What are the consequences of introducing evidence that confuses or misleads the decision maker?

Introducing evidence that confuses or misleads the decision maker can significantly impact the judicial process. When evidence creates confusion, it can impede the court's ability to reach a fair and informed decision. This often leads to delays in the trial as the judge may need to address the confusion, clarify information, or even consider excluding the misleading evidence. Such delays can prolong the trial process as the court must re-establish a clear understanding of the case.

While a retrial or a mistrial is also a potential outcome in some cases involving misleading evidence, the immediate and direct consequence of confusion during the trial is the delay as the court and involved parties work to sort through the misinformation. Undermining the prosecution may be an outcome as well, but it again ties back to how the evidence misleads the jury's understanding rather than being a direct consequence.