The rules of evidence are of great importance, and cannot be departed without endangering private as well as public rights.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) The rules of evidence safeguard both private rights and public order; courts must not relax evidentiary standards for convenience, as doing so endangers the rights of all parties.

Where this applies

• A judge allows hearsay testimony "just this once" because the case is complicated — but relaxing evidentiary rules for convenience endangers the rights of the party who can't cross-examine the absent declarant.
• A court in a civil case decides to skip the authentication requirement for a key document to speed things along — this shortcut risks admitting forged or altered evidence.
• A legislature proposes allowing secret evidence in certain administrative hearings — critics argue this departure from evidentiary rules threatens both the private rights of the accused and public confidence in the system.