In Re: Order Amending Rules 216, 227.1, 234.6, 1558, 1559, 1565, 1569, 1571, 1572, 1573, and 1574 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure (rules)

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CIVIL PROCEDURAL RULES COMMITTEE ADOPTION REPORT Amendment of Pa.R.Civ.P. 216, 227.1, 234.6, 1558, 1559, 1565, 1569, 1571, 1572, 1573, and 1574 On August 8, 2023, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania adopted amendments of Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure 216, 227.1, 234.6, 1558, 1559, 1565, 1569, 1571, 1572, 1573, and 1574. The Civil Procedural Rules Committee has prepared this Adoption Report describing the rulemaking process. An Adoption Report should not be confused with Comments to the rules. See Pa.R.J.A. 103, cmt. The statements contained herein are those of the Committee, not the Court. Pursuant to multiple requests, the Committee undertook rulemaking to amend the Rules of Civil Procedure to replace the terms “master” and “special master” with “hearing officer.” The purpose of the amendments was two-fold. First, while the term “master” has traditionally identified a quasi-judicial officer and is considered neutral in legal proceedings, a pejorative connotation had been ascribed to the term in modern parlance outside of court. Second, the term had been either already replaced or proposed to be replaced in other bodies of rules. See 47 Pa.B. 2313 (April, 22, 2017) (amendments to the Rules of Juvenile Court Procedure) and 51 Pa.B. 1006 (February 27, 2021) (proposed amendments to the Rules of Civil Procedure Governing Domestic Relations proceedings). In addition, the Committee had observed that a number of judicial districts have also changed this terminology in their local rules. Stylistic revisions to the rules were also made. The Committee published the proposal for comment. See 51 Pa.B. 4262 (August 7, 2021). It received no comments to publication and no further substantive changes to the proposal were made. The amendments become effective on October 1, 2023.

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