Judicial Conference Forwards "Significant" Proposed Federal Rule Amendments to Supreme Court

On Tuesday, September 16, the Judicial Conference of the United States forwarded the proposed rule amendments to the Supreme Court with the recommendation that they be adopted. The announcement recognized that these amendments represent “significant” proposals designed to promote the  just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution of civil cases.

The proposed amendments focus on increasing cooperation, achieving proportionality in discovery, and encouraging early case management by judges. A new proposed amendment addressing sanctions related to the loss of electronically stored information is also included.

The Supreme Court has until May 1, 2015 to consider the amendments. Once they are adopted by the Supreme Court, they will go into effect December 1, 2015, “unless Congress enacts legislation to reject, modify, or defer the proposed amendments.”