Request for admission

What request for admission means

In short, request for admission is a term you will meet in court papers, rules and legal research. The definition above gives its usual meaning in American civil practice. However, the exact meaning can depend on the rule, statute or court decision that uses it. So it helps to read the term in context.

Where request for admission comes up

For example, the term appears in these procedures:

• Requests for Admission (Fed. R. Civ. P. 36): written requests asking another party to admit the truth of specific matters.

How to research the term

First, read the term where it actually appears. A rule, statute or court decision may define it for its own purposes. Next, check whether your court has a local rule that uses request for admission in a special way. Then look at recent decisions from courts in your jurisdiction. They show how judges apply the term today. Also, remember that state law can differ from federal law. For that reason, use our state procedures guide to find your state’s rules. Finally, confirm every source is current before you rely on it.

You can read the official rule text online for free.

Related legal terms

• Remand: sending a case back to the court it came from — for example, from federal court back to state court.
• Removal: moving a case from state court to federal court under the federal removal statutes.
• Request for production: a discovery request asking another party to produce documents, electronically stored information or tangible things.
• Res judicata: claim preclusion: a final judgment on the merits generally bars the same parties from relitigating the same claim.

Why precise terms matter

Legal words often look like everyday words, but they can carry a precise meaning. Because of that, a small misreading can change how you understand a deadline, a duty or a right. Our glossary keeps each definition short and links it to the procedures where it matters.