Legal Memorandum: Grounds for exclusion of relevant evidence

Issue: Under the Illinois Rules of Evidence, what are the grounds for excluding relevant evidence?

Minnesota Rule 115.11 discusses the requirements for seeking a motion to reconsider a ruling of the court. The rule states:

Motions to reconsider are prohibited except by express permission of the court, which will be granted only upon a showing of compelling circumstances.  Requests to make such a motion, and any responses to such requests, shall be made only by letter to the court of no more than two pages in length, a copy of which must be sent to opposing counsel.

Minn. Gen. Prac. R 115.11.

In Baker v. Amtrak National Railroad Passenger Corp., the trial court did not err in denying the appellant’s request to make a motion to reconsider his post-trial motions under Rule 115.11.  In that instance,

Amtrak contend[ed] that the trial court’s response to Baker’s request for reconsideration is not reviewable because Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 103.04 authorizes appellate review only of orders issued by the trial court that affect a judgment, and the trial court did not issue an order, but instead simply refused a request to schedule a hearing to reconsider its earlier decision. Minn. R. Gen. Pract. 115.11 does not require a formal motion to request permission to make a motion to reconsider and does not state that the court shall respond to the request by order. Here, the trial court sent Baker a letter in response to his request. The trial court’s informal response to Baker’s informal […]