Rule 82.Jurisdiction and Venue Unaffected

Last amended December 1, 2016 · Last verified June 30, 2026

In one sentenceRule 82 makes clear that the Federal Rules neither extend nor limit the subject-matter jurisdiction of the district courts or the venue of actions, and it addresses how venue is treated for admiralty and maritime claims.

Full Text of Rule 82

Text size

These rules do not extend or limit the jurisdiction of the district courts or the venue of actions in those courts. An admiralty or maritime claim under Rule 9(h) is governed by 28 U.S.C. § 1390.

End

Amendment History

(Amended December 29, 1948, effective October 20, 1949; February 28, 1966, effective July 1, 1966; April 23, 2001, effective December 1, 2001; April 30, 2007, effective December 1, 2007; April 28, 2016, effective December 1, 2016.)

Plain-English Summary

Rule 82 is a one-paragraph guardrail. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are about how cases proceed, not about which court has power to hear them or where they may be brought. The rule states that the rules do not extend or limit the jurisdiction of the district courts, which comes from the Constitution and statutes, and do not change the statutory venue of actions.

It also coordinates with admiralty practice, clarifying how an admiralty or maritime claim under Rule 9(h) is treated for venue purposes. The takeaway: when a question is about jurisdiction or venue, the answer comes from the governing statutes, not from these procedural rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do the Federal Rules change a court’s jurisdiction or venue?

No. Rule 82 provides that the rules do not extend or limit the district courts’ jurisdiction or the venue of actions — those are governed by statute.

Does Rule 82 say anything about admiralty claims?

Yes. It clarifies how an admiralty or maritime claim under Rule 9(h) is treated for venue purposes, coordinating with admiralty practice rather than changing the underlying venue statutes.

Source & verification. The rule text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the official Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Fed. R. Civ. P. 82), a public-domain work of the U.S. Government. Prescribed by the United States Supreme Court under the Rules Enabling Act. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified June 30, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: FRCP 82Fed. R. Civ. P. 82jurisdiction and venue unaffectedrules do not change jurisdiction