- Rationale of Judicial Evidence.
- Book V.: —of Circumstantial Evidence.
- Chapter I.: Circumstantial Evidence, What—how Distinguished From Direct Evidence.
- Chapter II.: Of Probabilizing, Disprobabilizing, and Infirmative Facts—examples of Principal Facts, With the Corresponding Evidentiary Facts—improbability and Impossibility, How Distinguished From the Other Kinds of Circumstantial Evidence.
- Chapter III.: Of Real Evidence, Or Evidence From Things.
- Chapter IV.: Of Preparations, Attempts, Declarations of Intention, and Thrlats, Considered As Affording Evidence of Delinquency.
- Chapter V.: Of Non-responsion, and False, Or Evasive Responsion, Considered As Affording Evidence of Delinquency.
- Chapter VI.: Of Spontaneous * Self-inculpative Testimony, Considered As Affording Evidence of Delinquency.
- Chapter VII.: Of Confessorial and Otherwise Self-disserving Evidence, Extracted By Interrogation.
- Chapter VIII.: Of Confusion of Mind, Considered As Affording Evidence of Delinquency.
- Chapter IX.: Of Fear, In So Far As Indicated By Passive Deportment, Considered As Affording Evidence of Delinquency.
- Chapter X.: Of Clandestinity, Considered As Affording Evidence of Delinquency.
- Chapter XI.: Of Suppression Or Fabrication of Evidence, Considered As Affording Evidence of Delinqufncy.
- Chapter XII.: Of Avoidance of Justiciability, Considered As Affording Evidence of Delinquency.
- Chapter XIII.: Of the Situation of the Supposed Delinquent In Respect of Motives, Means, Disposition, Character, and Station In Life, Considered As Affording Evidence of Delinquency.
- Chapter XIV.: Posteriora Priorum—priora Posteriorum. Fact Indicated, a Prior Event; Evidentiary Fact, a Posterior Event In the Same Series: and E Converso.
- Chapter XV.: On the Probative Force of Circumstantial Evidence.
- Chapter XVI.: Of Improbability and Impossibility. *
- Chapter XVII.: Atrocity of an Alleged Offence, How Far a Ground of Incredibility. ‡
- Book VI: Of Makeshift Evidence.
- Chapter I.: Of Makeshift Evidence In General.
- Chapter II.: Of Extrajudicially Written Evidence.
- Chapter III.: Of Unoriginal Evidence In General.
- Chapter IV.: Of Supposed Oral Evidence Transmitted Through Oral, Or Hearsay Evidence.
- Chapter V.: Instructions Concerning the Probative Force of Extrajudicially Written and Hearsay Evidence. *
- Chapter VI.: Of Supposed Written Evidence, Transmitted Through Oral; Or Memoriter Evidence. *
- Chapter VII.: Of Supposed Oral Evidence, Transmitted Through Written; Or Minuted Evidence.
- Chapter VIII.: Of Supposed Written Evidence, Transmitted Through Written; Or Transcriptitious Evidence.
- Chapter IX.: Of Reported Real Evidence: I. E. Supposed Real Evidence, Transmitted Through Oral Judicial Testimony, Or Through Casually-written Evidence.
- Chapter X.: Of Evidence Transmitted Through an Indefinite Number of Media.
- Chapter XI.: What Ought, and What Ought Not, to Be Done, to Obviate the Danger of Misdecision On the Ground of Makeshift Evidence.
- Chapter XII.: Aberrations of English Law In Regard to Makeshift Evidence.
- Book VII.: Of the Authentication of Evidence.
- Chapter I.: Authentication, What. Connexion of This Subject With That of Preappointed Evidence.
- Chapter II.: Subject-matters of Authentication, What. Modes of Authentication In the Case of Real and of Oral Evidence.
- Chapter III.: Modes of Authentication In the Case of Written Evidence.
- Chapter IV.: Modes of Deauthentication In the Case of Written Evidence.
- Chapter V.: Distinction Between Provisional and Definitive Authentication. Rules For the Legislator and the Judge, Concerning the Authentication of Written Evidence.
- Chapter VI.: Aberrations of English Law In Regard to the Authentication of Written Evidence.
- Book VIII.: On the Cause of Exclusion of Evidence—the Technical System of Procedure.
