Questions tagged [admissibility]

The concept in the law of evidence that determines whether or not evidence can be received by the court. The evidence must first be relevant, but even relevant evidence will be tested for its admissibility.

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Is McGee v State of Indiana 131.2 cited in The Verdict a complete fiction?

In the 1982 movie The Verdict (and, possibly, in the original novel as well), the respondent's lawyer cites "McGee v State of Indiana, United States 131.2" (at 1:57:10): The admission of a ...
Greendrake's user avatar
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Can exclusion of evidence as to a question subject’s past habits and proclivities stand in any other context than that of a complainant’s consent?

If I am accused of drunk and disorderly conducts and my alibi/defence is that I am a teetotaller since the last 10 years and even before that only seldom and very lightly drank, this makes it very ...
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Are evidentiary rules concerning admissibility of observations about a complainant’s habits or character against fundamental rights/precepts?

In many jurisdictions, the criminal standard of proof is, subject to Blackstone’s ratio, “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Yet some rules such as s276, Canadian Criminal Code, state, simply and plainly, ...
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Is a statement saying that a party committed a crime by a non-benefiting accessory to the crime considered a party-opponent admission?

I was taking an MBE Prep Test for the hell of it, and I found this question's answer to be controversial. "Several persons together stole a painting from an art museum. One of them, who was the ...
froggo_doggo's user avatar
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Questions regarding lack of evidence/reasoning for initial interaction with law enforcement and how that affects any infraction discovered thereafter [closed]

State: UT County: Salt Lake County People: Man#1=Protagonist Woman#1=WitnessOne (Life Partner) Woman#2=WitnessTwo (Friend) Woman#3=Antagonist (Fellow employee) Employer=HotelChain Events: During a ...
Jake Baldwin's user avatar
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Is evidence gathered under the aegis of a fake/incomplete/otherwise falsified warrant admissible in court? [duplicate]

If a police officer bangs on my front door, as his partners is loudly declaring he possesses "a warrant to search the premises!" when, in actuality, he's waving about his cruiser's ...
NerdyDeeds's user avatar
25 votes
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Can a private person deceive a defendant to obtain evidence?

In the 2019 movie "Badla" (spoilers ahead), Naina was accused of committing a murder in the UK, and her trial is in London. She denies the accusation. Her clever lawyer Badal arrives and ...
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Does the exclusionary rule attach to the illegality of the search or to the person whose rights were violated?

Police blatantly illegally searches Bob's house and finds very strong evidence that Bob and Rob independently committed a horrific crime each. A variation: the crime is the same and Bob and Rob ...
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Self-incriminating statements carry weight of proof

If someone is recorded confessing to a crime, can the recording serve as evidence solely because it contains the self-incriminating statement? Putting as an example: Carlos had his wallet stolen. In a ...
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Admitting to a misdemeanor crime on an "official" police application

When someone wants to apply to become a police officer, one question on the form is whether or not they have committed a crime or were present when a crime was committed. If they say yes and detail ...
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Why can courts refuse evidence?

The question Layman here. This question was inspired by this question and random things I've heard/read over the years. I'm quite confused by a concept that comes up again and again and which people ...
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secretly recording a murder confession

Let's say you had an opportunity to secretly record an acquaintance confessing to a murder decades prior. Can/would it be used by police/courts? Are there certain things about the recording that would ...
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First criminal court trial with DNA evidence Idaho

I'm wondering what was the first Idaho criminal court trial that admitted DNA evidence and led to defendant's conviction? The only thing I found is the following but the defendant pleaded guilty in ...
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Why did US law go with inadmissibility, and not reactionary punitive action, to prevent illegal evidence collection?

As I've understood it, the exclusionary rule is a prophylactic rule aimed to prevent the cultivation of illegal evidence collection by removing the utility of illegally-collected evidence through ...
user110391's user avatar
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Admissibility of covert recordings in English criminal proceedings

Jurisdiction: England and Wales In this case, a man (M) raped the complainant (C). M and C have each other's contacts. The day after the event, C calls M and wiretaps him (i.e. without M's consent or ...
BakedAlaska624's user avatar
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US exclusionary rule - are there limits?

Inspired by this question related to admissibility of evidence obtained from an unlawful search and seizure: At an unlawful traffic stop, police searches the car and find the weapon used in a recent ...
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At an unlawful traffic stop, police searches the car and find the weapon used in a recent murder

Say that a murder was committed. Some time after, without any justifiable reason (perhaps on a hunch, or just by coincidence), a police officer stops a car, unlawfully searches it and stumbles upon ...
a20's user avatar
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How to do court admissible DNA testing when both parties live far apart?

Suppose two people are located in the United States and they wish to prove they are related through DNA testing. They want the test results to be admissible in court so they must use certified labs ...
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Canadian immigration: Admissibility process mystery

This is a question I've asked at various Q&A sites and forums to no avail. Of course I also asked my own consultant, and several other lawyers and advisors, but none had the answer. I don't have ...
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Admissibility of Police Notes in Maryland

In the state of Maryland, an insurance company is denying the notes of a police officer regarding who is at fault for a car crash. His notes are being denied by the company on the grounds that he did ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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Can improperly gathered evidence be used to exonerate someone?

There are many rules governing whether or not a particular piece of evidence can be introduced at trial. Often, these rules are applied to prevent the prosecution from introducing evidence. Do the ...
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What will a judge do if a witness refers to an event previously stricken from the record? (USA)

Some context. Suppose the prosecutor enters into evidence body camera footage from a police officer. On the tape, the suspect makes a lewd remark, and another officer offers a witty comeback. The jury ...
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