Rule 32.11 Misdemeanors or Felonies - Clerk to Transmit File After Change of Venue - Failure to Transmit, or Loss of, Record

When a criminal case gets moved to a different court (called a change of venue), the court clerk has to send all the case records to the new court right away. This includes the original paperwork and a copy of everything that has happened in the case so far. If the judge asks for it, the clerk can send a complete written record of all the proceedings instead, along with any original papers that were not part of that record.

Sometimes these records get lost or never arrive at the new court. If this happens, the rule says the case does not just stall out. Copies of the missing paperwork get created and filed with the new court, and the case moves forward normally, just as if the original records had shown up on time.

This rule matters because it protects your case from getting stuck or thrown out just because paperwork got lost or delayed during a transfer. Even if records go missing, the court can still move forward using copies, so your case keeps moving instead of getting stuck in limbo.