Rule 6.1 1. Case Selection

If both sides in a civil case agree, they can ask the court to send their case to a private judge instead of a regular judge. This option works for cases about contracts, injury claims (torts), a mix of both, or family law matters like divorce or custody.

To make this happen, everyone involved must sign a written request called a joint petition. The private judge who takes the case must also agree in writing to handle it. Once both of these things happen, the court will officially assign the case to that private judge, who will then make the decisions in the case just like a regular judge would.