- Chapter I.: Object of This Inquiry—its Connexion With the Subject of the Present Work.
- Chapter II.: Technical Or Fee-gathering, and Natural Or Domestic, Systems of Procedure, What?
- Chapter III.: Cause of the Vices of Technical Procedure, the Sinister Interest of the Judge.
- Chapter IV.: Particular Exemplifications of the Vices Introduced By the Fee-gathering Principle Into Technical Judicature.
- Chapter V.: List of the Devices Employed Under the Fee-gathering System, For Promoting the Ends of Established Judicature, At the Expense of the Ends of Justice. *
- Chapter VI.: First Device—exclusion of the Parties From the Presence of the Judge.
- Chapter VII.: Second Device—tribunals Out of Reach: Or, Swallowing Up the Inferior Courts.
- Chapter VIII.: Third Device—bandying the Cause From Court to Court.
- Chapter IX.: Fourth Device—blind Fixation of Times For the Oplrations of Procedure.
- Chapter X.: Fifth Device—sitting At Long Intervals.
- Chapter XI.: Sixth Device—motion Business.
- Chapter XII.: Seventh Device,—decision Without Thought; Or Mechanical Judicature.
- Chapter XIII.: Eighth Device—chicaneries About Notice.
- Chapter XIV.: Ninth Device—principll of Nullification.
- Chapter XV.: Tenth Device—mendacity-licence.
- Chapter XVI.: Eleventh Device—ready Written Pleadings.
- Chapter XVII.: Twelfth Device—principle of Jargon, Or Jargonization.
- Chapter XVIII.: Thirteenth Device—fiction.
- Chapter XIX.: Fourteenth Device—entanglement of Jurisdictions.
- Chapter XX.: Fifteenth Device—means of Securing Forthcomingness, Uselessly Divfrsified.
- Chapter XXI.: Sixteenth Device—creation of Needless and Useless Offices.
- Chapter XXII.: Seventeenth Device—sham Pecuniary Checks to Delay, Vexation, and Expense.
- Chapter XXIII.: Eighteenth Device—double-fountain Principle.
- Chapter XXIV.: Nineteenth Device—laudation of Jurisprudential Law.
- Chapter XXV.: Habitual Contempt Shown By Judges to the Authority of the Legislature.
- Chapter XXVI.: Opinion-trade.
- Chapter XXVII.: Extension of the Above Devices to Substantive Law, As Far As Applicable.
- Chapter XXVIII.: Remedies Suggested For the Above Evils.
- Chapter XXIX.: Apology For the Above Exposure.
- Book IX.: On Exclusion of Evidence.
- Part I.: On the Exclusionary System In General.
- Chapter I.: Exclusion of Evidence. Its Connexion With the Ends of Justice.
- Chapter II.: Disregard Shown to the Ends of Justice Under the Exclusionary System.
- Chapter III.: General View of the Mischiefs of the Exclusionary System.
- Chapter IV.: Dicta of Judges On the Exclusionary System.
- Chapter V.: Species of Exclusion.
- Part II.: View of the Cases In Which Exclusion of Evidence Is Proper.
- Chapter I.: General View of the Cases In Which Exclusion Is Proper.
- Chapter II.: Exclusion On the Ground of Vexation, In What Cases Proper.
- Chapter III.: Exclusion On the Ground of Expense, In What Cases Proper.
- Chapter IV.: Exclusion On the Ground of Delay, In What Cases Proper.
- Chapter V.: Exclusion of Irrelevant Evidence, Proper.
- Chapter VI.: Exclusion of the Evidence of a Catholic Priest, Respecting the Confessions Intrusted to Him, Proper.
- Chapter VII.: Remedies Succedaneous to the Exclusion of Evidence.
- Part III.: View of the Cases In Which Evidence Has Improperly Been Excluded On the Ground of Danger of Deception. *
- Chapter I.: Cases Enumerated.
- Chapter II.: Danger of Deception, Not a Proper Ground For Exclusion of Evidence.
- Chapter III.: Impropriety of Exclusion On the Ground of Interest.
- Chapter IV.: Impropriety of Exclusion On the Ground of Improbity.
- Chapter V.: Impropriety of Exclusion On the Ground of Religious Opinions.
