Judicial notice

Courts can take judicial notice of facts that are not reasonably in dispute, like the date of a holiday, the contents of a public record, or the location of a major landmark. On a motion to dismiss, judicial notice can let a court consider documents like public filings, government records, or court records without converting the motion into something larger. The court does not have to accept the truth of every statement inside those documents, just the fact that they exist and say what they say. Lawyers often use judicial notice to bring helpful background facts into the picture early in a case. Misusing it to smuggle in disputed facts is a common ground for objection.