Authentication
The requirement that the proponent produce evidence sufficient to support a finding that an item is what it is claimed to be.
The exam frames authentication as a conditional-relevance question under Rule 104(b): the judge admits the item once the proponent offers enough for a reasonable juror to find it genuine, then the jury weighs it. The classic tell is a foundation gap — a letter, photo, or recording offered without anyone tying it to the source. Know the shortcut methods beyond a witness: the reply-letter doctrine (a letter answering an earlier one is authenticated by its responsive content, under 901(b)(4)), and ancient documents under Rule 901(b)(8) (now at least 20 years old, in a condition raising no suspicion, found where it would likely be — note the old common-law figure was 30 years).
Don’t confuse authentication with the best-evidence rule (Rule 1002), which governs only proving the contents of a writing — authentication merely shows the item is what it’s claimed to be. The electronic provisions 902(13)–(14) let certified machine records and copied data self-authenticate. Hook: authenticate, then litigate.
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