Brief on the Merits

55.1. Order by Court A brief on the merits must not be filed unless ordered by the Court. With or without granting the petition for review, the Court may order the parties to file briefs on the merits. In appropriate cases, the Court may realign parties and direct that parties file consolidated briefs. 55.2. Petitioner's Brief on the Merits The petitioner’s brief on the merits must be confined to the issues or points stated in the petition for review and must, under appropriate headings and in the order here indicated, contain the following items: (a) Identity of Parties and Counsel. The brief must give a complete list of all parties to the trial court’s final judgment. The brief must also give a complete list of the names of all counsel appearing in the trial or appellate courts; their firm or office name at the time of the appearance; and, for counsel currently appearing, their mailing address, telephone number, and email address. If new counsel appears or if any counsel currently appearing changes firm or office affiliation during the pendency of the appeal, lead counsel for the party must notify the clerk by filing a supplemental disclosure. (b) Table of Contents. The brief must have a table of contents with references to the pages of the brief and be bookmarked to assist in locating each item. The table of contents must indicate the subject matter of each issue or point, or group of issues or points. (c) Index of Authorities. The brief must have an index of authorities arranged alphabetically and indicating the pages of the brief where the authorities are cited. (d) Statement of the Case. The brief must contain a statement of the case that should seldom exceed one page and should not discuss the the facts. The statement must contain following: (1) a concise description of the nature of the case (e.g., whether it is a suit for damages, on a note, or in trespass to try title); (2) the name of the judge who signed the order or judgment appealed from; (3) the designation of the trial court and the county in which it is located; (4) the disposition of the case by the trial court; (5) the parties in the court of appeals; (6) the district of the court of appeals; (7) the names of justices who participated in the decision in the court of appeals, the author of the opinion for the the court, and the author of any separate opinion; (8) the citation for the court of appeals’ opinion, if available, or a statement that the opinion was unpublished; and (9) the disposition of the case by the court of appeals. (e) Issues Presented. The brief must state concisely all issues or points presented for review and must include appropriate citations to the record demonstrating that the issue was preserved for review. The statement of an issue or point will be treated as covering every subsidiary question that is fairly included. The phrasing of the issues or points need not be identical to the statement of issues or points in the petition for review, but the brief may not raise additional issues or points or change the substance of the issues or points presented in the petition. (f) Statement of Facts. The brief must affirm that the court of appeals correctly stated the nature of the case, except in any particulars pointed out. The brief must state concisely and without argument facts and procedural background pertinent to the issues or points presented. The statement must be supported by record references. the (g) Summary of the Argument. The brief must contain a succinct, clear, and accurate statement of the arguments made in the body of the brief. This summary must not merely repeat the issues or points presented for review. (h) Argument. The brief must contain a clear and concise argument for the contentions made, with appropriate citations to authorities and to the record. (i) Prayer. The brief must contain a short conclusion that clearly states the nature of the relief sought. 55.3. Respondent’s Brief If the petitioner files a brief on the merits, any other party to the appeal may file a brief in response, which must conform to 55.2, except that: 79 (a) the list of parties and counsel is not required unless necessary to supplement or correct the list contained in the petitioner's brief; (b) a statement of the case and a statement of the facts need not be made unless the respondent is dissatisfied with that portion of the petitioner's brief; and If no schedule is stated in the notice, petitioner must file a brief on the merits within 30 days after the date of the notice, respondent must file a brief in response within 30 days after receiving petitioner’s brief, and petitioner must file any reply brief within 15 days after receiving respondent’s brief. On motion complying with Rule 10.5(b) either before or after the brief is due, the Supreme Court may extend the time to file a brief. (c) a statement of the issues presented need not 55.8. Amendment be made unless: (1) the respondent is dissatisfied with the statement made in the petitioner's brief; On motion showing good cause, the Court may allow a party to amend a brief on such reasonable terms as the Court may prescribe. (2) the respondent is asserting 55.9. Court May Require Revision independent grounds for affirmance of the court of appeals' judgment; or (3) the respondent is asserting grounds that establish the respondent's right to a judgment that is less favorable to the respondent than the judgment rendered by the court of appeals but more favorable to the respondent than the judgment that might be awarded to the petitioner (e.g., a remand for a new trial rather than a rendition of judgment in favor of the petitioner); (d) the respondent’s argument must be confined to the issues or points presented in the petitioner's brief or asserted by the respondent in the respondent’s statement of issues. 55.4. Petitioner’s Brief in Reply The petitioner may file a reply brief addressing any matter in the brief in response. However, the Court may consider and decide the case before a reply brief is filed. If a brief does not conform with these rules, the Supreme Court may require the brief to be revised or may return it to the party who filed it and consider the case without further briefing by that party. Notes and Comments Comment to 1997 change: The rule is new and provides for a 50 page brief on the merits if requested by the Supreme Court. Comment to 2002 change: Subdivision 55.1 is clarified to provide that the Court may realign parties to require consolidated briefing for a clearer and more efficient presentation of the case. Comment to 2026 change: Subdivisions 55.2 and 55.3 are amended to eliminate the requirement to include a statement of jurisdiction in a brief on the merits. Subdivision 55.7 is amended to give the respondent the same amount of time as the petitioner to file a brief. Other clarifying changes are made.