Rule 27.01 Motion and Appointment

Here's a plain English summary of this rule:

A judge can order a medical or psychological expert to evaluate someone involved in a case. This can happen two ways: either a party asks the court to appoint an expert, or the judge decides to do it on their own, without anyone asking.

Once the expert finishes the evaluation, the judge can also require that expert to come to court and testify about what they found. This gives the judge a way to get professional medical or psychological input when it matters to the case, even if neither side specifically requests it.

This rule connects to West Virginia's child welfare laws, so it often comes up in cases involving children and families where a parent's or child's mental or physical health needs a professional opinion.