Rule 704 Opinion on an Ultimate Issue Not Automatically Objectionable

A witness can give an opinion that touches on the exact question the judge or jury needs to decide, and that opinion is not automatically thrown out just because of that. For example, an expert can say something like "in my opinion, the driver was speeding" even though that speeding question is at the heart of the case.

This means lawyers cannot block testimony simply by arguing "that's the very issue the jury has to decide." The opinion still needs to meet other rules, like being helpful and based on the witness's knowledge or expertise, but touching on the main issue in the case is not a reason by itself to keep it out.

In practice, this rule lets expert witnesses, like doctors, accident investigators, or financial experts, speak directly and clearly about what they believe happened, instead of dancing around the real question everyone in the courtroom wants answered.