Also known as: Fed.R.Evid. · Federal Rules of Evidence · FRE
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A collection of rules that govern the admissibility of evidence in federal court proceedings. The rules determine relevance, reliability, and the proper methods for introducing testimony, documents, and other proof at trial.
Francisco Frost testified at trial that he never saw the contract. The opposing party introduced his earlier deposition in which he admitted reviewing the document. The court permitted the deposition excerpt to contradict his testimony because the Federal Rules of Evidence allow such impeachment.
Finn Fletcher testified for the defense in a fraud trial. On cross-examination the prosecutor asked about his membership in an organization whose rules encouraged members to protect one another by false statements. The court allowed the questions because evidence of bias is always relevant under the Federal Rules of Evidence.
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Forrest Falconer was unavailable at trial due to illness. The plaintiff offered his deposition transcript. The court admitted the deposition because it would have been admissible under the Federal Rules of Evidence if Falconer had testified in person.
Faith Fitzgerald was scheduled to testify but resided in another state during a pandemic. The court permitted her to testify by live video link after finding good cause and appropriate safeguards. The Federal Rules of Evidence supported the transmission as an exception to live courtroom testimony.
Fiona Foster offered an engineer to testify about tire failure. The defendant challenged the methodology. The court held a hearing to determine whether the testimony met the reliability standards required by the Federal Rules of Evidence before allowing the jury to hear it.
Fatima Flores made statements during plea negotiations. The government sought to introduce them at trial. The court examined whether the Federal Rules of Evidence permitted use of the statements after determining that any waiver complied with the applicable evidentiary framework.
A deposition may be used to contradict or impeach a witness when the use complies with the Federal Rules of Evidence. The deposition is admissible to the same extent it would be if the deponent were present and testifying.
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Evidence of bias is always relevant and admissible to impeach a witness under the Federal Rules of Evidence. Courts retain discretion over the scope of bias cross-examination but may not exclude such evidence outright.
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A court may permit live testimony from a remote location for good cause in compelling circumstances with appropriate safeguards. The Federal Rules of Evidence support this exception to the general requirement of open-court testimony.
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The rules require expert testimony to be both relevant and reliable. Courts must assess the methodology and principles underlying the testimony before admitting it.
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…misleading because of the difficulty in evaluating it.' " Id. at ----, 113 S.Ct. at 2798 (quoting Weinstein, Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence Is Sound; It Should Not Be Amended, 138 F.R.D. 631, 632 (1991)). Federal judges must therefore exclude proffered scientific evidence under Rules 702 and 403 unless they are convinced that…