TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Foreword .............................................................................................................. III
Authority for promulgation of rules .................................................................... V
Historical note ..................................................................................................... VII
RULES
Article I. General Provisions:
Rule 101. Scope; definitions ........................................................................... 1
Rule 102. Purpose ........................................................................................... 1
Rule 103. Rulings on evidence ........................................................................ 1
Rule 104. Preliminary questions .................................................................... 2
Rule 105. Limiting evidence that is not admissible against other parties or
for other purposes ............................................................................. 2
Rule 106. Remainder of or related statements ............................................... 2
Rule 107. Illustrative aids .............................................................................. 3
Article II. Judicial Notice:
Rule 201. Judicial notice of adjudicative facts .............................................. 3
Article III. Presumptions in Civil Cases:
Rule 301. Presumptions in civil cases generally ............................................ 4
Rule 302. Applying State law to presumptions in civil cases ......................... 4
Article IV. Relevance and Its Limits:
Rule 401. Test for relevant evidence .............................................................. 4
Rule 402. General admissibility of relevant evidence .................................... 4
Rule 403. Excluding relevant evidence for prejudice, confusion, waste of
time, or other reasons ....................................................................... 4
Rule 404. Character evidence; other crimes, wrongs, or acts ......................... 5
Rule 405. Methods of proving character ......................................................... 5
Rule 406. Habit; routine practice ................................................................... 5
Rule 407. Subsequent remedial measures ....................................................... 6
Rule 408. Compromise offers and negotiations ............................................... 6
Rule 409. Offers to pay medical and similar expenses .................................... 7
Rule 410. Pleas, plea discussions, and related statements ............................. 6
Rule 411. Liability insurance ......................................................................... 7
Rule 412. Sex-offense cases: the victim’s sexual behavior or predisposition .. 7
Rule 413. Similar crimes in sexual-assault cases ........................................... 7
Rule 414. Similar crimes in child-molestation cases ..................................... 8
Rule 415. Similar acts in civil cases involving sexual assault or child
molestation ....................................................................................... 9
Article V. Privileges:
Rule 501. Privilege in general ........................................................................ 9
Rule 502. Attorney-client privilege and work product; limitations on waiver 10
Article VI. Witnesses:
Rule 601. Competency to testify in general ................................................... 11
Rule 602. Need for personal knowledge .......................................................... 11
Rule 603. Oath or affirmation to testify truthfully ....................................... 11
Rule 604. Interpreter ...................................................................................... 11
Rule 605. Judge’s competency as a witness .................................................... 11
Rule 606. Juror’s competency as a witness .................................................... 11
Rule 607. Who may impeach a witness ........................................................... 12
Rule 608. A witness’s character for truthfulness or untruthfulness ............... 12
Rule 609. Impeachment by evidence of a criminal conviction ....................... 12
Rule 610. Religious beliefs or opinions ........................................................... 13
Rule 611. Mode and order of examining witnesses and presenting evidence .. 13
(XIII)
,XIV CONTENTS
Article VI. Witnesses—Continued Page
Rule 612. Writing used to refresh a witness’s memory ................................... 14
Rule 613. Witness’s prior statement ............................................................... 14
Rule 614. Court’s calling or examining a witness ........................................... 15
Rule 615. Excluding witnesses from the courtroom; preventing an excluded
witness’s access to trial testimony ................................................... 15
Article VII. Opinions and Expert Testimony:
Rule 701. Opinion testimony by lay witnesses ............................................... 15
Rule 702. Testimony by expert witnesses ....................................................... 15
Rule 703. Bases of an expert’s opinion testimony .......................................... 16
Rule 704. Opinion on an ultimate issue .......................................................... 16
