Motion in limine is the name commonly given a pretrial motion that attempts to prevent the offer of, or reference to, specific evidence or other matters in the presence of the jury. A motion in limine is designed to require a party offering evidence to approach the bench and inquire into the admissibility of the evidence at issue before introducing that evidence to the jury. The purpose of the motion in limine is to prevent the other party from asking prejudicial questions or introducing prejudicial evidence in front of the jury without first asking the trial court’s permission.

In Arizona, a motion in limine is a pretrial request made to the court to rule on the admissibility of certain evidence before it is presented during the trial. The goal of this motion is to prevent potentially prejudicial evidence from being introduced in front of the jury without the judge's prior review. This helps to ensure that the jury is not exposed to evidence that may be inadmissible or could unfairly sway their opinion. The motion requires the party wishing to present the evidence to first approach the bench and discuss its admissibility with the judge outside the hearing of the jury. If the court grants the motion, the evidence in question is excluded from the trial. Arizona courts follow the Arizona Rules of Evidence, and the decision to grant or deny a motion in limine is within the discretion of the trial judge. The use of motions in limine is a common practice in Arizona courts to help manage the evidence that will be considered by the jury and to streamline the trial process.