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evidence

authenticate

To authenticate means to prove or verify the authenticity of a thing; to show something to be genuine or real. To authenticate may also be to officially attest to the authenticity of something or to give authority by proof or by other legally required formalities. 

See: Authentication.

[Last reviewed in June of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]

autopsy

Autopsy, borrowed from the Greek autopsia, meaning “the act of seeing with one’s own eyes,” means the detailed medical examination and/or dissection of a dead body to determine the cause of death or for any scientific and medical purpose. Most of the time, autopsies are used to determine disease, injury, and cause of death of an individual in a criminal investigation.

biased assimilation

Biased assimilation is the tendency to interpret information in a way that supports a desired conclusion. This tendency leads parties to place undue credibility on evidence that supports that conclusion while also unduly discounting information that contradicts it. 

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blanket search warrant

A blanket search warrant is a broad authorization from a judge that allows the police to search multiple areas for evidence without specifying exactly what they are looking for and seize everything found.

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