- Chapter VI.: Impropriety of Exclusion On the Ground of Mlntal Imbecility, and Particularly of Infancy and Superannuation.
- Chapter VII.: Of the Restoratives For Competency, Devised By English Lawyers.
- Part IV.: View of the Cases In Which Evidence Has Improperly Been Excluded On the Ground of Vexation.
- Chapter I.: Vexation to Individuals Arising Solely Out of the Execution of the Laws, Not a Proper Ground of Exclusion.
- Chapter II.: Enumeration of the Sorts of Evidence Improperly Excluded On This Ground By English Law.
- Chapter III.: Impropriety of the Exclusion Put Upon Self-disserving Evidence By English Law.
- Chapter IV.: Inconsistencies of English Law In Regard to Self-disserving Evidence.
- Chapter V.: Examination of the Cases In Which English Law Exempts One Person From Giving Evidence Against Another.
- Part V.: View of the Cases In Which Evidence Has Improperly Been Excluded On the Double Account of Vexation and Danger of Deception.
- Chapter I.: Impropriety of Excluding the Testimony of a Party to the Cause, For Or Against Himself.
- Chapter II.: Examination of the Course Pursued In Regard to the Plaintiff’s Testimony By English Law.
- Chapter III.: Examination of the Course Pursued In Regard to the Defendant’s Testimony By English Law.
- Chapter IV.: Impropriety of Excluding the Testimony of a Party to the Cause, For Or Against Another Party On the Same Side. Examination of the Course Pursued In This Respect By English Law.
- Chapter V.: Probable Origin of the Above Exclusionary Rules.
- Part VI.: Of Disguised Exclusions.
- Chapter I.: Exclusion of Evidence For Want of Multiplicity.
- Chapter II.: Exclusion By Limitation Put Upon the Number of Witnesses.
- Chapter III.: Exclusion Put By Blind Arrangements of Procedure Upon Indeterminate Portions of the Mass of Evidence.
- Chapter IV.: Exclusion By Rendering a Particular Species of Evidence Conclusive.
- Chapter V.: Of the Rule, That Evidence Is to Be Confined to the Points In Issue. ‡
- Chapter VI.: Of Negative Exclusions.
- Book X.: Instructions to Be Delivered From the Legislator to the Judge, For the Estimation of the Probative Force of Evidence.
- Chapter I.: Preliminary Observations.
- Chapter II.: Of Interest In General, Considered As a Ground of Untrustworthiness In Testimony.
- Chapter III.: Of Pecuniary Interest, Considered As a Ground of Untrustworthiness In Testimony. *
- Chapter IV.: Of Interest Derived From Social Connexions In General.
- Chapter V.: Of Interest Derived From Sexual Connexions.
- Chapter VI.: Of Interest Derived From Situation With Respect to the Cause Or Suit.
- Chapter VII.: Of Improbity, Considered As a Cause of Untrustworthiness In Testimony.
- Chapter VIII.: Of the Comparative Mischief In the Event of Misdecision, to the Prejudice of the Plaintiff’s Or of the Defendant’s Side.
- Chapter IX.: Ulterior Safeguards Against the Inconveniencies Which May Present Themselves As Liable to Arise From the Abolition of the Exclusionary Rules.
- Chapter X.: Recapitulation.
- Conclusion.
- Note On the Belgic Code.
CHAPTER V.
SPECIES OF EXCLUSION.
A lot of evidence which one of the parties would wish to see produced, fails of being produced. Whence comes this failure? Is it that it might have been forthcoming, but the law or the judge will not suffer it to be produced? In this case, the exclusion put upon it may be said to be positive. Is it that it might have been forthcoming, but the law or the judge withholds any of those aids, any of those powers (coercive or remunerative, but more especially coercive,) which in the case of this or that other article of evidence are not refused, which are necessary to its being forthcoming, and for want of which it fails of being so? In this case, the exclusion may be said to be negative.
Supposing the exclusion improper, in the former case the injury done is more palpable, but in the other is not less real or extensive.