Rule 705. Disclosing the facts or data underlying an expert’s opinion .......... 16
Rule 706. Court-appointed expert witnesses ................................................... 16
Article VIII. Hearsay:
Rule 801. Definitions that apply to this article; exclusions from hearsay ..... 17
Rule 802. The rule against hearsay ................................................................ 18
Rule 803. Exceptions to the rule against hearsay—regardless of whether the
declarant is available as a witness ................................................... 18
Rule 804. Exceptions to the rule against hearsay—when the declarant is
unavailable as a witness ................................................................... 21
Rule 805. Hearsay within hearsay .................................................................. 23
Rule 806. Attacking and supporting the declarant’s credibility .................... 23
Rule 807. Residual exception .......................................................................... 23
Article IX. Authentication and Identification:
Rule 901. Authenticating or identifying evidence .......................................... 24
Rule 902. Evidence that is self-authenticating .............................................. 25
Rule 903. Subscribing witness’s testimony .................................................... 26
Article X. Contents of Writings, Recordings, and Photographs:
Rule 1001. Definitions that apply to this article ............................................ 27
Rule 1002. Requirement of the original .......................................................... 27
Rule 1003. Admissibility of duplicates ........................................................... 27
Rule 1004. Admissibility of other evidence of content ................................... 27
Rule 1005. Copies of public records to prove content ..................................... 28
Rule 1006. Summaries to prove content ......................................................... 28
Rule 1007. Testimony or statement of a party to prove content .................... 28
Rule 1008. Functions of the court and jury .................................................... 28
Article XI. Miscellaneous Rules:
Rule 1101. Applicability of the rules .............................................................. 28
Rule 1102. Amendments ................................................................................. 29
Rule 1103. Title .............................................................................................. 29
, FEDERAL RULES OF EVIDENCE
Effective July 1, 1975, as amended to December 1, 2024
ARTICLE I. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Rule 101. Scope; Definitions
(a) SCOPE. These rules apply to proceedings in United States
courts. The specific courts and proceedings to which the rules
apply, along with exceptions, are set out in Rule 1101.
(b) DEFINITIONS. In these rules:
(1) ‘‘civil case’’ means a civil action or proceeding;
(2) ‘‘criminal case’’ includes a criminal proceeding;
(3) ‘‘public office’’ includes a public agency;
(4) ‘‘record’’ includes a memorandum, report, or data com-
pilation;
(5) a ‘‘rule prescribed by the Supreme Court’’ means a rule
adopted by the Supreme Court under statutory authority; and
(6) a reference to any kind of written material or any other
medium includes electronically stored information.
(As amended Mar. 2, 1987, eff. Oct. 1, 1987; Apr. 25, 1988, eff. Nov.
1, 1988; Apr. 22, 1993, eff. Dec. 1, 1993; Apr. 26, 2011, eff. Dec. 1, 2011.)
Rule 102. Purpose
These rules should be construed so as to administer every pro-
ceeding fairly, eliminate unjustifiable expense and delay, and pro-
mote the development of evidence law, to the end of ascertaining
the truth and securing a just determination.
(As amended Apr. 26, 2011, eff. Dec. 1, 2011.)
Rule 103. Rulings on Evidence
(a) PRESERVING A CLAIM OF ERROR. A party may claim error in
a ruling to admit or exclude evidence only if the error affects a
substantial right of the party and:
(1) if the ruling admits evidence, a party, on the record:
(A) timely objects or moves to strike; and
(B) states the specific ground, unless it was apparent
from the context; or
(2) if the ruling excludes evidence, a party informs the court
of its substance by an offer of proof, unless the substance was
apparent from the context.
(b) NOT NEEDING TO RENEW AN OBJECTION OR OFFER OF PROOF.
Once the court rules definitively on the record—either before or at
trial—a party need not renew an objection or offer of proof to pre-
serve a claim of error for appeal.
(c) COURT’S STATEMENT ABOUT THE RULING; DIRECTING AN OFFER
OF PROOF. The court may make any statement about the char-
acter or form of the evidence, the objection made, and the ruling.
(1)
, Rule 104 FEDERAL RULES OF EVIDENCE 2
The court may direct that an offer of proof be made in question-
and-answer form.
(d) PREVENTING THE JURY FROM HEARING INADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE.
To the extent practicable, the court must conduct a jury trial so
that inadmissible evidence is not suggested to the jury by any
means.
(e) TAKING NOTICE OF PLAIN ERROR. A court may take notice of
a plain error affecting a substantial right, even if the claim of
error was not properly preserved.
(As amended Apr. 17, 2000, eff. Dec. 1, 2000; Apr. 26, 2011, eff. Dec.
