District court — criminal · Pretrial motions
Discovery Request / Motion to Compel (Rule 16)
Requests or compels disclosure of statements, records, documents, examinations and expert information.
Filed by: Defendant or government
Not yet verified. Compiled from the national rules and not yet verified by a reviewing attorney. The national rules are amended each December 1, and local rules, standing orders and judges' practices add to them. Confirm with the current rules before filing. This is not legal advice.
What it must include
- Written request to the government (FRCrP 16(a)(1))
- Motion to compel only after conferral (many local rules)
- Caption with court, case title (United States v. …) and case number
- Signature of counsel of record
- Certificate of service (FRCrP 49(a)–(b))
Governing rules
- FRCrP 16
- FRCrP 12(b)(3)(E)
- Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963)
Check the local rules for
- Standing discovery orders and Due Process Protections Act orders
- Meet-and-confer certification before filing
Applies in federal district courts. Find your court for its local requirements.
Other pretrial motions
Draft this filing in DraftAria.
Court-formatted template with this checklist built in, and brackets where your matter details go.