Rule 15.1 Pleadings and motions.

In a criminal case, the state has to file formal charges against a person in one of three ways: an indictment, an information, or a complaint. These are just different names for the official paperwork that lays out what crime the person is accused of committing.

The person accused of the crime (the defendant) only has four choices when entering a plea. They can plead guilty, plead not guilty, plead not guilty because of a mental disease or defect, or combine the last two by pleading both not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

If the defendant wants to raise problems with the case before trial, like challenging the charges or asking the court to dismiss the case, they have to do this through a motion to dismiss or a motion asking for other relief. Older legal tools that used to exist for this purpose, like demurrers, pleas in abatement, and motions to quash, are no longer allowed. This means the rules simplify what kind of paperwork can be filed and how a person can respond to charges or fight problems with their case.