Court Rules
Court rules govern business in the courts. They include rules for parties, motions, and trials, including required procedures for commencing actions, time limitations, and other directives in civil and criminal proceedings. Federal and state courts are both usually governed by statutory law, and each jurisdiction has procedures about how its own court rules will be applied.
The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, the Federal Rules of Evidence, and the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure are published in Title 28 of the United States Code. Most federal trial courts also publish local rules that concern the operation of the court and supplement the rules of general application found in the U.S. Code.
Jury Instructions
Jury instructions are directions from the judge to the jury. These instructions help the jury understand applicable law to the case being tried, and assist jurors in identifying legal and factual issues of the case. There are also secondary sources with model jury instructions to help you when you have to write instructions for a jury.
The U.S. Department of Justice maintains a Guide to Federal Court Resources with links to materials specific to each federal court., including court rules and model jury instructions.
Federal Court Rules
The Federal Rules of General Application include the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and the Federal Rules of Evidence.
Additionally, federal district courts have local rules that apply within their jurisdiction which can be found online, like the Local Rules for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Rules of the United States Supreme Court
Annotated Versions of Court Rules
State Court Rules
Court rules vary by state and can often be found online through the state court or bar website, like the Rules of Supreme Court of Virginia. Note that sometimes different counties or courts within a state may have additional rules.
Court rules for all 50 states are also available through Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law. In Lexis and Westlaw, you can access court rules for a particular state by clicking into the state materials. In Bloomberg Law, click Laws and Regulations, and then State Laws and Regulations, and click on the jurisdiction of interest.
Model or pattern jury instructions are also valuable for detailing the elements of a particular issue. Below are links to various model or pattern jury instructions available online.
Civil Model Civil Jury Instructions
Criminal Model Jury Instructions
Law School Databases with Additional Jury Instructions