WASHINGTON STATE REGISTER

WSR 05-13-018

RULES OF COURT

STATE SUPREME COURT

[ June 2, 2005 ]

IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF THE NEW RALJ 7.3 AND NEW RALJ 8.4 )
)
)
ORDER
NO. 25700-A-818

The Superior Judges' Association having recommended the adoption of proposed New RALJ 7.3 and New RALJ 8.4, and the Court having considered the new rules and comment submitted thereto, and having determined that the proposed new rule will aid in the prompt and orderly administration of justice;

Now, therefore, it is hereby

ORDERED:

(a) That the new rules as attached hereto are adopted.

(b) That the new rules will be published in the Washington Reports and become effective September 1, 2005.

     DATED at Olympia, Washington this 2nd day of June 2005.
     Alexander, C.J.

     C. Johnson, J.
     Chambers, J.

     Madsen, J.
     Owens, J.

     Sanders, J.
     Fairhurst, J.

     Bridge, J.
     J. M. Johnson, J.

RULES FOR APPEAL OF DECISIONS OF
COURTS OF LIMITED JURISDICTION (RALJ)

Suggested New Rule

[NEW] RULE 7.3. FORMAT OF BRIEFS

(a) Typing or Printing Brief. All briefs shall conform to the requirements of GR 14. In addition, the text of any brief typed or printed in a proportionally spaced typeface must appear in print as 12 point or larger type with no more than 10 characters per inch and double-spaced. The same typeface and print size should be standard throughout the brief, except that footnotes may appear in print as 10 point or larger type and be the equivalent of single-spaced. Quotations may be the equivalent of single-spaced. Except for materials in an appendix, the typewritten or printed material in the brief may not be reduced or condensed by photographic or other means.

(b) Length of Brief. The briefs of appellant and respondent filed pursuant to RALJ 7.2 (a) and (b) shall not exceed 18 pages. Reply briefs filed pursuant to RALJ 7.2(c) shall not exceed 6 pages. For the purpose of determining compliance with this rule, appendices are not included. For good cause, the court may grant a motion to file an over-length brief.

(c) Unpublished Opinions. A party may not cite as authority an unpublished opinion of a Washington appellate court, nor of any other state or federal court that is not published. A party may not cite as authority a decision of a superior court, a court of limited jurisdiction, or a decision of a commissioner of the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals.

Reviser's note: The brackets and enclosed material in the text of the above section occurred in the copy filed by the agency and appear in the Register pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.08.040.

RULES FOR APPEAL OF DECISIONS OF
COURTS OF LIMITED JURISDICTION (RALJ)

Suggested New Rule

[NEW] RULE 8.4. WAIVER OF ORAL ARGUMENT

The parties may, at any time, agree to waive oral argument and submit the matter for consideration by the court on the briefs that have been submitted. The court may, on its own initiative, direct that there be no argument, once it has received the brief of appellant and the brief of respondent.

	Alexander, C.J.
C. Johnson, J.	Chambers, J.
Madsen, J.	Owens, J.
Sanders, J.	Fairhurst, J.
Bridge, J.	J. M. Johnson, J.

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