LibGuides: Self-Help: Finding Laws, Court Rules &amp; More: Federal Court Rules

Federal Court Rules

Court Rules guide the practices and procedures of court.

Different sets of Federal Rules can be found on the United States Courts website in PDF form, including:

Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure (F.R.A.P. or Fed. R. App. P.)
Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (F.R.B.P. or Fed. R. Bankr. P.)
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (F.R.C.P. or Fed. R. Civ. P.)
Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure (Fed. R. Crim. P.)
Federal Rules of Evidence (Fed. R. Evid.)

► Check the description of each set of rules to determine which court(s) the rules can be used in.

► Make sure to check for any local rules that may also apply - see the "Local Circuit & District Court Rules" box below for more information.

The Supreme Court's website includes the Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States (Rules Sup. Ct.) in PDF form.

For more information, see the Federal Court Rules guide.

Local Circuit & District Court Rules

In addition to the national Federal Rules above, the United States district courts and courts of appeals often have local rules as well. Make sure to check for any local rules that may also apply.

The U.S. Courts website provides links to individual district court and circuit/courts of appeals websites, which often provide local court rules.

For example:

U.S. District Court:

U.S. Court of Appeals:

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the Virgin Islands): Rules & Procedures, including Local Rules.

For more information, see the Federal Court Rules guide.