (U.S.C.S.) (Lexis) have volumes for the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, with annotations to treatises and journal articles. Because the two publishers provide annotations to their own publications, look at both sets if you have access to both. U.S.C.A. U.S.C.S.

Florida State University College of Law Library U.S.C.A. References to Treatises, Encyclopedias, and Law Review Articles for 28 U.S.C. § 2073.

Florida State University College of Law Library U.S.C.S. References to Treatises, Encyclopedias, and Law Review Articles for 28 U.S.C. § 2073.

Florida State University College of Law Library Looking for Cases Directly

Florida State University College of Law Library Both the United States Code Annotated (West) and the United States Code Service (Lexis) have volumes for the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, with annotations to case law. In general, the case annotations for the sets have no more than 60% overlap. As with the references to treatises and journal articles in these sets, if you have access to both sets, you should consult both sets.

Florida State University College of Law Library Case Services Federal Rules Decisions (West). The FRD has cases from the United States District Courts regarding the FRCP. Coverage begins in In addition, the FRD contains articles, speeches, and reports of judicial conferences. Law Library: KF105.F44. Westlaw: FRD (cases, articles and court rules); FRD- ART (articles); FRD-CS (cases); FRD-Rules (versions of FRCP and amendments; coverage starts with 1944).

Florida State University College of Law Library Federal Rules Service (West). The Federal Rules Service contains federal cases that address FRCP issues. Irrelevant issues are omitted. A separate FINDEX index helps locate cases. The general organization of the set is by FRCP Rule. Law Library: KF8830.F4.

Florida State University College of Law Library Federal Rules Digest

Florida State University College of Law Library Working Backward in Time

Florida State University College of Law Library Looking for Intent of the Courts and Congress in Promulgating the Rules

Florida State University College of Law Library The Rules Enabling Act of June 19, 1934, ch. 651, 48 Stat (now codified at 28 U.S. Code § ), authorized the Supreme Court to prescribe rules of civil procedure for the district courts. Under the current version of § 2074, the Supreme Court must transmit proposed amendments to the Congress by May 1. The amended rule cannot become effective before December 1. The original rules were adopted by order of the Supreme Court on December 20, 1937, transmitted to Congress by the Attorney General on January 3, 1938, and became effective September 16, (308 U.S. 645; Cong. Rec., vol. 83, pt. 1, p. 13, Exec. Comm. 905; H. Doc. 460 and H. Doc. 588, 7 5th Cong.)

Florida State University College of Law Library

Federal Rules of Procedure: Effective Dates Federal Rules of Civil Procedure –Effective Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure –Effective Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure –Effective Federal Rules of Evidence –Effective The FRCP has extensive legislative and judicial history from prior to and after its adoption in The FRCP has been amended frequently since 1938.

Florida State University College of Law Library STEP 1 –Suggestion for a change in the rules, submitted in writing to the secretary, at any time. –Referred by the secretary to the appropriate advisory committee, promptly after receipt. –Considered by the advisory committee, normally at the next committee meeting. –If approved, the advisory committee seeks authority from the Standing Committee to circulate to bench and bar for comment. How federal rules of procedure are promulgated

Florida State University College of Law Library STEP 2 –6 month public comment period. –Public hearings may be held during the public comment period. STEP 3 –Advisory committee considers the amendment afresh in light of public comments and testimony at the hearings, about one or two months after the close of the comment period. –Advisory committee approves amendment in final form and transmits it to the Standing Committee, about one or two months after the close of the comment period.

Florida State University College of Law Library STEP 4 –Standing Committee approves amendment, with or without revisions, and recommends approval by the Judicial Conference, normally at its June meeting. STEP 5 –Judicial Conference approves amendment and transmits it to the Supreme Court, normally at its September session.

Florida State University College of Law Library STEP 6 –The Supreme Court prescribes the amendment, by May 1. STEP 7 –Congress has a statutory time period in which to enact legislation to reject, modify, or defer the amendment, by December 1. –Absent Congressional action, the amendment becomes law.

Florida State University College of Law Library Local Rules –Fed. R. Civ. P. 83 partially delegates U.S. Supreme Court’s rulemaking power by authorizing the district courts to promulgate local rules for conduct of their business, providing that the rules do not conflict with Acts of Congress or Rules of Practice and Procedure. –Hence, litigation is subject to both national and local court rules, both of which must be researched.

Florida State University College of Law Library As with any Act of Congress, the major sources of legislative history are hearings, reports, prints, and debates.

Florida State University College of Law Library The judicial history includes documents from the rule-creation process (reports), although cases interpreting the rules may state what the intent in promulgating a rule was.

Florida State University College of Law Library Looking for Proposed Rules

Florida State University College of Law Library Locating Proposed Rules House Judiciary Committee, subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual PropertyHouse Judiciary Committee Senate Judiciary Committee, subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the CourtsSenate Judiciary Committee U.S. Courts, Federal rulemakingU.S. Courts Eleventh Circuit

Florida State University College of Law Library structure.aspx?committee=3

Florida State University College of Law Library For modern rule-making, this is the best place to start.

Florida State University College of Law Library Federal Rules of Procedure Cornell’s Legal Information Institute: LLRX: Federal Local Court rules 11 th Circuit Court of Appeals U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida m Other online Websites for Court Rules

Florida State University College of Law Library Start with pocket parts or supplements to USCA and/or USCS Advance sheets to Federal Reporter and Federal Supplement contain text of proposed & adopted amendments with Advisory Committee notes U.S. Code Congressional & Administrative News (USCCAN) Court websites Updating Federal Court Rules

Florida State University College of Law Library Florida Rules Florida Courts website, Proposed and Amended Rules Florida Bar Website First District Court of Appeals, Administrative Orders Second Judicial Circuit, Administrative Orders/Local Rules

Florida State University College of Law Library