Supreme Court Rule Reviewed De Novo

I get this question a lot: What is the standard of review for interpretation of a state supreme court rule?

Here’s the answer: “Because Garlock’s argument involves the construction of a supreme court rule, our review is de novo … When interpreting a supreme court rule, a reviewing court should apply the same principles of construction that apply to a statute–that is, the reviewing court should ascertain and give effect to the intent of the supreme court in promulgating the rule … The most reliable indicator of that intent is the specific language used in the rule … When the language of a supreme court rule is clear and unambiguous, a reviewing court should apply the language without reference to other interpretive aids …”

The quote is from White v. Garlock Sealing Technologies, No. 4-09-0036 (2/8/10), available here for the clicking.