Courts in the United States process huge quantities of scientific information. Every day, they must determine the validity of expertise ranging from acoustics to zoology, in matters ranging from civil slip-and-fall cases to criminal prosecutions that may result in prison sentences or even execution. In federal courts and in virtually all states, judges are expected to be ‘gatekeepers,’ responsible for assessing the validity of the scientific or technical expert testimony offered by the parties. Judges are expected to distinguish the scientific wheat from the pseudoscientific chaff. Yet most judges do not have the ability to fulfill this responsibility adequately.
Category: Articles
Click here