Georgetown Law
Georgetown Law Library

Federal Court Rules Research Guide

This guide identifies the most important sources for finding federal court rules; it identifies the materials that help in the interpretation of those rules; and finally, suggests some sources for federal procedural forms.

About the Rules of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims

  • The Court of Federal Claims is a trial court that hears cases involving non-tort monetary claims against the federal government. There is no right to a jury trial in the U.S.Court of Federal Claims.
  • The rules of the Court of Federal Claims have been adapted from the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and substitute for those rules in cases heard by the Court of Federal Claims.

Free Online Sources

Major Electronic Sources

Major Print Sources

Title 28 Rules volumes of the United States Code Annotated (U.S.C.A.) (West)

  • Located after Title 28 volumes of U.S.C.A.
  • Provides the text of rules, advisory committee notes, case annotations, and cross references to secondary sources such as law review articles, West's Legal Forms, West's Federal Practice Manual, Wright and Miller's Federal Practice and Procedure, and others.
  • An index to the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims appears right at the end of those rules in the volume containing them, the Rules of the U.S. Court of International Trade, and the Rules of the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Locations:
    • Current: KF62 1927.A3 (located in the Reading Room)
    • Historic (back to 1960): Located in Historic Core; ask at the Williams Circulation Desk

Court Rules volumes of the United States Code Service (U.S.C.S.) (Lexis)

  • Located after the Title 50 volumes of U.S.C.S.
  • Provides the text of the rules, advisory committee notes, case annotations, and cross references to secondary sources such as law review articles, American Jurisprudence Trials, American Jurisprudence Pleading and Practice Forms, Moore's Federal Practice, and others.
  • An index to the Rules of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims appears at the end of the volume containing those rules.
  • Locations:
    • Current: KF62 1972.U5 (located in the Reading Room)
    • Historic (back to 1978): Located in Historic Core; ask at the Williams Circulation Desk

Title 28, Appendix of the United States Code (U.S.C.) (G.P.O.)

  • Located at the end of the last volume containing portions of Title 28. 
  • This official source includes the text of the rules and advisory committee notes, but does not provide case annotations.
  • Tends to be out-of-date, as main editions are published only once every six years, although annual cumulative supplements are published between main editions.
  • Locations:
    • Current: KF62 2006 .A2 (located in the Reading Room)
    • Historic (back to 1934): located in Historic Core; ask at the Williams Circulation Desk
    • Electronic (PDF) (1925 - current): available on HeinOnline