This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
If you want to challenge your conviction or sentence after your trial is over, this rule tells you how that process works. It sets up one main path for these challenges, called a Rule 32 petition. This replaces almost every other way people used to try to get relief after a conviction. The only other options still available are filing a normal post-trial motion under Rule 24 or filing a direct appeal.
If someone tries to file a different type of petition asking to overturn their conviction or sentence, the court will treat it as a Rule 32 petition anyway. This means you can't get around the rule by labeling your request something else. The court will still apply Rule 32's requirements and deadlines to it.
The rule also explains how these cases move through court. Normal criminal procedure rules apply, but there's one special option. The trial judge can allow depositions, meaning sworn interviews of witnesses, if the judge thinks that would help with discovery or with presenting evidence later. This is not something you can demand as a right. It's fully up to the judge whether to allow it.
