Evidentiary Foundations

Covering all major evidentiary doctrines, the text provides a blueprint for introduction of evidence at trial. It enables the student to convert a sentence in the Federal Rules of Evidence into a line of questioning to be used at trial. A useful companion to a coursebook in Evidence or Trial Practice, Evidentiary Foundations enables the student to picture the manner in which the rules of evidence operate in court. After a brief narrative discussion, the book dissects each major evidentiary doctrine into a list of foundational elements. The book then sets out an illustrative foundation, establishing all the predicate elements. This foundation gives the student a more concrete understanding of the evidence rule to which the foundation relates. The Tenth Edition covers the latest amendments to Rules 801 and 902, including a detailed treatment of the new self-authentication provisions in 902(13) and 902(14). It also updates the foundations for social media postings, scanned writings, automated surveillance cameras, and the impact of Williams v. Illinois on expert testimony. Over the years, the various editions of Evidentiary Foundations have been used as a required or recommended supplementary text at over 140 law schools.