Opinion ID: 2525142
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: standard of review

Text: [¶ 5] The standard of review for evidentiary determinations has been often cited: The admission of evidence is left to the sound discretion of the trial court. The trial court may exclude inadmissible evidence upon a motion in limine. Rule 402, W.R.E., provides in pertinent part that, [E]vidence ... which is not relevant is not admissible. Rule 401, W.R.E., defines relevant evidence as follows: 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. Lindsey v. State, 725 P.2d 649, 654 (Wyo. 1986) (citations omitted); see also Robinson v. State, 11 P.3d 361, 367 (Wyo.2000), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 121 S.Ct. 1620, 149 L.Ed.2d 483 (2001); Duran v. State, 990 P.2d 1005, 1011 (Wyo.1999); Solis v. State, 981 P.2d 34, 36 (Wyo.1999); Betts v. Crawford, 965 P.2d 680, 685 (Wyo.1998); Brown v. Michael Pryor, M.D., P.C., 954 P.2d 1349, 1350 (Wyo.1998); Wilder v. Cody Country Chamber of Commerce, 933 P.2d 1098, 1107 (Wyo. 1997); Tennant v. State, 786 P.2d 339, 342 (Wyo.1990). [¶ 6] We have noted our core inquiry must reach the question of reasonableness of the choice made by the trial court. Vaughn v. State, 962 P.2d 149, 151 (Wyo.1998). Judicial discretion is a composite of many things, among which are conclusions drawn from objective criteria; it means a sound judgment exercised with regard to what is right under the circumstances and without doing so arbitrarily or capriciously. Id. (quoting Byerly v. Madsen, 41 Wash. App. 495, 704 P.2d 1236, 1238 (1985)); Basolo [v. Basolo], 907 P.2d [348,] 353 [(Wyo.1995)]. We must ask ourselves whether the district court could reasonably conclude as it did and whether any facet of its ruling was arbitrary or capricious. Carlton v. Carlton, 997 P.2d 1028, 1031 (Wyo.2000). Young v. HAC, LLC, 2001 WY 50, ¶ 6, 24 P.3d 1142, ¶ 6 (Wyo.2001).