noun
principle of free evaluation of evidence; free conviction principle
A legal doctrine in which judges freely assess the probative value of evidence without being bound by rigid rules.
日本の刑事訴訟法は自由心証主義を採用している。
Japan's Code of Criminal Procedure adopts the principle of free evaluation of evidence.
法定証拠主義 is the opposite principle where the law prescribes the weight of evidence, whereas 自由心証主義 leaves evaluation to the judge's discretion.
Compound of 自由 (free), 心証 (impression, conviction), and 主義 (principle). A calque from Western legal terminology.