A Review of the Proposed Michigan Rules of Evidence

On January 6, 1977, the Supreme Court of Michigan entered an order stating that it is considering adoption of the proposed Michigan Rules of Evidence which were submitted to the Court by the committee which it appointed in March 1975. The Court has solicited comments from interested persons regarding the proposed rules. A copy of the Supreme Court\u27s order is published in this issue of the Bar Journal. The proposed rules are published in the January 26, 1977, issue of North Western Reporter, Second Series (Michigan Edition). The purpose of this article is to review in general the background and substance of the proposed rules. More detailed information concerning the rules may be obtained by consulting the text of the rules and the committee notes thereto. It is beyond the scope of this article to discuss in detail the policy considerations supporting adoption of each proposed rule which conflicts with prior Michigan law. For the most part the proposed rules are identical with the Federal Rules of Evidence and the policy considerations favoring adoption of the rules are discussed in the Federal Advisory Committee Notes and the legislative history of the Federal Rules