Only a preliminary showing of authenticity needs to be made to cause the court to allow the evidence to be seen by the jury.

A bookkeeper may authenticate a business record even if she cannot verify the accuracy of the contents.

A piece of evidence was misplaced on the way to the evidence locker room. If the officer who originally seized the evidence can identify it, the evidence might be admissible.

Business records can be self-authenticating.

Public records are self-authenticating.

Ancient documents are those over 1000 years old.

The trier-of-fact may decide that a document is not authentic, even though the judge has allowed it into evidence.

Computer records require special authentication regarding the process by which those records were created.

Photographs are self-authenticating.

High-tech types of evidence must have sufficient foundation and authetication to  ensure that the evidence has not been altered or tampered with.

A phone message left on a voice messaging system was the source of critical evidence in a case. The message, digitally stored on a phone company computer, was transferred onto a tape, and brought to court. In addition to requiring that the message be identified, the court may also require in this case that the proffering party authenticate the

Tim met John for the first time while riding on a bus. During the ride, John talked about his car being stolen. Specifically, John said, “I saw the guy who stole my car.” With regard to John’s stolen car, Tim may

Blood was drawn from a suspect to use as a sample for DNA testing. After the blood was drawn and the vial labeled, it was misplaced by a lab technician. It showed up three weeks later in a hospital refrigerator, and nobody knew how it got there. The problem with this blood sample is that the prosecutor will not be able to show the

In a case for statutory rape, the accused offered a certified birth certificate of the victim, showing her age to be 18 years old. To authenticate this document, the accused must

The plaintiff in a securities action seeks to introduce the Wall Street Journal, specifically with regard to the Dow Jones Industrial Averages published in the Journal during a specific week. To authenticate this periodical, the plaintiff must

The state seeks to introduce as an ancient document an old foreign-country driver’s license which belonged to Defendant, but shows a different last name than that used by the Defendant now. The license was found in Defendant’s old papers and documents pursuant to a valid search warrant. To prove this document’s authenticity, the state must show that the document is in such condition so as to create no suspicion concerning its authenticity; was in a place where, if authentic, it would have been likely to be, and

Ginny sues Johnny for divorce, and asks for alimony. Johnny claims he is broke, but Ginny produces stock certificates for various blue chip stocks, the value of which is substantial. To authenticate the stock certificates, Ginny must

In a case involving a substantial number of business record documents, the court is concerned about the amount of time it will take for the attorneys to authenticate all of the records each party hopes to introduce. The most efficient way for both parties to handle authentication of these records, where there is no genuine dispute as to their authenticity, is

In a civil case for fraud, the plaintiff subpoenaed the defendant’s accounting records. Plaintiff deposed the defendant’s accountant. The accountant had custody of the defendant’s accounting records because he had used them to prepare the defendant’s tax returns. He had been informed by the defendant’s chief financial officer that the records were accurate, and constituted the complete record of the company’s financial activity. However, the accountant claimed that he had no personal knowledge regarding the accuracy or source of the numbers contained in the records. For purposes of authentication, the accountant

Ying and Yang entered into a contract, which Yang breached. When Ying looked for the original contract, he could only find a duplicate. This duplicate is

In a paternity suit, the laboratory prepared approximately 50 pages of notes regarding evidence of DNA matching. The notes were extremely difficult to read and follow. The petitioner summarized the data in the notes in a graphical chart display. This chart is