Which rule requires that evidence unconstitutionally or illegally obtained be excluded from a criminal trial?

• A. Exclusionary Rule
• B. Admissibility Rule
• C. Suppression Rule
• D. Evidence Rule

Answer: (A)

The Exclusionary Rule bars evidence obtained through unconstitutional searches and seizures from being used at trial. This principle protects Fourth Amendment rights by deterring police misconduct and ensuring due process in criminal prosecutions. It covers not only the direct tainted evidence but also derivative evidence (the fruit of the poisonous tree), with certain established exceptions like good-faith reliance on a warrant, independent source, or inevitable discovery. The other terms aren’t the standard name for this doctrine—admissibility rule is too vague, suppression rule isn’t the recognized label for the principle itself (though suppression is the remedy), and evidence rule is generic.