Rule Text
To provide for the expeditious administration of justice to the extent practicable, the court shall hear uncontested matters and the trials of motions or exceptions on days on which trials on the merits are not scheduled.
If uncontested matters and the trials of motions or exceptions are heard on days on which trials on the merits are scheduled, the court will, where practicable, maintain the following order of business:
(a) Uncontested matters, including default judgments.
(b) The trial of motions or exceptions that do not require the testimony of witnesses.
(c) The trial of motions or exceptions that require the testimony of witnesses.
(d) Trials on the merits.
Amendment history: Adopted April 1, 2002, effective April 1, 2002; amended November 20, 2009, effective January 1, 2010; amended March 31, 2022, effective March 31, 2022.
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
Courts try to organize their daily schedule so cases move along quickly. When possible, judges handle uncontested matters and simple motions on days when they don't have full trials scheduled. This keeps trial days free for actual trials instead of getting bogged down with other business.
If a court does need to handle motions or uncontested matters on the same day as trials, there's a set order they follow. First come uncontested matters, like default judgments where nobody is fighting the case. Next are motions that can be decided without hearing from witnesses. After that come motions that do need witness testimony. Trials on the merits, meaning the full trial of a contested case, come last.
This order makes sense because it deals with the quickest, simplest matters first and saves the most time-consuming proceedings for later in the day. If you have a hearing scheduled, this rule helps explain why your case might be heard at a certain point in the day's schedule rather than first thing in the morning.
