FRE

Law & Legal abbreviation · Litigation

FRE
Stands forFederal Rules of Evidence
CategoriesLaw & Legal

FRE stands for Federal Rules of Evidence, a litigation abbreviation.

Practitioner shorthand for the evidence rules applied in federal courts, covering relevance, character evidence, privileges, witness competency, expert opinion, hearsay and authentication. A large majority of states have evidence codes modeled on them.

Example: Opposing counsel objected under FRE 802, arguing the text message was inadmissible hearsay.

Usage notes

Congress enacted the rules in 1975. Hearsay is defined in Rule 801 and excluded by Rule 802, with exceptions in Rules 803, 804 and 807. Rule 702 governs expert testimony under the Daubert standard. The Bluebook form in briefs is "Fed. R. Evid."

More litigation abbreviations

  • ENE – Early neutral evaluation
  • ER – Excerpts of record
  • ESI – Electronically stored information
  • EUO – Examination under oath
  • FRAP – Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure
  • FRCP – Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
  • ICC – International Chamber of Commerce
  • ICDR – International Centre for Dispute Resolution
  • ICSID – International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
  • IIED – Intentional infliction of emotional distress
  • IME – Independent medical examination
  • J.A. – Joint appendix

See all 71 litigation abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.