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III.

RULES OF PRACTICE FOR THE COURTS OF EQUITY OF THE UNITED STATES.

[It will be recollected that by the process act of 1792, it was ordained that the forms and modes of proceeding in suits in equity should be according to the principles, rules and usages which belong to courts of equity, subject, however, to such alterations and additions as the courts respectively should, in their discretion deem expedient, or such regulations as the Supreme Court of the United States should think proper from time to time, by rule, to prescribe to any circuit or district court concerning the same. In virtue of the authority with which the supreme court was thus invested, a set of rules for the regulation of equity practice was promulgated by the supreme court in 1822, which were printed in the earlier editions of this work; but these have been superseded by the following more full and elaborately devised body of rules adopted in 1842. Although they relate to a subject not treated of in this work, and notwithstanding the considerable space they occupy, the author is of opinion that his professional brethren would not approve of their omission. By the 90th rule, it will be seen, the practice of the high court of Chancery in England is adopted in all cases not provided for by these rules, or by such additional rules not inconsistent therewith, as the respective inferior courts may adopt. The only remaining general rules or orders prescribed by the supreme court, in virtue of the above mentioned authority, are the body of rules promulgated in 1845, regulating the practice of the courts of the United States in Admiralty, and the rules since made in addition thereto. These will be found in "Conkling's Admiralty."]

I.

The circuit courts, as courts of equity, shall be deemed always open for the purpose of filing bills, answers and other pleadings, for issuing and returning mesne and final process and commissions, and for making

and directing all interlocutory motions, orders, rules and other proceedings, preparatory to the hearing of all causes upon their merits.

The circuit courts, as courts of equity, shall be always open for the purpose of filing bills, petitions, answers, pleas and other pleadings, for issuing and returning mesne and final process and commissions, and for making and directing all interlocutory motions, orders, rules and other proceedings whatever, preparatory to the hearing of all causes pending therein upon their merits. And it shall be competent for any judge of the court, upon reasonable notice to the parties, in the clerk's office, or at chambers, and in vacation as well as in term, to make, direct and award all such process, commissions and interlocutory orders, rules and other proceedings, whenever the same are not grantable of course, according to the rules and practice of the court.

II.

The clerk's office shall be open, and the clerk shall be in attendance therein on the first Monday of every month, for the purpose of receiving, entering, entertaining and disposing of all motions, rules, orders and other proceedings, which are grantable of course, and applied for, or had by the parties or their solicitors in all causes pending in equity, in pursuance of the rules hereby prescribed.

III.

Any judge of the circuit court, as well in vacation as in term, may, at chambers, or on the rule days, at the clerk's office, make and direct all such interlocutory orders, rules and other proceedings, preparatory to the hearing of all causes upon their merits, in the same manner and with the same effect as the circuit court could make and direct the same in term, reasonable notice of the application therefor being first given to the adverse party, or his solicitor, to appear and show cause to the contrary at the next rule day thereafter, unless some other time is assigned by the judge for the hearing.

IV.

All motions, rules, orders and other proceedings made and directed at chambers, or on rule days at the clerk's office, whether special or of course, shall be entered by the clerk in an order book, to be kept at the clerk's office on the day when they are made and directed, which book shall be open at all office hours, to the free inspection of the parties in any suit in equity, and their solicitors. And, except in cases where personal or other notice is specially required or directed, such entry in the order book shall be deemed sufficient notice to the parties and their

solicitors, without further service thereof, of all orders, rules, acts, notices and other proceedings entered in such order book, touching any and all the matters in the suits, to and in which they are parties and solicitors. And notice to the solicitors shall be deemed notice to the parties for whom they appear and whom they represent, in all cases where personal notice on the parties is not otherwise specially required. Where the solicitors for all the parties in a suit reside in or near the same town or city, the judges of the circuit court may, by rule, abridge the time for notice of rules, orders or other proceedings, not requiring personal service on the parties, in their discretion.

V.

All motions and applications in the clerk's office for the issuing of mesne process and final process to enforce and execute decrees, for filing bills, answers, pleas, demurrers and other pleadings; for making amendments to bills and answers; for taking bills pro confesso; for filing exceptions, and for other proceedings in the clerk's office, which do not, by the rules hereinafter prescribed, require any allowance or order of the court, or of any judge thereof, shall be deemed motions and applications, grantable of course by the clerk of the court. But the same may be suspended or altered, or rescinded by any judge of the court, upon special cause shown.

