Smith v. Hearst Corp.

Judicial notice of a fact is an acceptable substitute for formal proof of such fact, when formal proof is clearly unnecessary to enhance the accuracy of the fact-finding process. Dean McCormick set out the general principles in his Law of Evidence (First Edition, 1954), Section 323, "The Need for and the Effect of Judicial Notice,” pp. 687-688:

"The principal effect of the use of the doctrine of judicial notice is to excuse the party having the burden of establishing a fact from the necessity of producing formal proof of the fact by sworn witnesses and authenticated documents or objective…