1, 2011.)
Rule 104. Preliminary Questions
(a) IN GENERAL. The court must decide any preliminary question
about whether a witness is qualified, a privilege exists, or evi-
dence is admissible. In so deciding, the court is not bound by evi-
dence rules, except those on privilege.
(b) RELEVANCE THAT DEPENDS ON A FACT. When the relevance of
evidence depends on whether a fact exists, proof must be intro-
duced sufficient to support a finding that the fact does exist. The
court may admit the proposed evidence on the condition that the
proof be introduced later.
(c) CONDUCTING A HEARING SO THAT THE JURY CANNOT HEAR IT.
The court must conduct any hearing on a preliminary question so
that the jury cannot hear it if:
(1) the hearing involves the admissibility of a confession;
(2) a defendant in a criminal case is a witness and so re-
quests; or
(3) justice so requires.
(d) CROSS-EXAMINING A DEFENDANT IN A CRIMINAL CASE. By testi-
fying on a preliminary question, a defendant in a criminal case
does not become subject to cross-examination on other issues in
the case.
(e) EVIDENCE RELEVANT TO WEIGHT AND CREDIBILITY. This rule
does not limit a party’s right to introduce before the jury evi-
dence that is relevant to the weight or credibility of other evi-
dence.
(As amended Mar. 2, 1987, eff. Oct. 1, 1987; Apr. 26, 2011, eff. Dec.
1, 2011.)
Rule 105. Limiting Evidence That Is Not Admissible Against Other
Parties or for Other Purposes
If the court admits evidence that is admissible against a party
or for a purpose—but not against another party or for another
purpose—the court, on timely request, must restrict the evidence
to its proper scope and instruct the jury accordingly.
(As amended Apr. 26, 2011, eff. Dec. 1, 2011.)
Rule 106. Remainder of or Related Statements
If a party introduces all or part of a statement, an adverse party
may require the introduction, at that time, of any other part—or
any other statement—that in fairness ought to be considered at
the same time. The adverse party may do so over a hearsay objec-
tion.
Page
Foreword .............................................................................................................. III
Authority for promulgation of rules .................................................................... V
Historical note ..................................................................................................... VII
RULES
Article I. General Provisions:
Rule 101. Scope; definitions ........................................................................... 1
Rule 102. Purpose ........................................................................................... 1
Rule 103. Rulings on evidence ........................................................................ 1
Rule 104. Preliminary questions .................................................................... 2
Rule 105. Limiting evidence that is not admissible against other parties or
for other purposes ............................................................................. 2
Rule 106. Remainder of or related statements ............................................... 2
Rule 107. Illustrative aids .............................................................................. 3
Article II. Judicial Notice:
Rule 201. Judicial notice of adjudicative facts .............................................. 3
Article III. Presumptions in Civil Cases:
Rule 301. Presumptions in civil cases generally ............................................ 4
Rule 302. Applying State law to presumptions in civil cases ......................... 4
Article IV. Relevance and Its Limits:
Rule 401. Test for relevant evidence .............................................................. 4
Rule 402. General admissibility of relevant evidence .................................... 4
Rule 403. Excluding relevant evidence for prejudice, confusion, waste of
time, or other reasons ....................................................................... 4
Rule 404. Character evidence; other crimes, wrongs, or acts ......................... 5
Rule 405. Methods of proving character ......................................................... 5
Rule 406. Habit; routine practice ................................................................... 5
Rule 407. Subsequent remedial measures ....................................................... 6
Rule 408. Compromise offers and negotiations ............................................... 6
Rule 409. Offers to pay medical and similar expenses .................................... 7
Rule 410. Pleas, plea discussions, and related statements ............................. 6
Rule 411. Liability insurance ......................................................................... 7
Rule 412. Sex-offense cases: the victim’s sexual behavior or predisposition .. 7
Rule 413. Similar crimes in sexual-assault cases ........................................... 7
Rule 414. Similar crimes in child-molestation cases ..................................... 8
Rule 415. Similar acts in civil cases involving sexual assault or child
molestation ....................................................................................... 9
Article V. Privileges:
Rule 501. Privilege in general ........................................................................ 9
Rule 502. Attorney-client privilege and work product; limitations on waiver 10