VI.

All motions for rules or orders and other proceedings, which are not grantable of course, or without notice, shall, unless a different time be assigned by a judge of the court, be made on a rule day, and entered in the order book, and shall be heard at the rule day next after that on which the motion is made. And if the adverse party, or his solicitor, shall not then appear, or shall not show good cause against the same, the motion may be heard by any judge of the court ex parte, and granted, as if not objected to, or refused, in his discretion.

PROCESS.
VII.

The process of subpœna shall constitute the proper mesne process in all suits in equity, in the first instance, to require the defendant to appear and answer the exigency of the bill; and unless otherwise provided in these rules, or specially ordered by the circuit court, a writ of attachment, and if the defendant cannot be found, a writ of sequestration or a writ of assistance to enforce a delivery of possession, as

the case may require, shall be the proper process to issue for the purpose of compelling obedience to any interlocutory or final order or decree of the court.

VIII.

Final process to execute any decree may, if the decree be solely for the payment of money, be by a writ of execution, in the form used in the circuit court in suits at common law in actions of assumpsit. If the decree be for the performance of any specific act, as, for example, for the execution of a conveyance of land, or the delivering up of deeds, or other documents, the decree shall, in all cases, prescribe the time within which the act shall be done, of which the defendant shall be bound without further service to take notice; and upon affidavit of the plaintiff, filed in the clerk's office, that the same has not been complied with within the prescribed time, the clerk shall issue a writ of attachment against the delinquent party, from which, if attached thereon, he shall not be discharged, unless upon a full compliance with the decree and the payment of all costs, or upon a special order of the court or of a judge thereof, upon motion and affidavit, enlarging the time for the performance thereof. If the delinquent party cannot be found, a writ of sequestration shall issue against his estate upon the return of non est inventus, to compel obedience to the decree.

IX.

When any decree or order is for the delivery of possession, upon proof made by affidavit of a demand and refusal to obey the decree or order, the party prosecuting the same shall be entitled to a writ of assistance from the clerk of the court.

X.

Every person, not being a party in any cause, who has obtained an order, or in whose favor an order shall have been made, shall be enabled to enforce obedience to such order by the same process, as if he were a party to the cause; and every person not being a party in any cause, against whom obedience to any order of the court may be enforced, shall be liable to the same process for enforcing obedience to such order, as if he were a party in the cause.

SERVICE OF PROCESS.
XI.

No process of subpoena shall issue from the clerk's office in any suit in equity, until the bill is filed in the office.

XII.

Whenever a bill is filed, the clerk shall issue the process of subpoena thereon, as of course, upon the application of the plaintiff, which shall be returnable into the clerk's office the next rule day, or the next rule day but one, at the election of the plaintiff, occurring after twenty days from the time of the issuing thereof. At the bottom of the subpoena shall be placed a memorandum, that the defendant is to enter his appearance in the suit in the clerk's office, on or before the day at which the writ is returnable; otherwise, the bill may be taken pro confesso. Where there are more than one defendant, a writ of subpœna may, at the election of the plaintiff, be sued out separately for each defendant, except in the case of husband and wife, defendants, or a joint subpoena against all the defendants.

XIII.

The service of all subpoenas shall be by a delivery of a copy thereof, by the officer serving the same, to the defendant personally, or, in the case of husband and wife, to the husband personally, or by leaving a copy thereof at the dwelling-house or usual place of abode of each defendant, with some free white person, who is a member or a resident in the family.

XIV.

Whenever any subpoena shall be returned not executed as to any defendant, the plaintiff shall be entitled to another subpoena, toties quoties, against such defendant, if he shall require it, until due service is made.

XV.

The service of all process, mesne and final, shall be by the marshal of the district, or his deputy, or some other person specially appointed by the court for that purpose, and not otherwise; in the latter case, the person serving the process shall make affidavit thereof.

XVI.

Upon the return of the subpoena, as served and executed upon any defendant, the clerk shall enter the suit upon his docket as pending in the court, and shall state the time of the entry.

APPEARANCE.
XVII.

The appearance day of the defendant shall be the rule day, to which the subpœna is made returnable; provided, he has been served with the process twenty days before that day; otherwise, his appearance

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