Principles of Evidence fifth edition: provides invaluable assistance to students, academics and practitioners alike; introduces a decolonial approach to South Africa’s law of evidence; continues to assess the impact of the Constitution on the rules of evidence; analyses the bourgeoning body of case law dealing with the admissibility of evidence; considers recent amendments impacting the child witness as well as the presentation of oral evidence more generally; offers a separate discussion on statutory provisions regulating matters as diverse as, for example, sexual history evidence and the admissibility of electronic evidence; incorporates discussions about proof within the context of the global ‘New Evidence Scholarship’ movement; provides critical commentary and suggestions for law reform.

Principles of Evidence provides students with an enriched blend of cases, rules, and scholarly and trial excerpts which connect theory and practice for courtroom evidence. To attain this goal, the authors have supplemented the traditional case method in two significant ways. First, because the law of evidence has engendered a vast and rich literature, the authors have drawn extensively, but selectively, on these scholarly writings to provide the initial insight and sense of perspective on the principles of evidence. Each article excerpts is chosen for its ability to concisely explain the evidentiary rule.

Second, the authors have included numerous transcript materials from celebrated trials. These transcript excerpts from cases like the trials of Lizzie Borden, O.J. Simpson, John Scopes, Alger Hiss, the Rosenbergs, Charles Manson, and Sacco and Vanzetti bring evidence theory to life in the courtroom. These excerpts enable students to see how the foundations are laid and objections made.

This eBook features links to Lexis Advance for further legal research options.