Blank pad rule

According to the blank pad rule, a jury (illustrated) may not rely upon evidence that is not established at trial.

The blank pad rule is an American term for the legal doctrine and metaphor in common law that requires a tribunal to base its decision solely upon evidence established at trial.[1] In the United States, the Supreme Court has established that in order for a trial to be fair and impartial, a "jury's verdict [must] be based on evidence received in open court, not from outside sources".[2]

  1. ^ Kenneth Graham, Confrontation Stories: Raleigh on the Mayflower, 3 Ohio St. J. Crim. L. 209, 210 (2005).
  2. ^ Sheppard v. Maxwell, 384 U.S. 333, 349-50 (1966).