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Full-Text Articles in Law
The Hearsay Rule At Work: Has It Been Abolished De Facto By Judicial Decision, Eleanor Swift
The Hearsay Rule At Work: Has It Been Abolished De Facto By Judicial Decision, Eleanor Swift
Eleanor Swift
No abstract provided.
The Hallmark Of A Champion—Or Not, Robert Sanger
The Hallmark Of A Champion—Or Not, Robert Sanger
Robert M. Sanger
Two decisions that just came down, one from the United States Supreme Court and the other from the California Supreme Court. The former is Hall v. Florida and the latter is In re Champion on Habeas Corpus. The Hall and Champion cases, although they do not cite each other, both discuss significant issues with regard to who is eligible for execution under the Atkins decision.
Hall and Champion perpetuate the myth that capital punishment can be imposed accurately and consistently. Additionally, both cases contain serious errors in interpreting science while suggesting that life and death decisions can be based on …
Presenting Expert Testimony - An American Perspective, James Seckinger
Presenting Expert Testimony - An American Perspective, James Seckinger
James H. Seckinger
No abstract provided.
Using Video Link To Take Forensic Evidence - Lessons From An Australian Case Study, Anne Wallace
Using Video Link To Take Forensic Evidence - Lessons From An Australian Case Study, Anne Wallace
Anne Wallace Professor
This article examines the use of audio-visual communications technology (specifically, video link) to enable courts to receive forensic evidence in criminal cases. It outlines the legislative powers to take evidence via video link in Australia, identifying their broad discretionary nature, and analysing relevant case law on their interpretation. The article then discusses empirical findings from an Australian case study in a jurisdiction where a police forensic service has a policy to promote the use of this technology to take evidence from its staff. The findings suggest that, although the policy has had some success in influencing the approach of courts …
Managing Big Data In Complex Litigation, Robert Sanger
Managing Big Data In Complex Litigation, Robert Sanger
Robert M. Sanger
Any lawyer doing complex litigation, civil or criminal, has confronted what seems like an insurmountable sea of data. Many of us have used computer relational database programs and otherwise fought through the mass of information to prepare to try a case. There have been some advancements in managing data made by law enforcement in recent years to make their investigations manageable. During law enforcement investigations, the goal is somewhat different than that of the lawyer preparing for trial; however, the concepts are useful.
Government Denial Under Oath – Hidta, Hemisphere And Parallel Construction, Robert Sanger
Government Denial Under Oath – Hidta, Hemisphere And Parallel Construction, Robert Sanger
Robert M. Sanger
In September of last year, the New York Times reported on a remarkable program of the United States Government that involved spying on domestic phone records without a warrant.1 The news had a limited independent impact as it seemed to be lost in the disclosures of Michael Snowden regarding the National Security Administration (NSA), which purportedly was aimed at foreign terrorists but also included domestic targets. Yet, this program, called “Hemisphere,” was authorized by the Office of the President of the United States, Office of Drug Control Policy, under the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program (HIDTA) and it primarily …
Shredded Fish,, Robert Sanger
Shredded Fish,, Robert Sanger
Robert M. Sanger
There are just too many criminal laws and their proliferation has expanded exponentially over the last few decades. This is overcriminalization. In addition, the jurisdiction of federal authorities under general or vague laws has vastly expanded federal criminal prosecution of people and organizations for what otherwise would not be a crime. This is overfederalization and overcriminalization. In this article we will look at the current litigation before the United States Supreme Court that had directly taken on this controversy. The case of Yates v. United States involves briefing by the parties and by amici curae directly invoking and defending the …
Brady Reconstructed: An Overdue Expansion Of Rights And Remedies, Leonard Sosnov
Brady Reconstructed: An Overdue Expansion Of Rights And Remedies, Leonard Sosnov
Leonard N Sosnov
Over fifty years ago, the Supreme Court held in Brady v Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963), that the Due Process Clause requires prosecutors to disclose materially favorable evidence to the defense. The Brady Court emphasized the need to treat all defendants fairly and to provide each accused with a meaningful opportunity to present a defense. While Brady held great promise for defendants to receive fundamentally fair access to evidence, the subsequent decisions of the Court have fallen short of meeting this promise.
Since Brady, the Court has limited the disclosure obligation by failing to separately determine rights and remedies. Additionally, …
Canudo On Evidence: Laws Of New York, Gary Shaw
Bullets, Bad Florins, And Old Boots: A Report Of The Indiana Trial Judges Seminar On The Judge's Control Over Demonstrative Evidence, Thomas Shaffer
Bullets, Bad Florins, And Old Boots: A Report Of The Indiana Trial Judges Seminar On The Judge's Control Over Demonstrative Evidence, Thomas Shaffer
Thomas L. Shaffer
No abstract provided.
