Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-2004
Abstract
Devoted fans and casual users of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure will feel mixed emotions on contemplating the Style Project that aims to rewrite every rule from Rule 1 to the end. Well they might. The Style Project's purpose is simply stated. The Civil Rules, created in an inspired fit of creativity, have been amended repeatedly over the years. Experience has shown that even inspired initial drafting could not avoid all misadventures and that amendments drafted by successive generations wielding different drafting tools do not always fit well. The present rules can be reworked to say more clearly what they mean now. That is the goal of the Style Project: to translate present text into clear language that does not change the meaning.
Recommended Citation
Cooper, Edward H. "Restyling the Civil Rules: Clarity Without Change." Notre Dame L. Rev. 79, no. 5 (2004): 1761-86.