Local Rule General L.R. 1: Scope and Purpose of Rules

General L.R. 1. Scope and Purpose of Rules

(a) The General Rules set forth in Part A govern both civil and criminal proceedings in this District. The Rules set forth in Part B govern civil proceedings in this District. The Rules set forth in Part C govern criminal and petty offense proceedings in this District. The Rules are to be cited as follows: "S.D. Ala. GenLR ___"; "S.D. Ala. CivLR ___"; and "S.D. Ala. CrLR ___."

(b) These Rules are intended to supplement the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and other controlling statutes and rules. They shall be applied, construed, and enforced to avoid inconsistency with other governing statutes and rules, and shall be employed to provide fairness and simplicity in procedure to avoid technical and unjustified delay and to secure a just, expeditious, and inexpensive determination of all proceedings.

(c) In these Rules, "Court" includes both District Judges and Magistrate Judges; "Judge," without specifying "District" or "Magistrate," includes both; "Clerk" means the Clerk of the District Court and includes Deputy Clerks of Court; and "Marshal" means the United States Marshal and includes Deputy Marshals.

(d) Any Judge may, in the interests of justice in a particular case, suspend application and enforcement of any Local Rule or any portion thereof.

(e) Subject to the review of the District Court, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Alabama is authorized to make and amend rules governing practice and procedure in all actions within its jurisdiction. Any rules made pursuant to this authorization must be consistent with Bankruptcy Rule 9029, as well as Fed. R. Civ. P. 83, and may not limit the use of the Official Forms.