Rule Text
Unless otherwise provided in these rules, all pretrial motions shall be determined before trial. Trial shall be postponed by the court for the determination of pretrial motions, if necessary.
Amendment history: The provisions of this Rule 580 amended June 4, 2013, effective July 4, 2013, 43 Pa.B. 3330; amended January 4, 2022, effective July 1, 2022, 52 Pa.B. 346. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (407918).
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
This summary is not the rule. The rule text controls.
Before your trial starts, the judge must handle any pretrial motions first. A pretrial motion is a formal request asking the court to make a decision about something before the trial begins, like whether certain evidence can be used or whether charges should be dropped.
If the court needs more time to deal with these motions, the trial will be pushed back until they are resolved. This protects everyone involved by making sure important legal issues are settled before the trial gets underway.
Committee Notes
See Rule 587(b) for the procedures for motions to dismiss on double jeopardy grounds.
Rule 309 adopted June 30, 1964, effective January 1, 1965; renumbered Rule 310 June 29, 1977 and November 22, 1977, effective as to cases in which the indictment or information is filed on or after January 1, 1978 ; renumbered Rule 580 March 1, 2000, effective April 1, 2001; Comment revised June 4, 2013, effective July 4, 2013.
Final Report explaining the March 1, 2000 reorganization and renumbering of the rules published with the Court’s Order at 30 Pa.B. 1478 (March 18, 2000).
Final Report explaining the June 4, 2013 revision of the Comment adding a citation to Rule 587 concerning motions to dismiss on double jeopardy grounds published with the Court’s Order at 43 Pa.B. 3331 (June 22, 2013).
