The rule of the common law, that statutes in derogation thereof are to be strictly construed, has no application to this code. This code establishes the law of this state respecting the subject to which it relates, and its provisions are to be liberally construed with a view to effecting its objects and promoting justice.
Cal. Evid. Code § 2
PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS AND CONSTRUCTION
Known as the Evidence Code
The act spans §§ 1–12 (12 sections).
Applied in 8 court decisions — leading case 11 Cal. 3d 531 - Pitchess v. Superior Court (1974)
Most recently applied in 245 Cal. Rptr. 3d 787 - People v. Superior Court (April 2019)
Enacted by Stats. 1965, Ch. 299.
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Official source: California Legislative Information. Reproduced from public-domain California statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.