Rule 1002 Requirement of the Original

If you want to prove what a document, recording, or photo says, you generally need to bring the actual original to court. Courts prefer originals because copies can be altered, incomplete, or wrong, and the original gives the most reliable proof of what it actually contains.

This mostly comes up when the content of the item itself is what matters in the case. For example, if a lawsuit is about what a contract says, the original contract (or a legally acceptable substitute) is usually needed to prove its exact wording. The same idea applies to recordings and photos where the actual content is being disputed.

There are exceptions built into the rules and in state law that allow copies or other evidence instead of the original in certain situations. So this requirement is not absolute, but it is the starting point courts use when someone is trying to prove what a specific document, recording, or photo says.