Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE)
Definition
The rules governing the admission of evidence in US federal courts, adopted in 1975 and regularly amended. Rule 401 defines relevance; Rule 402 states that relevant evidence is generally admissible; Rule 403 permits exclusion when probative value is substantially outweighed by unfair prejudice or other listed harms.
Related terms
- Admissibility
- Whether a piece of evidence is permitted to be placed before the fact-finder at all. Admissibility is a threshold question, decided by...
- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 (BSA)
- India's current evidence statute, which replaced the Indian Evidence Act 1872. Section 63 of the BSA governs electronic records and requires a...
- Exclusionary rule
- A rule that evidence obtained in violation of constitutional or statutory search-and-seizure requirements cannot be used at trial. Applied strictly and automatically...
- Probative value
- The strength of the evidence's tendency to prove or disprove a fact in issue. High probative value means the evidence substantially changes...
- Relevance
- The logical quality of evidence that makes a fact in dispute more or less probable. Under FRE Rule 401, evidence is relevant...
Explained in
- Relevance and Admissibility: The Two GatesThe rules governing the admission of evidence in US federal courts, adopted in 1975 and regularly amended. Rule 401 defines relevance; Rule 402 states that rel...