Also known as: legal relevance · relevancy · relevance · relevant evidence
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A standard of relevance in evidence law that requires evidence to possess probative value exceeding minimal logical tendency and not substantially outweighed by risks of unfair prejudice, confusion, or other countervailing factors.
Liam Larson stood trial for robbery after an earlier acquittal on similar charges. The prosecution offered new eyewitness testimony identifying him as the perpetrator. The court excluded the evidence because the prior acquittal had resolved the identity issue in his favor, rendering the testimony legally irrelevant despite its logical tendency to prove guilt.
Lila Lin and Leonard Lowe submitted a separation agreement dividing marital assets. The court reviewed their economic circumstances and other evidence before determining whether the terms were unconscionable. It admitted the financial evidence on the condition that it would later establish the statutory predicate for refusing to bind the parties.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Lars Lindstrom offered a subcontractor text stating corners were cut on rebar. The court admitted the message on the condition that later proof would show it referred to the specific collapsed balcony. Without that connecting fact, the message lacked legal relevancy to the construction defect claims.
Lucy Liu's will left property to her children. A dispute arose over whether prior marriage children were included. The court considered the will text and extrinsic evidence of intent, finding the evidence legally relevant to determine the donor's actual meaning rather than a purely logical reading.
Levi Lowe offered an expert linking chemical exposure to his illness. The court found too great an analytical gap between the data and the opinion. It excluded the testimony because the conclusions lacked sufficient support, rendering them legally irrelevant despite surface plausibility.
Lakewood Manufacturing offered a twelve-year-old conviction to impeach a witness. The court balanced its probative value against unfair prejudice and excluded it. The conviction carried logical relevance to credibility but failed the stricter legal relevancy standard under Rule 403.
Legal relevancy imposes a stricter threshold than mere logical tendency to prove a fact. It incorporates Rule 403 considerations so that evidence must not have its probative value substantially outweighed by unfair prejudice or other dangers.
Under conditional relevance rules, a court may admit evidence on the condition that sufficient proof of the connecting fact will be introduced later. If the condition is not met, the court may strike the evidence.
Trial courts act as gatekeepers and may exclude expert opinions when an analytical gap exists between the data and the conclusion. The evidence must meet both reliability and legal relevancy standards to be admitted.
…guarantees of the Bill of Rights, the Court refers to the Ninth Amendment, ante , at 484. I add these words to emphasize the relevance of that Amendment to the Court's holding. The Court stated many years ago that the Due Process Clause protects those liberties that are "so rooted in the traditions and conscience of our…