Rule 17 Re-assignment of Judges.

If a judge or court employee is involved in a court case as a party (meaning they are suing someone or being sued), a different judge from the other judicial district can be brought in to handle the case. This helps avoid a situation where a judge might have to hear a case involving a coworker or colleague from their own courthouse.

This swap only happens when the case is actually being contested, meaning both sides disagree about something and the matter is being fought out in court. If the matter is uncontested, meaning everyone already agrees on the outcome, there is no need to bring in a judge from another district. The case can just move forward as usual.