Discovery In The States

Discovery is a part of the legal process that involves disclosing relevant information before a case goes to trial. Each state has its own laws, court rules, and case law governing the discovery process. These procedures address factors such as: how discovery is to be requested; the timing of when the information is to be disclosed; who is required to disclose the information; and what information is required to be disclosed. The interactive map below features data on the most relevant discovery rules in all 50 states.




  • FILTERS
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INSTRUCTIONS

The filters to the right of the map (designated by blue buttons) represent the topic of the potential discovery request (i.e., defendant, witness, expert, or other evidence). Under these filters, the clickable boxes cover some of the common forms of discovery that may be requested (e.g., a defendant’s criminal history or an expert witness’s report). Once you have clicked the desired boxes, select “apply filters,” and the map will highlight which states require disclosure of the information you selected. An alphabetical listing of the search results will also display below the map.

If you would like information on a single state, click on the map or the state’s name to see details about that state’s discovery rules. 

If you wish to see how different states’ discovery rules compare to one another, you can generate a side-by-side comparison of up to 3 states at once. You can use this feature by either selecting states from the alphabetical listing below the map or conducting a filtered search and selecting states for comparison from the search results (listed alphabetically below the map).

If you are interested in accessing the underlying state-by-state data used to create this map, you can download the Excel version at the bottom of every page using the “Save as Excel” button.

If you believe any of the information on this site is incorrect, please reach out to the JFA team at JFA@nacdl.org.


State Discovery Statute/Rule Def. Criminal History Witness List Expert Reports Grand Jury Transcripts Police Reports
Alabama

Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure 16

Yes No No No No
Alaska

Alaska Rules of Criminal Procedure 16

Yes No No No No
American Samoa

American Samoa Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 16

No No No No No
Arizona

Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure 15.4

Yes No No No Yes
Arkansas

No Yes No Yes No
California

California Penal Code § 1054

No No No No No
Colorado

Colorado Rules of Criminal Procedure 16

Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Connecticut

Connecticut General Statutes § 54-86a - 54-86c

Connecticut Practice Book § 40

Yes Yes No No Yes
Delaware

Delaware Rules of Criminal Procedure 16

Yes No No No Yes
District of Columbia

D.C. Criminal Rule 12

D.C. Criminal Rule 16

Yes No No Yes Yes
Florida

Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure 3.220

No Yes No Yes Yes
Georgia

Georgia Criminal Procedure Chapter 16 Article 1 § 17-16-4

Yes Yes No Yes No
Guam

Guam Code, 2019 Statutes, Title 8 §§ 70.10 - 70.80

No Yes No No No
Hawaii

Hawaii Rules of Penal Procedure 6

Hawaii Rules of Penal Procedure 12, 15, 16

Yes No No Yes No
Idaho

Idaho Rules of Criminal Procedure 15, 16

Idaho Code § 19-519

Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Illinois

Illinois Superior Court Rules 411 - 417

No Yes No Yes No
Indiana

Indiana Court Rules of Trial Procedure Rule 26*

No No No No No
Iowa

Iowa Rules of Criminal Procedure 2.14

Yes No No Yes No
Kansas

Kansas Statutes § 22-3211 - 22-3212

Yes Yes No Yes No
Kentucky

Kentucky Rules of Criminal Procedure 7.24, 7.26

No No No No Yes
Louisiana

Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Articles 716 - 729.7

Louisiana Laws Code of Civil Procedure 1438

Louisiana Revised Statutes § 15:440.5

Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Maine

Maine Rules of Criminal Procedure 15 - 16a

No Yes No Yes Yes
Maryland

Maryland Court Rules on Criminal Causes 4-261 - 4-263

Maryland Court Rules Criminal Causes 4-301

Yes No No No No
Massachusetts

Massachusetts Criminal Procedure Rule 14

Yes No No Yes Yes
Michigan

Michigan Court Rule 6.200

No Yes No No Yes
Minnesota

Minnesota Court Rules of Criminal Procedure 9

Yes Yes No Yes No
Mississippi

Mississippi Rules of Criminal Procedure 17

No Yes No No No
Missouri

Missouri Superior Court Rules of Criminal Procedure 25

No Yes No Yes Yes
Montana

Montana Code Annotated 46-15-200

Montana Code Annotated 46-15-322 - 46-15-323

No Yes No No No
Nebraska

Nebraska Revised Statute Chapter 29

Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Nevada

Nevada Revised Statutes 174.171 - 174.295

No Yes No No No
New Hampshire

New Hampshire Rules of the Superior Court 21 - 29

New Hampshire Criminal Procedure in a Criminal Court § 592-B:6

Yes Yes No No Yes
New Jersey

New Jersey Court Rules 12 - 13

Yes Yes No No Yes
New Mexico

New Mexico Rules of Criminal Procedure for the District Courts Article 5

Yes Yes No No No
New York

New York Criminal Procedure Law Articles 245 - 250.2

Yes Yes No Yes Yes
North Carolina

North Carolina General Statute Section 15A Article 48

Yes Yes No No Yes
North Dakota

North Dakota Rules of Criminal Procedure 12, 15, 16

Yes Yes No Yes No
Northern Mariana Islands

Northern Mariana Islands Rules of Criminal Procedure 12.1, 15, 16

Yes Yes No No No
Ohio

Ohio Rules of Criminal Procedure 16

Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Oklahoma

Oklahoma Statute Section 22-2002

Yes Yes No No Yes
Oregon

Oregon Revised Statutes § 135.805 - 135.873

Oregon Uniform Trial Court Rules 7.010

Yes Yes No No Yes
Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure 573

Pennsylvania Statute 42-59-5919

Yes Yes No No No
Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico Title 34A Rules of Criminal Procedure, § II Rules 94, 95, 95A, 95B

Yes No No No Yes
Rhode Island

Rhode Island Superior Court Rules of Criminal Procedure 15, 16

Rhode Island General Law Section 12-17-16

Yes Yes No Yes No
South Carolina

South Carolina Rules of Criminal Procedure 5

Yes No No No No
South Dakota

South Dakota Codified Law § 23A-9, 23A-12, 23A-13

Yes No No Yes No
Tennessee

Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure 12.1, 15, 16

Yes No No Yes No
Texas

Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 39.14

No Yes No No Yes
U.S. Virgin Islands

U.S. Virgin Islands Rules of Criminal Procedure 12.1, 15, 16, 26.2

Yes Yes No No No
Utah

Utah Rules Criminal Procedure Rule 16

Yes No No No No
Vermont

Vermont Rules of Criminal Procedure 15 - 16.2

Yes Yes No Yes No
Virginia

Virginia Rules of Supreme Court 3A:11

No Yes No No Yes
Washington

Washington Superior Court Criminal Rule 4.6 - 4.7

Yes Yes No Yes No
West Virginia

West Virginia Rules of Criminal Procedure 12.1, 15, 16

Yes Yes No Yes No
Wisconsin

Wisconsin Statute Section 971.23

Yes Yes No Yes No
Wyoming

Wyoming Rules of Criminal Procedure 12.1, 15, 16

Yes No No Yes No
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