"Relevant evidence" means evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence.
§ 2401.Definition of "Relevant Evidence"
Chapter 40: Oklahoma Evidence Code · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceDefines relevant evidence as evidence that has any tendency to make a fact of consequence to the case more or less probable than it would be without the evidence -- the threshold test every other admissibility rule builds on.
Full Text of § 2401
Amendment History
Laws 1978, SB 276, c. 285, § 401, eff. 10/1/1978.
Plain-English Summary
This is the Evidence Code's foundational definition, and Oklahoma's version of Federal Rule of Evidence 401: evidence counts as relevant if it has any tendency to make a fact that matters to the case more probable or less probable than it would be without that evidence. The bar is low by design -- the evidence doesn't have to prove the fact, just move the needle on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "relevant evidence" mean under Oklahoma law?
Section 2401 defines it as evidence having any tendency to make the existence of a fact of consequence to the case more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence.
Does evidence have to prove a fact to be relevant?
No. It only needs "any tendency" to make a fact more or less probable -- a low threshold that doesn't require the evidence to be conclusive.
Is this the same as the federal definition of relevant evidence?
Section 2401's wording closely tracks Federal Rule of Evidence 401's definition of relevant evidence.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes, enacted by the Oklahoma Legislature.
Last verified August 3, 2026.
· Official source
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