Lecture Notes on Evidence Admissibility

Key Concept: Relevance

• Relevance is the initial gateway to admissibility of evidence.
• Federal Rule of Evidence 402 outlines relevance:
  • Relevant evidence: Generally admissible unless prohibited by:
    • The United States Constitution
    • Federal statutes
    • Other Federal Rules of Evidence
    • Supreme Court-prescribed rules
  • Irrelevant evidence: Not admissible, straightforward rule.

Understanding Rule 402

• Irrelevant evidence:
  • If evidence is irrelevant, it is automatically inadmissible.
• Relevant evidence:
  • Presumed admissible unless specified otherwise by other legal rules.
  • Being relevant is the first test, not the only one.

Visualizing the Relevance Test

• Relevance Gateway:
  • If evidence is irrelevant, it is inadmissible.
  • If relevant, starts with a presumption of admissibility "unless" further rules apply.

Examples of Evidence

• Gun (Example):
  • Considered irrelevant.
  • Result: Inadmissible.
• Eyewitness Testimony (Example):
  • Considered relevant.
  • Result: Presumed admissible unless other rules apply.
• Document (Example):
  • Photocopy of a receipt (Duplicate).
  • Duplication rules generally allow it, but irrelevance makes it inadmissible.

Important Takeaways

• Relevance is the initial and crucial test for admissibility.
• All evidence must first pass through the relevance test.
• Relevance doesn't guarantee admissibility, but irrelevance guarantees inadmissibility.
• Relevant evidence is admissible unless contradicted by additional legal rules.

Summary

• Relevance is the first step in determining admissibility; it acts as a filter.
• Even if rules allow certain evidence types (like duplicates), relevance is non-negotiable.
• Understanding the interplay of relevance and other rules is crucial for legal evidence evaluation.