ORDER OF ADOPTION
Supreme Court No. 20030084
Amendments to the North Dakota Rules of Civil Procedure
On September 29, 2003, the Joint Procedure Committee forwarded amendments to N.D.R.Civ.P. 16, relating to Pretrial Conferences, Scheduling, and Management. The Supreme Court considered the Committee's proposed amendments and made further amendments. On December 3, 2003, the proposed amendments to N.D.R.Civ.P. 16 were distributed for comment. Comments were due by December 31, 2003, and all comments were referred to the Court. The Joint Procedure Committee also forwarded proposed amendments to N.D.R.Civ.P. 40, relating to assignment of cases for trial. A hearing was held on the proposed amendments on February 5, 2004, at 2:45 p.m. The Court considered the matter, and
ORDERED, the proposed amendments, as further amended by the Court, are adopted effective August 1, 2004.
Dated at Bismarck, North Dakota, March 1, 2004.
Gerald W. VandeWalle, Chief Justice
William A. Neumann, Justice
Carol Ronning Kapsner, Justice
I dissent. These changes, particularly in parts (1) and (2) of paragraph (b), have been
opposed by
the Board of Governors of the State Bar Association of North Dakota and by most of those who
offered comments. The request by opponents and by the chief judicial proponent for a reasonable
delay in action by the Court so that a better proposal could be jointly advanced should have been
granted.
Dale V. Sandstrom, Justice
I dissent because I would have made these rules effective immediately.
Mary Muehlen Maring, Justice
ATTEST:
Colette M. Bruggman
Chief Deputy Clerk