What is required to satisfy the authentication requirement for evidence?

• A. The proponent must produce evidence sufficient to support a finding that the item is what the proponent claims it is.
• B. The proponent must produce a chain of custody from the time the item was created.
• C. The proponent must call the declarant to testify.
• D. The proponent must show the item is relevant.

Answer: (A)

Authentication means showing that a piece of evidence is what its proponent claims it to be, so the court can trust its source and identity. The requirement is satisfied when there is enough evidence for a reasonable juror or judge to find that the item is indeed the item offered. This standard is flexible and can be met in various ways—witness testimony identifying the item, distinctive characteristics visible in the item, labeling or metadata, or other evidence that ties the item to its claimed origin. Chain of custody can help prove authenticity for some types of physical evidence, but it is not a universal requirement in every case. Calling the declarant isn’t mandatory if other evidence already establishes identity, and relevance is a separate threshold that must also be met before evidence can be admitted.