28 USC § 2072 - Rules of procedure and evidence; power to prescribe

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t28/s2072"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "28 USC § 2072 - Rules of procedure and evidence; power to prescribe"
title_number: 28
title_name: "JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE"
section_number: "2072"
section_name: "Rules of procedure and evidence; power to prescribe"
chapter_number: 131
chapter_name: "RULES OF COURTS"
part_number: "V"
part_name: "PROCEDURE"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 100–702, title IV, § 401(a), Nov. 19, 1988, 102 Stat. 4648; amended Pub. L. 101–650, title III, §§ 315, 321, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5115, 5117.)"
---


# § 2072. Rules of procedure and evidence; power to prescribe

**(a)** The Supreme Court shall have the power to prescribe general rules of practice and procedure and rules of evidence for cases in the United States district courts (including proceedings before magistrate judges thereof) and courts of appeals.

**(b)** Such rules shall not abridge, enlarge or modify any substantive right. All laws in conflict with such rules shall be of no further force or effect after such rules have taken effect.

**(c)** Such rules may define when a ruling of a district court is final for the purposes of appeal under section 1291 of this title.

---

**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 100–702, title IV, § 401(a), Nov. 19, 1988, 102 Stat. 4648; amended Pub. L. 101–650, title III, §§ 315, 321, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5115, 5117.)

## Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 2072, acts , ; , ; , ; , ; , , ; , , , authorized the Supreme Court to prescribe rules of civil procedure, prior to repeal by , §§ 401(a), 407, effective .

### Amendments

1990—Subsec. (c).  added subsec. (c).

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Change of Name

Words “magistrate judges” substituted for “magistrates” in subsec. (a) pursuant to , set out as a note under .

### Effective Date

Section effective , see , set out as an Effective Date of 1988 Amendment note under .

### Applicability to Virgin Islands

Rules of civil procedure promulgated under this section as applicable to the District Court of the Virgin Islands, see , Territories and Insular Possessions.

## Court Rules

### Admiralty Rules

The Rules of Practice in Admiralty and Maritime Cases, promulgated by the Supreme Court on , effective , as revised, amended, and supplemented, were rescinded, effective , in accordance with the general unification of civil and admiralty procedure which became effective . Provision for certain distinctly maritime remedies were preserved however, in the Supplemental Rules for Certain Admiralty and Maritime Claims, Rules A to F, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, Appendix to this title. The Supplemental Rules for Certain Admiralty and Maritime Claims were subsequently renamed the Supplemental Rules for Admiralty or Maritime Claims and Asset Forfeiture Actions.