How do rape shield laws limit the use of an accuser’s sexual history in court?

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Rape shield laws are statutes or court rules designed to protect accusers from being discredited by irrelevant evidence regarding their past sexual history during a rape trial. By limiting the ability of defense counsel to introduce such information, these laws ensure that the focus of the proceedings remains on the specific facts of the alleged crime rather than the accuser's character or prior conduct.1

While these laws generally restrict the use of an accuser's sexual history, they do allow for exceptions in specific circumstances, such as:

When there is a shared sexual history between the accuser and the accused.1
When the evidence is directly relevant to proving the accuser's consent.1
When the defense can demonstrate that excluding the evidence would violate the defendant’s constitutional rights, such as the Sixth Amendment right to confront an accuser.1

These protections are essential for upholding the ethical principle that all individuals deserve dignity and fairness within the justice system, preventing the re-victimization of survivors during legal proceedings.1