NCJ Number
113346
Date Published
1988
Length
74 pages
Annotation
This 'how-to' manual is designed to facilitate the rules revision process in Federal district courts based on the experiences of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, which undertook a total revision of its local court rules in 1983.
Abstract
After reviewing factors in the decision to revise local court rules, the manual describes the organization of the rules committee, which has the responsibility of drafting proposed rules to be submitted to the entire court for review and approval. Particular attention is given to the research assistant's primary duties under the committee. The scheduling and format of the rules committee meeting are discussed, followed by recommendations for the organization of court rules. The Northern Georgia Court issued its court rules in two publications: local court rules, which were prepared for and distributed to attorneys; and internal operating procedures, which were written for the benefit of the court and its staff. Suggestions for drafting the rules focus on a review of existing rules and the revision of civil pretrial practices. The manual concludes with guidelines for printing and publishing the new local rules. Appendixes contain detailed information on the Northern Georgia District Court's local rules and their creation.