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Notice Regarding 2015 Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Practice and Procedure

Thursday, December 31, 2015
December 1, 2015 is the effective date of several important amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The Clerk of Court hereby provides public notice of amendment of the following Civil Rules:
 
Civil Rules 1, 4, 16, 26, 30, 31, 33, 34, 37, and 55, and the abrogation of Rule 84 and the Appendix of Forms
 
Significant changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure include, among others:
  1. The time for service of process under Rule 4(m) is shortenened from 120 days to 90 days.
  2. The time for holding the initial case management conference under Rule 16(b) has been shortened by 30 days, and new topics for the Rule 26(f) and Rule 16 conferences have been added.
  3. The scope of discovery in Rule 26(b)(1) has been amended, and the need for proportional discovery tailored to the reasonable needs of the case has been highlighted.
  4. Rule 37(e) has been revised with regard to the preservation and loss of electronically stored information.
  5. Rule 1 has been amended to state that parties as well as courts have an obligation to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action.
The text of the amended rules and extensive supporting documentation related to their adoption — including excerpts from the reports of the Judicial Conference Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure containing the Committee Notes — are posted on the Judiciary’s website at http://www.uscourts.gov/rules-policies/current-rules-practice-procedure