Bill > S09632

This bill establishes a new rule in criminal proceedings that generally presumes evidence of a defendant's creative or artistic expression, such as music, poetry, or film, is inadmissible against them. To overcome this presumption, the party seeking to introduce such evidence must prove by clear and convincing evidence that it has a literal meaning, a strong factual connection to the specific crime alleged, is relevant to a disputed fact, and has unique value not available through other evidence. The bill also defines "creative expression" broadly to include various forms of artistic output and requires courts to take steps to minimize prejudice if such evidence is admitted, like redacting parts of it or providing limiting instructions to the jury.