Federal Rule of Evidence 1002 and Original Evidence
Short answer
D Rule 1002 requires production of an original writing, recording, or photograph to prove its content unless otherwise provided.
Question
Key Takeaways
The question tests the exact title of FRE 1002, and the trap is confusing it with Rule 1001's definitions, Rule 1003's duplicate admissibility, or Rule 1004's exceptions permitting other evidence of contents.
Federal Rule of Evidence 1002 is the best-evidence rule requiring that an original writing, recording, or photograph be produced to prove its content, unless a rule or federal statute provides otherwise. This page confirms that option D, requirement of original, is the correct characterization of Rule 1002.
Common mistake: The most common wrong pick is C, admissibility of other evidence of contents, which describes Rule 1004 — the exceptions that allow secondary proof when originals are lost or destroyed, not Rule 1002 itself.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
Rule 1002 is captioned "Requirement of the Original" and states that an original writing, recording, or photograph is required to prove its content, unless these rules or a federal statute provide otherwise. This is the classic best-evidence rule at the heart of digital forensics authentication, so D directly matches the rule's official title and substance. As seyfoo91 stated plainly, "Rule 1002: Requirement of Original."
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A, admissibility of duplicates, is Rule 1003, which allows duplicates to be received into evidence to the same extent as an original unless a genuine question is raised about the original's authenticity. Option B, admissibility of original, is not the rule's stated function — Rule 1001 defines what qualifies as an original or duplicate for these purposes. Option C, admissibility of other evidence of contents, is Rule 1004, which governs when the original is not required because it is lost, destroyed, or unobtainable.
Community Comment Notes
Every learner comment converged on D. The most detailed post, from 044f354, quoted the rule text verbatim — "An original writing, recording, or photograph is required in order to prove its content" — and cited the ECCouncil CHFI module and rulesofevidence.org. aqeel1506 likewise paraphrased that the original is required except where exceptions apply, reinforcing that the rule's operative demand is production of the original.
Official Reference
https://www.rulesofevidence.org/fre/
This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.
Exam Strategy
Memorize the FRE 1001-1004 block as a set: 1001 defines originals/duplicates, 1002 requires the original, 1003 permits duplicates, and 1004 allows other evidence when the original is unavailable. Matching each rule number to its one-line caption lets you eliminate three distractors instantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn't "admissibility of other evidence of contents" the answer for Rule 1002?
How does Rule 1002 differ from Rule 1003 on duplicates?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer D. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 3 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 3
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seyfoo91 👍 3 Answered DRule 1002: Requirement of Original
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044f354 👍 1 Answered DECCouncil Official CHFI https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781635676969/ Module 01 Page 42 AND https://www.rulesofevidence.org/fre/ Rule 1002: Requirement of the Original “An original writing, recording, or photograph is required in order to prove its content unless these rules or a federal statute provides otherwise.” ----- If you agree: UPVOTE this post to add your vote to the community tally. If you disagree: discuss with citations Both actions crowdsource best answers.
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aqeel1506 👍 1Rule 1002: This rule states that to prove the content of a writing, recording, or photograph, the original is required, except as otherwise provided in the rules. This means that when presenting evidence in court, an original document or item is typically necessary to prove its contents, although there are exceptions where duplicates or other evidence may be permissible.
Reader comments & corrections
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