Legal Definitions - judicial notice

Definition: Judicial notice is when a court accepts a fact as true without needing any evidence to prove it. This is usually done when the fact is well-known and indisputable.

For example, a court may take judicial notice that:

• The sky is blue
• The earth revolves around the sun
• The United States is a democracy

These facts are so well-known and accepted that there is no need for evidence to prove them. The court can simply declare them to be true.

If a court takes judicial notice of a fact in a civil case, it means that the fact is considered to be true and cannot be disputed by either side.

Overall, judicial notice is a way for courts to save time and resources by not requiring evidence for facts that are already widely accepted and known.