Article VI. Witnesses:
Rule 601. Competency to testify in general ................................................... 11
Rule 602. Need for personal knowledge .......................................................... 11
Rule 603. Oath or affirmation to testify truthfully ....................................... 11
Rule 604. Interpreter ...................................................................................... 11
Rule 605. Judge’s competency as a witness .................................................... 11
Rule 606. Juror’s competency as a witness .................................................... 11
Rule 607. Who may impeach a witness ........................................................... 12
Rule 608. A witness’s character for truthfulness or untruthfulness ............... 12
Rule 609. Impeachment by evidence of a criminal conviction ....................... 12
Rule 610. Religious beliefs or opinions ........................................................... 13
Rule 611. Mode and order of examining witnesses and presenting evidence .. 13
(XIII)
,XIV CONTENTS
Article VI. Witnesses—Continued Page
Rule 612. Writing used to refresh a witness’s memory ................................... 14
Rule 613. Witness’s prior statement ............................................................... 14
Rule 614. Court’s calling or examining a witness ........................................... 15
Rule 615. Excluding witnesses from the courtroom; preventing an excluded
witness’s access to trial testimony ................................................... 15
Article VII. Opinions and Expert Testimony:
Rule 701. Opinion testimony by lay witnesses ............................................... 15
Rule 702. Testimony by expert witnesses ....................................................... 15
Rule 703. Bases of an expert’s opinion testimony .......................................... 16
Rule 704. Opinion on an ultimate issue .......................................................... 16
Rule 705. Disclosing the facts or data underlying an expert’s opinion .......... 16
Rule 706. Court-appointed expert witnesses ................................................... 16
Article VIII. Hearsay:
Rule 801. Definitions that apply to this article; exclusions from hearsay ..... 17
Rule 802. The rule against hearsay ................................................................ 18
Rule 803. Exceptions to the rule against hearsay—regardless of whether the
declarant is available as a witness ................................................... 18
Rule 804. Exceptions to the rule against hearsay—when the declarant is
unavailable as a witness ................................................................... 21
Rule 805. Hearsay within hearsay .................................................................. 23
Rule 806. Attacking and supporting the declarant’s credibility .................... 23
Rule 807. Residual exception .......................................................................... 23
Article IX. Authentication and Identification:
Rule 901. Authenticating or identifying evidence .......................................... 24
Rule 902. Evidence that is self-authenticating .............................................. 25
Rule 903. Subscribing witness’s testimony .................................................... 26
Article X. Contents of Writings, Recordings, and Photographs:
Rule 1001. Definitions that apply to this article ............................................ 27
Rule 1002. Requirement of the original .......................................................... 27
Rule 1003. Admissibility of duplicates ........................................................... 27
Rule 1004. Admissibility of other evidence of content ................................... 27
Rule 1005. Copies of public records to prove content ..................................... 28
Rule 1006. Summaries to prove content ......................................................... 28
Rule 1007. Testimony or statement of a party to prove content .................... 28
Rule 1008. Functions of the court and jury .................................................... 28
Article XI. Miscellaneous Rules:
Rule 1101. Applicability of the rules .............................................................. 28
Rule 1102. Amendments ................................................................................. 29
Rule 1103. Title .............................................................................................. 29
, FEDERAL RULES OF EVIDENCE
Effective July 1, 1975, as amended to December 1, 2024
ARTICLE I. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Rule 101. Scope; Definitions
(a) SCOPE. These rules apply to proceedings in United States
courts. The specific courts and proceedings to which the rules
apply, along with exceptions, are set out in Rule 1101.
(b) DEFINITIONS. In these rules:
(1) ‘‘civil case’’ means a civil action or proceeding;
(2) ‘‘criminal case’’ includes a criminal proceeding;
(3) ‘‘public office’’ includes a public agency;
(4) ‘‘record’’ includes a memorandum, report, or data com-
pilation;
(5) a ‘‘rule prescribed by the Supreme Court’’ means a rule
adopted by the Supreme Court under statutory authority; and
(6) a reference to any kind of written material or any other
medium includes electronically stored information.
