> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.courtrules.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Courts and Coverage

> How the API handles standing orders and judge-specific rules

For courts with compliance profiles (the Eastern District of New York today), every judge is checked against three rule layers: **FRCP** (15 national rules), **Local Rules** (district-specific rules), and **Standing Orders** (judge-specific rules extracted from each judge's chambers standing order).

Every judge profile is verified against the original standing order PDF.

## Three rule layers

```mermaid theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
graph TD
    FRCP["FRCP<br/>national · 15 rules · identical for every judge"]
    LR["Local Rules<br/>district-wide · formatting, word limits, timing"]
    SO["Standing Orders<br/>judge-specific · page limits, PMC, courtesy copies, filing gates"]
    FRCP --> LR --> SO
    style FRCP fill:#eff6ff,stroke:#3b82f6,color:#1e3a8a
    style LR fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#3b82f6,color:#1e3a8a
    style SO fill:#bfdbfe,stroke:#1e40af,color:#1e3a8a
```

Each layer overrides and adds to the one above. FRCP is the national baseline. Local Rules layer on district-specific requirements. Standing Orders are the most specific and carry the highest rejection risk because they're the hardest to find and track.

### FRCP (applies to every judge)

15 rules covering captions, signatures, privacy redactions, motion content, discovery conferral, and summary judgment requirements. These are national rules, identical regardless of judge or district.

### Local Rules (applies to every judge in the district)

District-specific local rules covering formatting (font, margins, spacing), word limits, filing timing, required documents, and letter motions. The number of local rules varies by district.

### Standing Orders (judge-specific)

Judge-specific rules extracted from individual chambers standing orders. These cover:

* **Page limits**: judge-specific page limits that may differ from district word limits
* **Courtesy copies**: whether required, format, and timing
* **Pre-motion conferences**: whether required before filing, letter format, exemptions
* **Filing gates**: whether all papers must be fully briefed before docketing
* **Bundling**: whether motion, opposition, and reply must be filed together
* **Briefing schedules**: whether changes require court approval

## Court coverage and access

Rules are available for 20 federal district courts and 31 state courts across 16 states. Every API key can query every court.

* [`GET /api/v1/courts`](/api-reference/courts) lists every court we map. Courts with `status: live` have rules; `coming_soon` courts are mapped without rules yet.
* [`GET /api/v1/judges`](/api-reference/judges) lists a court's current roster and marks the judges whose own rules we hold.
* [`GET /api/v1/rules`](/api-reference/rules) returns a judge's rules. For courts without a compliance profile, that is the court-wide rules plus the judge's own rules, each with its quoted source text.
* [`GET /api/v1/extracted-rules`](/api-reference/extracted-rules) searches and pages rules across every court.

Compliance checks ([`/check`](/api-reference/check) and [`/classify`](/api-reference/classify)) need a hand-built compliance profile. The Eastern District of New York has one today; other courts return `422` from those endpoints.

### State courts

State court rules cover 31 high-volume trial courts. Roster entries count judges, and in some courts departments or courtrooms:

| State | Courts | Roster entries |
| - | - | - |
| California | 8 | 493 |
| Illinois | 5 | 449 |
| Florida | 2 | 240 |
| Arizona | 1 | 161 |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 119 |
| Michigan | 1 | 95 |
| Texas | 4 | 76 |
| Nevada | 1 | 58 |
| Washington | 1 | 56 |
| Oregon | 1 | 51 |
| Maryland | 1 | 48 |
| Missouri | 1 | 46 |
| Colorado | 1 | 31 |
| Georgia | 1 | 19 |
| Virginia | 1 | 15 |
| Tennessee | 1 | 9 |

State court data includes judge rosters, court-wide filing rules, and judge or courtroom procedures, each rule tied to the court's own source document.

## How this appears in the API

### [`GET /api/v1/rules`](/api-reference/rules)

For courts with compliance profiles, returns all three rule layers for a judge, including synthesized standing order rules. For every other court, returns the court-wide rules and the judge's own rules.

### [`POST /api/v1/check`](/api-reference/check)

Checks a document against all three rule layers: page/word limits, formatting, structural requirements, privacy redactions, PMC requirements, filing gates, bundling, and courtesy copies. Returns `422` for courts without a compliance profile.


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