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 Wisconsin, civil procedure is governed by a combination of state statutes and rules established by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Wisconsin Statutes set forth various laws that dictate how civil litigation is to be conducted, including but not limited to, commencement of actions, service of process, pleadings, motions, and pretrial practice. Additionally, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has established the Wisconsin Rules of Civil Procedure, which are compiled in the Wisconsin Statutes Annotated. These rules cover a wide range of procedural aspects such as discovery, trials, and judgments. Together, these statutes and rules provide a comprehensive framework for the conduct of civil litigation in Wisconsin's state courts. For federal courts located in Wisconsin, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure apply, which are uniform across all federal district courts in the United States.