1.Single-defendant cases. In a judicial district having two or more district court judges, each criminal action involving a single defendant shall be randomly assigned to a department of the court and shall remain in such department until final disposition of the action, unless: (A) the action is brought against a defendant who is the subject of another pending or reopened action in the court, in which case the action shall be assigned to the department of the most recent other action; or(B) assigned as ordered by the chief judge consistent with a plan of court-wide case management.2.Multiple-defendant cases. In a judicial district having two or more district court judges, each criminal action involving two or more defendants charged together in the same information or indictment shall be randomly assigned to a department of the court and shall remain in such department until final disposition of the action, unless: (A) one of the defendants is the subject of another pending or reopened action in the court, in which case the action shall be assigned to the department of the most recent other action; or(B) two or more of the defendants are the subjects of other pending or reopened actions in the court, in which case the action shall be assigned to the department of the most recent other action; or(C) ordered by the chief judge consistent with a plan of court-wide case management.3. A criminal action involving one or more defendants charged together in the same criminal complaint in the justice court, but not bound over to the district court on the same date, shall be assigned to a department pursuant to subsection (1) or subsection (2), as appropriate, based upon the identity of the first defendant or defendants bound over to the district court. Any co-defendant or co-defendants charged in the criminal complaint who are bound over on a later date shall be assigned to the same department unless otherwise ordered by the chief judge consistent with a plan of court-wide case management.4. Unless otherwise ordered by the chief judge, upon the assignment of a criminal action involving two or more defendants to a department of the court in accord with subsection (2) or subsection (3), all other pending actions involving any of the defendants charged in the information or indictment shall be transferred to the same department.5. When a defendant is remanded from a department of the district court to a justice court for preliminary examination or further proceedings relating to a criminal action, any subsequent proceedings upon the same criminal action in the district court shall be assigned to the same department.6. When the trial of a criminal action occurs in a department of the district court other than the department assigned pursuant to subsection (1) or subsection (2), sentencing in the action should occur in the department in which the trial occurred.As adopted effective 3/1/2021.