To the Bench, Bar, and Public:
The Indiana Supreme Court sought public comment on the following proposed amendments to the Indiana Rules of Court.
Access to Court Records Rule 5(F)
The proposed amendment to the Rules on Access to Court Records would add a new paragraph (F) to Rule 5 restricting access to child sex abuse material offered and admitted as exhibits at trial.
Read proposed Access to Court Records Rule 5(F)
Trial Rule 12
The proposed amendment to Trial Rule 12 would add timing for responsive pleadings and update language.
Tax Court Rules
The proposed amendments to the Tax Court Rules would reflect a comprehensive structural update:
- reorganize the Rules into four titles
- relocate and renumber several provisions for consistency
- consolidate related material to reduce duplication
- repeal and replace several rules with updated versions
- add new rules to align practice across the types of cases heard by the Court
- incorporate by reference relevant provisions of the Appellate, Trial, and Small Claims Rules to streamline the rule set.
Feedback
The Supreme Court invites public comments on these proposed amendments until Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern).
Comments may also be sent in writing to:
Indiana Office of Court Services
c/o Rules Committee
251 N. Illinois Street, Suite 800
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Comments submitted by other means, including those sent directly to court staff or members of the Rules Committee will not be considered.
The Supreme Court's Rules Committee records and reviews each public comment received according to Indiana Trial Rule 80(D). The committee may then adjust the language in the proposed amendment based on public comments. If the committee moves forward with a proposed amendment, a final draft of the rule is submitted to the Indiana Supreme Court with copies of all public comments received. The Court then determines whether to accept the proposed amendment, reject it, rewrite it themselves, or send it back to the Rules Committee for additional study. This process can take several months. If a rule amendment is accepted, the Court will issue an order amending the rules.