Legal Definitions - facially sufficient

Definition: Facially sufficient refers to a document that appears to be valid on its face.

For example, a search warrant affidavit may be considered facially sufficient if it meets all the legal requirements and appears to be valid. However, if the affidavit is based onfalse testimony by the officer making the affidavit, it can still be challenged and attacked.

In such cases, a Franks hearing may be held to determine whether the affidavit used to obtain a search warrant was based on false statements by the police officer. This hearing is named after the Franks v. Delaware case, which established the right to challenge the validity of a search warrant affidavit.

Overall, facially sufficient means that a document appears to be valid and meets all the legal requirements on its face, but it can still be challenged if there is evidence of false statements or other legal issues.