Statewide court rule
Original research draft · October 2026
Working pattern
[State and rule system] [rule/subdivision] ([version if material]).
Capture from the source
Jurisdiction; court level; rule system; subdivision; effective date
Check before you use it
Confirm that the rule governs the receiving court and document type.
Common error: A statewide appellate rule may not govern a trial-court motion.
Completed example
State, courts, rule systems, numbering, and scopes are fictional. The example teaches applicability screening without representing any actual state's procedural requirements.
Northmere TRAIN Appellate R. 9(b)(3) (effective Mar. 1, 2025).
Read the supplied source facts
Fictional packet TRAIN-R44 provides the State of Northmere's Appellate Rules, effective March 1, 2025. Rule 9(b)(3) specifies an appendix reference in opening appellate briefs. The separate Northmere Trial Rules also contain a rule 9, concerning a different subject. The assigned document is a motion filed in a trial court before any appeal. A colleague has copied the appellate appendix requirement into the motion checklist because it appears in a statewide rulebook. The exercise includes the scope provisions of both rule systems so the mismatch can be identified.
Why this works
The citation correctly identifies the appellate rule, but its existence does not establish that it governs the trial-court motion. Read the rule system's scope and the document category named in the provision. Remove an unsupported requirement from the motion checklist and research the trial rule or applicable local instruction. Statewide distribution means the publication is available across the state; it does not erase distinctions among courts and proceedings. Keep the jurisdiction, system, court level, document type, and effective version as separate source-card fields so an editor can see why a rule was selected.
When the facts change
If the assignment becomes an opening appellate brief, verify that the relevant appellate court and proceeding fall within the supplied rule's scope, then apply the appendix provision. If a special proceeding uses its own rules, inspect those rules and any incorporation of the general appellate system. Do not infer incorporation from a familiar filing title or from the fact that both matters are heard in the same building.
Apply the receiving court or publication’s requirements. These working forms do not establish citation permission, precedential weight, or support for a legal proposition.