Rule 47. Reference to "State Court" and "State Law" 


   The term "state court," when used in these Rules, includes 
the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Supreme 
Court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See 28 U. S. C. 
§§ 1257 and 1258. References in these Rules to the common 
law and statutes of a State include the common law and stat- 
utes of the District of Columbia and of the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico.

Rule 48. Effective Date of Rules 


1. These Rules, adopted January 27, 2003, will be effective
May 1, 2003.

2. The Rules govern all proceedings after their effective 
date except to the extent that, in the opinion of the Court, 
their application to a pending matter would not be feasible 
or would work an injustice, in which event the former proce- 
dure applies.