Probabilistic methods in the evaluation of legal evidence have not yet been employed to any large degree and there is a dearth of potentially useful probabilities that might be estimated from empirical data. The role which mathematical probability can and does play in the court room is illustrated with cases involving combinations of circumstances, forgery, criminal identification, establishment of nonpaternity, and the use of coded messages. ‘Beyond a mathematical doubt’ should be more convincing than ‘beyond a reasonable doubt.’