Procedural Law

The body of law that prescribes formal steps to be taken in enforcing legal rights.

Legal rights themselves are created and defined by SUBSTANTIVE LAW. Different rules generally govern CIVIL PROCEDURE and CRIMINAL PROCEDURE, or the procedure followed in trials and in appeals. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure regulate actions in federal courts. Procedural law is made up of state or federal statutes, rules promulgated by individual courts, and standards established by CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, particularly provisions ensuring the DUE PROCESS OF LAW.

Procedural law is often called adjective law by legal writers.