(As amended Mar. 2, 1987, eff. Oct. 1, 1987; Apr. 25, 1988, eff. Nov.
1, 1988; Apr. 22, 1993, eff. Dec. 1, 1993; Apr. 26, 2011, eff. Dec. 1, 2011.)
Rule 102. Purpose
These rules should be construed so as to administer every pro-
ceeding fairly, eliminate unjustifiable expense and delay, and pro-
mote the development of evidence law, to the end of ascertaining
the truth and securing a just determination.
(As amended Apr. 26, 2011, eff. Dec. 1, 2011.)
Rule 103. Rulings on Evidence
(a) PRESERVING A CLAIM OF ERROR. A party may claim error in
a ruling to admit or exclude evidence only if the error affects a
substantial right of the party and:
(1) if the ruling admits evidence, a party, on the record:
(A) timely objects or moves to strike; and
(B) states the specific ground, unless it was apparent
from the context; or
(2) if the ruling excludes evidence, a party informs the court
of its substance by an offer of proof, unless the substance was
apparent from the context.
(b) NOT NEEDING TO RENEW AN OBJECTION OR OFFER OF PROOF.
Once the court rules definitively on the record—either before or at
trial—a party need not renew an objection or offer of proof to pre-
serve a claim of error for appeal.
(c) COURT’S STATEMENT ABOUT THE RULING; DIRECTING AN OFFER
OF PROOF. The court may make any statement about the char-
acter or form of the evidence, the objection made, and the ruling.
(1)
, Rule 104 FEDERAL RULES OF EVIDENCE 2
The court may direct that an offer of proof be made in question-
and-answer form.
(d) PREVENTING THE JURY FROM HEARING INADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE.
To the extent practicable, the court must conduct a jury trial so
that inadmissible evidence is not suggested to the jury by any
means.
(e) TAKING NOTICE OF PLAIN ERROR. A court may take notice of
a plain error affecting a substantial right, even if the claim of
error was not properly preserved.
(As amended Apr. 17, 2000, eff. Dec. 1, 2000; Apr. 26, 2011, eff. Dec.
1, 2011.)
Rule 104. Preliminary Questions
(a) IN GENERAL. The court must decide any preliminary question
about whether a witness is qualified, a privilege exists, or evi-
dence is admissible. In so deciding, the court is not bound by evi-
dence rules, except those on privilege.
(b) RELEVANCE THAT DEPENDS ON A FACT. When the relevance of
evidence depends on whether a fact exists, proof must be intro-
duced sufficient to support a finding that the fact does exist. The
court may admit the proposed evidence on the condition that the
proof be introduced later.
(c) CONDUCTING A HEARING SO THAT THE JURY CANNOT HEAR IT.
The court must conduct any hearing on a preliminary question so
that the jury cannot hear it if:
(1) the hearing involves the admissibility of a confession;
(2) a defendant in a criminal case is a witness and so re-
quests; or
(3) justice so requires.
(d) CROSS-EXAMINING A DEFENDANT IN A CRIMINAL CASE. By testi-
fying on a preliminary question, a defendant in a criminal case
does not become subject to cross-examination on other issues in
the case.
(e) EVIDENCE RELEVANT TO WEIGHT AND CREDIBILITY. This rule
does not limit a party’s right to introduce before the jury evi-
dence that is relevant to the weight or credibility of other evi-
dence.
(As amended Mar. 2, 1987, eff. Oct. 1, 1987; Apr. 26, 2011, eff. Dec.
1, 2011.)
Rule 105. Limiting Evidence That Is Not Admissible Against Other
Parties or for Other Purposes
If the court admits evidence that is admissible against a party
or for a purpose—but not against another party or for another
purpose—the court, on timely request, must restrict the evidence
to its proper scope and instruct the jury accordingly.
(As amended Apr. 26, 2011, eff. Dec. 1, 2011.)
Rule 106. Remainder of or Related Statements
If a party introduces all or part of a statement, an adverse party
may require the introduction, at that time, of any other part—or
any other statement—that in fairness ought to be considered at
the same time. The adverse party may do so over a hearsay objec-
tion.
