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Docket Filing Procedures

The court docket is the official record used to organize matters brought before the San Andreas Judiciary. These procedures establish a consistent method for filing criminal cases, motions, petitions, appeals, expungements, and other judicial matters.
A filing should give the court and all parties enough information to understand what is being requested and why. Minor formatting errors should ordinarily be corrected rather than used to defeat an otherwise valid filing.

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Who May File?

Depending on the type of matter, filings may be submitted by:
  • The District Attorney’s Office;
  • Licensed attorneys;
  • Public defenders;
  • Government agencies;
  • Law enforcement officers seeking authorized judicial relief;
  • Parties representing themselves when permitted; or
  • Another person specifically authorized by law or court order.

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Case Naming

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Criminal Cases

Criminal matters should ordinarily use:
State of San Andreas v. Firstname Lastname
Example:
State of San Andreas v. John Smith
Multiple defendants may be listed when they are properly joined in the same case.

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Petitions and Non-Criminal Matters

A petition may ordinarily use:
In re: Petition of Firstname Lastname
Example:
In re: Petition of Jane Doe

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Motions

Motions filed within an existing case should clearly identify both the case and motion. Example:
State v. Smith — Defendant’s Motion to Suppress

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Appeals

An appellate filing should identify the underlying case. Example:
State v. Smith — Notice of Appeal

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Required Filing Information

Unless the court authorizes another format, a filing should identify:
  • Case name;
  • Case number, when one already exists;
  • Filing party;
  • Attorney and Bar number, when represented;
  • Type of filing;
  • Requested relief;
  • Relevant facts;
  • Legal basis;
  • Supporting exhibits, when applicable;
  • Date of filing; and
  • Contact or service information required by the court.

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Criminal Case Filing

A criminal case submitted by the District Attorney’s Office should ordinarily contain:
  1. Defendant identity;
  2. Criminal charges;
  3. Brief factual allegations supporting each charge;
  4. Relevant law;
  5. Material evidence or discovery references;
  6. Known defense counsel, when applicable;
  7. Requested warrant or custody status, when applicable; and
  8. Requested initial proceeding.
The charging document should not state unsupported allegations as established facts. Filing charges begins the judicial process; it does not establish guilt.

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Charging Multiple Offenses

Charges should comply with the Penal Code’s stacking and merger rules. The filing party should avoid duplicative counts based solely upon:
  • A lesser-included offense;
  • An attempt and completed offense for the same act;
  • A base and aggravated offense for the same act;
  • Multiple possession offenses covering the same contraband; or
  • Another prohibited form of duplicate punishment.
Separate victims, acts, criminal episodes, or independently punishable conduct may support separate counts. See Penal Code — General Provisions.

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Motions

A motion asks the court for a specific ruling or order. A motion should state:
  1. What the moving party wants the court to do;
  2. The facts relevant to the request;
  3. The legal basis;
  4. Any evidence supporting the request; and
  5. Whether an expedited ruling is requested.
Common motions include:
  • Motion to Dismiss;
  • Motion to Suppress;
  • Motion in Limine;
  • Motion to Continue;
  • Motion to Compel;
  • Motion to Quash;
  • Motion to Reconsider; and
  • Other relief permitted by law.

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Motion Title Format

Recommended format:
[Party] Motion to [Requested Relief]
Examples:
Defendant’s Motion to Suppress Evidence
State’s Motion in Limine
Defendant’s Motion to Continue

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Responses and Oppositions

A party responding to a motion should clearly identify:
  • The motion being opposed or supported;
  • Which material facts are disputed;
  • The responding party’s legal position; and
  • The requested ruling.
A response should address the actual issues raised rather than unrelated allegations.

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Replies

The court may permit the moving party to file a short reply addressing new arguments raised in the response. A reply should not be used to introduce an entirely new motion without permission.

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Exhibits

Supporting evidence may be attached as exhibits. Each exhibit should be clearly identified. Recommended labeling:
Exhibit A — Incident Report
Exhibit B — Body Camera Recording
Exhibit C — Photograph
Exhibit D — Witness Statement
Where practical, filings should explain why each exhibit matters.

