What is “Admissible Evidence in Court”?

Evidence: The Concept of “Admissibility”

Collecting evidence / ericgjohnsonlaw.com

The definition of admissible evidence is evidence that may be presented before the trier of fact (i.e., the judge or jury) for them to consider in deciding the case.

If the evidence is admitted in court, it must be relevant, material, and competent. It must have some reasonable tendency to help prove or disprove some fact to be considered relevant.

It doesn’t need to make the fact certain, but at least it must tend to increase or decrease the likelihood of some fact.

Types of Evidence

Evidence in a criminal case can range from a DNA sample to cell phone records. While it can take various shapes and sizes, all evidence falls into one of the following categories:

• Digital Evidence: Electronically obtained proof like call logs, ATM transactions, hard drives, emails, etc.
• Scientific Evidence: Proof that conforms to the principles of the scientific community.
• Documentary Evidence: Proof in writing that could be in the form of a will, contract, invoice, etc.
• Physical Evidence: Tangible proof like fingerprints or a weapon.
• Demonstrative Evidence: Proof in the form of videos…