Art. 107 Mandatory and permissive language

When you read court documents or laws, the word choice matters a lot. If a rule says a court or person "shall" do something, that means they are required to do it. There's no choice involved. It has to happen.

On the other hand, if a rule says a court or person "may" do something, that means it's optional. They have the choice to do it, but they don't have to. This distinction helps you understand whether an action is a strict requirement or just something that's allowed but not forced.

Knowing this difference can help you understand what steps are guaranteed to happen in a case, and which ones depend on someone's decision or judgment.