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Amended Filings

A filing may be amended when:
  • New information becomes available;
  • A material mistake requires correction;
  • Charges are lawfully added, removed, or modified;
  • A party needs to correct identifying information; or
  • The court permits amendment for another legitimate reason.
An amended filing should clearly identify itself as amended. Example:
Amended Criminal Information
The amendment should not conceal the fact that the original filing changed.

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Filing a Warrant Application

A warrant application should comply with Warrants & Court Orders. It should identify:
  • Requesting officer or agency;
  • Type of warrant;
  • Person, property, place, vehicle, account, or device involved;
  • Offense under investigation;
  • Facts establishing probable cause;
  • Scope of requested authority;
  • Items or persons sought; and
  • Supporting evidence.
Applications containing sensitive investigative material may request sealing.

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Expungement Petitions

An expungement petition should identify:
  • Applicant;
  • Case or incident;
  • Offense or offenses involved;
  • Final disposition;
  • Sentence;
  • Date sentence was completed;
  • Reason relief is requested; and
  • Information supporting eligibility.
See Expungements.

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Appeals

A notice or petition for appeal should identify:
  • Case being appealed;
  • Decision or order challenged;
  • Date of decision;
  • Appealing party;
  • Claimed legal or procedural error; and
  • Relief requested.
Detailed appellate argument may be filed separately when ordered by the reviewing court. See Appeals.

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Emergency Filings

A party requesting emergency review should explain:
  1. What immediate relief is requested;
  2. Why ordinary scheduling is insufficient;
  3. What harm may occur without prompt review; and
  4. Whether opposing parties have been notified.
Label the filing clearly:
EMERGENCY MOTION
Emergency designation should not be used merely to receive faster consideration of an ordinary matter.

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Filing Deadlines

A filing should be made within any deadline established by:
  • Statute;
  • Court rule;
  • Scheduling order;
  • Judicial order; or
  • Applicable appellate procedure.
When no specific deadline exists, filings should be made within a reasonable period that allows the court and opposing parties to respond fairly.

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Service and Notice

A party filing a document should provide reasonable notice to other parties when required. Notice may be accomplished through:
  • Authorized docket notification;
  • Attorney communication;
  • Formal service;
  • Government records system;
  • Court instruction; or
  • Another method approved by the Judiciary.
A party shall not intentionally conceal a material filing from an opposing party when notice is legally required.

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Confidential and Sealed Filings

A filing may request sealing when public disclosure would create a substantial risk involving:
  • Protected witnesses;
  • Active investigations;
  • Confidential records;
  • Sensitive personal information;
  • Attorney-client privileged material;
  • Government security; or
  • Another legally protected interest.
The filing party should identify why sealing is necessary. The court determines whether the material will be sealed.

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Rejected Filings

A filing may be rejected or returned for correction when it:
  • Does not identify the case or parties;
  • Seeks relief outside the court’s authority;
  • Contains no intelligible request;
  • Is filed by a person without authority to do so;
  • Violates a lawful filing restriction;
  • Contains a material technical defect that prevents processing; or
  • Otherwise cannot reasonably be docketed.
Whenever practical, the filing party should be informed what must be corrected.

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Case Numbers

The Judiciary may assign a unique case number after a new matter is accepted. A standardized format may be used, for example:
CR-2026-0042
for criminal matters. Other prefixes may be established for:
  • Appeals;
  • Expungements;
  • Administrative matters;
  • Civil matters, if recognized;
  • Warrants; or
  • Other case types.
The Judiciary may use the numbering convention supported by the actual docket or MDT system. The example above is a formatting recommendation rather than a required database format.

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Docket Statuses

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Recommended Filing Template

Court Procedures

Review how filed matters proceed before the court.

Court Calendar

Review scheduled hearings and trials.

Warrants & Court Orders

Review requirements for judicial warrant applications.

Appeals

Review appellate procedure and available relief.