Rule 5.02 General Priorities

When two court events land on the same day, this rule explains which one gets to go first. Courts often have more than one case scheduled at the same time, so judges need a clear order to decide which case takes priority.

The rule sets up a pecking order. Appeals cases come before trial-level cases. Criminal felony trials come before civil trials. If a trial date was scheduled first, that case generally gets to keep its spot over a case scheduled later. Trials outrank hearings, and hearings outrank conferences. Also, if a judge is traveling to hold court somewhere else, those trials and hearings come before the trials and hearings the judge would normally handle at home base.

For people involved in a case, this means your court date could get pushed back if a higher-priority case needs the same time slot. It also means that getting your trial date set early can work in your favor, since earlier-scheduled trials generally hold their place over ones scheduled later.