A common federal civil-procedure sequence shown as a simplified flow.
highlighted = computed this step
Foundations honesty note
Honesty note: simplified standard model; jurisdiction US; as of 2026-06-24; jurisdictions vary; not legal advice; the chart models a process description, not the law itself.
US model as of 2026−06−24
Civil procedure is a process model
This lesson uses a simplified federal civil process model. It is a teaching map, not a universal case path.
simplified civil process
Example case data
The toy case starts as a dispute, then moves through pleadings, service, response, discovery, a motion branch, trial, judgment, and appeal labels.
dispute to appeal labels
Branch labels govern the route
The motion branch can end before trial or continue to trial in this simplified map. The flow has 9 stages and 1 decision point.
stages=9,decisions=1
Diagram note
The diagram is a route map for civil procedure vocabulary. It does not predict how any motion, trial, or appeal would come out.
process route only
Jurisdiction: US; as of 2026-06-24; not legal advice; Code encodes the stated-rule interpretation.
Narrow summary
Use the civil flow to place a case event in the process before reading the legal issue attached to it.