Rule 208.Form of Documents and Pleadings

Rule 208 is the formatting rule, and it is unusually specific.

The requirements

Documents must be printed in black ink by computer printer, word processor or typewriter, on 8 1/2 by 11 white paper. Two exceptions: prisoners in a state prison or county jail may file legibly hand-printed documents, and approved forms — Supreme Court, administrative district judge, or Court Assistance Office forms — may be completed by legible hand-printing or typing.

Each document carries a caption with the parties, the court, the case number and the title. The title of the court begins not less than 3 inches from the top of the first page. The filer's name, address, phone, email and Idaho State Bar Number — or a self-represented party's contact details — appear above the court title, left of center, beginning at least 1.2 inches from the top. An attorney acting pro bono may say so below the bar number, naming any sponsoring program.

The body is double or 1 1/2 spaced, in a font of not less than 11-point, with margins of at least 1.2 inches top and sides and 1 inch at the bottom — unless slightly smaller margins let a document fit on a single page. The document title appears at the bottom of each page. Exhibits must be clearly legible, and handwritten exhibits require a machine-printed duplicate. Where a fee is required, the document states its nature, fee category and the Appendix "A" fee.

The petition's title names all parties; later pleadings need only name the first party on each side.

Protection order petitioners may omit their address

Subsection (a)(4)(A) matters for safety: in civil protection order actions the petitioner may omit address, phone number or email from the petition or application so long as that information is on the family law case information sheet — which Rule 201(d) exempts from disclosure. Rule 213(a)(2) repeats the permission for signatures.

Content conventions

Documents must be in English. Common abbreviations may be used and numbers written as words or numerals. Where a party does not know an adverse party's true name, that fact may be stated and the party designated by any name with the words "whose true name is unknown," amended once discovered.

Claims and defenses go in numbered paragraphs, each limited so far as practicable to a single set of circumstances, and a later pleading may refer to an earlier paragraph by number. A statement may be adopted by reference elsewhere, and a copy of any written instrument attached as an exhibit is part of the pleading for all purposes.