Rules of Civil Procedure

In United States district courts, the Federal Rules of Civil Process (formally abbreviated Fed. R. Civ. P.; colloquially FRCP) govern civil procedure. The FRCP are promulgated by the Supreme Court of the United States in accordance with the Rules Enabling Act. The United States Congress then has seven months to veto the rules promulgated or they become part of the FRCP. Modifications to the Court’s rules are often based on proposals from the Judicial Conference of the United States, the internal policymaking body of the federal judiciary.

Although federal courts are required to adopt state substantive law as decision rules in matters involving state law, they usually always employ the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) as their rules of civil procedure. States may establish their own rules, which apply in state courts, however, 35 of the 50 states have adopted rules based on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.