Positive or negative, at whose instance is the exclusion put upon the evidence? If the person whose evidence is in question be a party in the cause, then come the questions—Is it at his own instance; or at that of a co-party on the same side; or at that of the party, or, if several, of a party, on the opposite side? If he be an extraneous witness, then come the questions—Is it at the instance of a party on the same side of the cause as that of the party by whom his evidence is or would have been called for; or at the instance of the party, or a party, on the opposite side; or at his own instance; or at that of a third person, a stranger to the cause; or, in each respective case, at the joint instance of two or more such persons? By one person the exclusion may be called for on one ground, by another on another ground: on one ground it may be improper, on another not.
The exclusion put upon the evidence, is it put upon it at all events, or only in certain events? or, what comes to the same thing, are there any events in which it may be taken off? Hence we see another distinction: absolute exclusion, conditional exclusion.
By the wonder-working hand of logic, conditions are changed into limitations, limitations into exceptions. Improper if absolute, the exclusion may, by the conditions, the limitations, the exceptions, be brought within the pale of propriety; by its tendency to save collateral inconvenience, delay, expense, or vexation.
Of possible conditions, the number is infinite. Distinguished from the herd, stand those which respect the existence of other evidence to the same facts.
In some instances, the evidence in question is excluded, unless some other evidence is produced likewise. Exclusion nisi alia, or si non alia (probatio, understood.)
The most common as well as important case, is where the other evidence, thus made requisite, is required to be produced on the same side of the cause. Exclusion nisi alia ex eodem (latere, understood.)
Of this case an example is presented by the rule of law which requires two witnesses. Every man is excluded—every man, be he who he may, unless he comes with another in his hand. Two propositions are here assumed: All men are liars, and all judges fools. Without the second, the first (we shall see) would be insufficient.
Another case is, where the evidence thus made requisite is required to have been produced (or at any rate to be about to be produced) on the opposite or adverse side. Exclusion nisi alia ex opposito, or ex adverso.
To this head may be referred the exclusion put upon counter-evidence, in the case where the primary evidence, by which the demand for it would have been produced, fails itself of being produced. If the evidence supposed to have been prepared against the character of Testis fails of being produced, any evidence that may have been prepared in support of the character of the same witness, will naturally be excluded. And so in the case of alibi evidence. Failing, on the other side, the evidence which supposed the man there, you have no need to prove him elsewhere.
In every case of conditional exclusion, a case of absolute exclusion is included. By the condition, the limitation, the exception, the case is divided into two cases: in one, the evidence in question is not excluded; in the other, it is. To the first of the two, the discussion concerning the propriety of the exclusion is confined.
Where no condition, limitation, or exception, is spoken of, the exclusion must be understood to be absolute.
In other instances, the evidence is excluded, if there be other evidence: not excluded, unless there be other evidence (understand, of this or that particular description.) Exclusion si alia.
If the case afford other evidence, and that other evidence sufficient, and this sufficient and admitted evidence not attended with a mass of collateral inconvenience, preponderant over that with which the delivery of the excluded evidence would have come accompanied,—the exclusion, it is plain, can do no harm. To this head belongs (as we shall see) one of the two classes of cases in which the exclusion put upon evidence is proper and justifiable.
The party whose interest, according to his conception, would be served by the evidence, insists upon it. The collateral inconvenience with which it would be attended, is not noticed by him, or not regarded by him, or is perhaps the very and only cause, the final cause, of the demand he makes of it. But by the judge it will be regarded, and regarded with other eyes.
To this head will be found referable, kinds of evidence in great masses, against which, with more or less reason, the door is, or has been proposed to be, shut:—1. Inferior makeshift evidence excluded, or proposed to be excluded, in consideration of ordinary regular evidence from the same source; 2. Ordinary excluded, in expectation of super-ordinary, more satisfactory and persuasive, evidence, from the same or other sources; 3. Where the demand for it is created by some other lot of evidence on the same side or on the opposite side of the cause,—any sort of evidence excluded; viz. in the case where the evidence by which (had it been produced) the demand would have been created, fails of being produced.
So far as the supposition of better evidence is verified, the inferior would produce the bad effects of irrelevant evidence: so far as the supposition fails of being verified, certain misdecision, as certain as in cases of deception by bad and false evidence, is the result.
PART II.
VIEW OF THE CASES IN WHICH EXCLUSION OF EVIDENCE IS PROPER.