MEMO
TO: Joint Procedure Committee
FROM: Mike Hagburg
RE: Rule 29.1, N.D.R.Crim.P., Closing Argument
Attached is a proposed new rule, Rule 29.1. It is based on Fed.R.Crim.P. 29.1, which sets out the order of closing argument. The Committee declined to adopt a North Dakota version of Fed.R.Crim.P. 29.1 when it was promulgated in 1974, instead deferring to statute. Because the order of closing argument is a procedural matter, and because proposed N.D.R.Crim.P. 29.1 reflects longstanding North Dakota practice, the Committee may wish to discuss whether to reconsider adoption of this rule.