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 Pennsylvania, a motion in limine is a pretrial request made by an attorney to the court, seeking to exclude certain evidence from being presented to the jury during a trial. The purpose of this motion is to prevent potentially prejudicial evidence from influencing the jury's decision. The motion asks the judge to rule on the admissibility of the evidence before it is mentioned or introduced in front of the jury. If the motion is granted, the opposing party is prohibited from referring to the evidence in question during the trial without first getting permission from the court. This procedural move helps to ensure that the jury is not exposed to evidence that may be deemed inadmissible, irrelevant, or that could unfairly sway their opinion. The use of motions in limine is governed by Pennsylvania's Rules of Evidence and procedural rules, and the decisions on such motions are at the discretion of the trial judge.