1. The supreme court may prescribe all rules of pleading, practice, evidence, and procedure, and the forms of process, writs, and notices, for all proceedings in all courts of this state, for the purposes of simplifying the proceedings and promoting the speedy determination of litigation upon its merits.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 602.4201

  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • State: includes any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any territory or possession subject to the legislative authority of the United States. See Iowa Code 633D.2
  • Writ of certiorari: An order issued by the Supreme Court directing the lower court to transmit records for a case for which it will hear on appeal.
 2. Rules of appellate procedure relating to appeals to and review by the supreme court, discretionary review by the courts of small claims actions, review by the supreme court by writ of certiorari to inferior courts, appeal to or review by the court of appeals of a matter transferred to that court by the supreme court, and further review by the supreme court of decisions of the court of appeals, shall be known as “Rules of Appellate Procedure”, and shall be published as provided in section 2B.5B.
 3. The following rules are subject to section 602.4202:

 a. Rules of civil procedure.
 b. Rules of criminal procedure.
 c. Rules of evidence.
 e. Rules of probate procedure.
 f. Juvenile procedure.
 g. Involuntary hospitalization of mentally ill.
 h. Involuntary commitment or treatment of persons with substance-related disorders.