FRE · Rule 402
Rule 402 of the Federal Rules of Evidence addresses the admissibility of evidence in federal court, specifically stating that relevant evidence is generally admissible while irrelevant evidence is not.
Source: FRE Rule 402
Relevant evidence is admissible unless any of the following provides otherwise: the United States Constitution; a federal statute; these rules; or other rules prescribed by the Supreme Court. Irrelevant evidence is not admissible.
This rule states that if evidence is relevant to a case, it can typically be used in court. However, if the evidence does not relate to the case, it should not be admitted.
The purpose of Rule 402 is to ensure that only pertinent evidence is considered by the court, thus maintaining the integrity of the evidentiary process and promoting efficient trials.
Evidence must be directly related to a fact that is important to the case to be considered admissible.
Any evidence deemed irrelevant under this rule is automatically inadmissible, regardless of its potential for being interesting or informative.
This case illustrated the application of relevance by emphasizing how expert testimony must be both relevant and reliable to be admissible under FRE Rule 402.
This case highlighted how even relevant evidence can be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, reinforcing the requirement to assess relevance critically.
Rule 402 often appears in exam questions discussing the admissibility of evidence; be prepared to explain what makes evidence relevant or irrelevant.