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 Virginia, 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, thereby avoiding any undue influence on the jury's decision-making process. When a motion in limine is filed, the judge will consider whether the evidence in question is relevant and whether its probative value is outweighed by the risk of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury, as per the Virginia Rules of Evidence. If the court grants the motion, the evidence will be excluded or its use will be limited according to the court's ruling. This ensures that both parties adhere to the rules of evidence and that the jury is not exposed to improper evidence or arguments that could affect the fairness of the trial.