Civil procedure includes the procedures and rules that govern civil (non-criminal) litigation in state and federal courts. Many states have rules of civil procedure written by the state supreme court, for example, and other states include their rules of procedure in state statutes enacted by the state legislature.
In Iowa, civil procedure is governed by a combination of state statutes and rules established by the Iowa Supreme Court. The Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure lay out the framework for conducting civil litigation in state courts, covering aspects such as pleadings, motions, discovery, trials, and appeals. These rules are designed to ensure a fair and orderly process for resolving disputes. Additionally, federal cases in Iowa follow the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure when they are in federal district courts. These federal rules provide the guidelines for managing civil cases in the federal court system and are consistent across all federal courts to provide uniformity in federal civil litigation.