New Rules

The U.S. Supreme Court has approved new court rules to take effect on December 1, 2011 unless Congress acts to disapprove them.

The most notable changes are revisions to the rules concerning what a creditor in bankruptcy must include in a claim filed with a bankruptcy court, and the plain English restyling of the Federal Rules of Evidence. The other bankruptcy and appellate rule changes are relatively obscure.

There were also changes to the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure that reflect new telecommunications and other electronic technologies used in the courts (e.g. allowing testimony by Skype rather than merely by telephone and allowing for the e-filing of many court documents).