Evidence
Relevance
Definition
Relevance under Federal Rule of Evidence 401 means that the evidence has any tendency to make a fact of consequence more or less probable than it would be without the evidence. The threshold is very low — evidence need only have some probative value. Under FRE 402, relevant evidence is generally admissible. However, FRE 403 allows a court to exclude relevant evidence if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, misleading the jury, undue delay, or cumulative evidence.
Example
In a car accident case, evidence that the defendant was speeding is relevant because it makes it more probable that the defendant was negligent.