Abstract
Until recent decades, the common law of evidence was an amazing jumble of rules and suppositions.699 Even the 1942 Model Code of Evidence, promulgated by the American Law Institute, had only indirect effect on the work of the courts. However, the adoption of the 1953 Uniform Rules of Evidence in Utah (in 1971) and in a few other states helped significantly in the development of Utah evidence law and set the stage for adoption of a uniform set of evidence rules in the federal system. The 1983 Utah Rules of Evidence, patterned closely on the Federal Rules of Evidence, led to further maturation of this very important area of law in Utah. The 1983 Rules have the special advantage for Utah practitioners of providing near uniformity of Utah and federal evidence rules. The Rules are practical yet flexible, providing avenues for growth and imagination to meet new situations. The Rules are not perfect 00 and do not answer all questions, but they provide a measure of certainty and seek to further the determination of truth, which is the primary purpose of evidence law.
Recommended Citation
Boyce, Ronald N. and Kimball, Edward L.
(1995)
"Utah Rules of Evidence 1983-Part III,"
Utah Law Review: Vol. 1995:
No.
3, Article 2.
Available at:
https://dc.law.utah.edu/ulr/vol1995/iss3/2