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Rule 11.9 Inapplicability to district and municipal courts.

RULE 11. INCOMPETENCY AND MENTAL EXAMINATIONS

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Rule Text

Rule 11 does not apply to proceedings in district or municipal courts.

[Amended 10-1-96.]

Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)

This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.

This rule keeps Rule 11 limited to certain courts. It means the requirements and procedures spelled out in Rule 11 do not apply if your case is being handled in district court or municipal court.

If you are dealing with a criminal case in district or municipal court, you cannot rely on Rule 11 for guidance. Those courts follow different procedures for the matters that Rule 11 would otherwise cover. This rule was changed in 1996 to make this limitation clear.

Committee Notes

Committee Comments to Rule 11.9 as Amended Effective October 1, 1996

Because proceedings in district and municipal courts are conducted without a jury and with the right to a trial by jury available on appeal for trial de novo in the circuit court, and in recognition of the defendant’s right to have a jury determine the question of competency to stand trial, the procedure established by Rule 11 is restricted to the circuit court.

← Previous Rule 11.8: Privilege. Next → Rule 12.1: Drawing, summoning, and qualifying the venire.

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Last updated: September 2026

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