Book Review: Carl Cranor, Toxic Torts: Science, Law, And The Possibility Of Justice, David Caudill
Book Review: Carl Cranor, Toxic Torts: Science, Law, And The Possibility Of Justice, David Caudill
David S Caudill
Carl F. Cranor’s Toxic Torts: Science, Law, and the Possibility of Justice is a sustained, comprehensive argument that the Daubert gatekeeping regime has tilted the playing field against injured plaintiffs in toxic tort litigation. More generally, Cranor joins those who argue that the Daubert regime has not fared well in practice. Complex scientific evidence is not handled well in trials because scientific methods, data, and inferential reasoning are not well understood by gatekeeping judges. Cranor’s goal is to help solve this problem by offering a detailed description of the patterns of reasoning, evidence collection, and inference in nonlegal scientific settings. …
Legal Ethics And Scientific Testimony: In Defense Of Manufacturing Uncertainty, Deconstructing Expertise And Other Trial Strategies, David Caudill
Legal Ethics And Scientific Testimony: In Defense Of Manufacturing Uncertainty, Deconstructing Expertise And Other Trial Strategies, David Caudill
David S Caudill
No abstract provided.
Speaking Science To Law, Deborah Hussey Freeland
Speaking Science To Law, Deborah Hussey Freeland
Deborah M. Hussey Freeland
involving a strong scientific consensus, the powerful qualities of scientific knowledge are easily lost in translation. Moreover, even prominent scientists who are committed to providing accurate information to legal fact-finders may suffer reputational harm simply for participating in an adversarial process.
This article analyzes the connection between law and science through the expert witness from the perspectives of epistemology and cross-cultural communication, focusing on the distinct ways in which scientists and lawyers know, value and express their knowledge. When a lawyer meets with a scientific expert witness, more confusion attends their interaction than either likely realizes. Linguistic translation is necessary--but …
Toward A Neuroscience Model Of Tort Law: How Functional Neuroimaging Will Transform Tort Doctrine, Jean Eggen, Eric Laury
Toward A Neuroscience Model Of Tort Law: How Functional Neuroimaging Will Transform Tort Doctrine, Jean Eggen, Eric Laury
Jean M. Eggen
The “neuroscience revolution” has now gained the attention of legal thinkers and is poised to be the catalyst for significant changes in the law. Over the past several decades, research in functional neuroimaging has sought to explain a vast array of human thought processes and behaviors, and the law has taken notice. Although functional neuroimaging is not yet close to being a staple in the courtroom, the information acquired from these studies has been featured in a handful of cases, including a few before the United States Supreme Court. Our assertion involves the incorporation of functional neuroscience evidence in tort …
China's Evidentiary And Procedural Reforms, The Federal Rules Of Evidence, And The Harmonization Of Civil And Common Law, John J. Capowski
China's Evidentiary And Procedural Reforms, The Federal Rules Of Evidence, And The Harmonization Of Civil And Common Law, John J. Capowski
John J. Capowski
Etchings On Glass: Reflections On The Science Of Proof, Louise Harmon
Etchings On Glass: Reflections On The Science Of Proof, Louise Harmon
Louise Harmon
No abstract provided.
The Business Records Exception To The Hearsay Rule - New Is Not Necessarily Better, Sidney Kwestel
The Business Records Exception To The Hearsay Rule - New Is Not Necessarily Better, Sidney Kwestel
Sidney Kwestel
No abstract provided.
Establishing Separate Criminal And Civil Evidence Codes, John J. Capowski
Establishing Separate Criminal And Civil Evidence Codes, John J. Capowski
John J. Capowski
The Uses Of History In Crawford V. Washington, Frank Herrmann
The Uses Of History In Crawford V. Washington, Frank Herrmann
Frank R. Herrmann, S.J.
To a striking degree, both the majority and concurring opinions in Crawford v. Washington are replete with references to Anglo-American historical materials, used to support differing conclusions about the application of the Confrontation Clause to testimonial hearsay. This essay sets out Justice Scalia's and Chief Justice Rehnquist's historical arguments and then employs the standards of legal historians to evaluate whether the two opinions use history in a valid manner. The essay concludes that the "history" in Crawford is not that of an historian, but is a "usable past," as conceived by Cass Sunstein and Stephen Griffin.
Sharing Sacred Secrets: Is It (Past) Time For A Dangerous Person Exception To The Clergy-Penitent Privilege?, R. Michael Cassidy
Sharing Sacred Secrets: Is It (Past) Time For A Dangerous Person Exception To The Clergy-Penitent Privilege?, R. Michael Cassidy
R. Michael Cassidy
In this article, the author discusses the important and previously unexplored topic of whether the law should recognize a future harms exception to the clergy-penitent privilege, similar to that recognized in the area of psychotherapist-patient and attorney-client privileges. After tracing the origins and current application of the clergy-penitent privilege in America, the author discusses how the privilege as currently applied in most states admits of no exceptions, and is unnecessarily expansive in breadth. Using the hypothetical of a homicidal spouse who reveals to his minister an intent to murder his wife, the article compares the ethical and legal duties of …