Evidence Commons^™

Effects Of Corroboration Instructions In A Rape Case On Experimental Juries, Valerie P. Hans, Neil Brooks

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The rules of evidence have evolved, in the main, to protect the jury from being misled, prejudiced or confused by certain types of evidence which might be presented to it. The rules attempt to achieve this purpose by utilizing a number of techniques, which were fashioned by common law judges. First, evidence which gives rise to these dangers might be excluded from the jury's consideration altogether. Secondly, such evidence might have to be corroborated by other evidence before the jury is permitted to reach a verdict in the case. Thirdly, the judge might be compelled to instruct the jury that …

A Modern Approach To Evidence, Kenneth S. Brown

Michigan Law Review

A Review of A Modern Approach to Evidence by Richard O. Lempert and Stephen A. Saltzburg

The Chiropractor In North Carolina: Statutory Expert Witness, Benjamin G. Alford

North Carolina Central Law Review

No abstract provided.

United States V. Ceccolini, Lewis F. Powell Jr.

Supreme Court Case Files

No abstract provided.

Impeaching The Professional Expert Witness By A Showing Of Financial Interest, Michael H. Graham

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Constitutional Protection Of Private Papers: The Role Of A Hierarchical Fourth Amendment, James A. Mckenna

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Parol Evidence In Washington: The Use Of Extrinsic Evidence To Address The Integration And Interpretation Of Documents, Arden J. Olson

Washington Law Review

Washington judicial treatment of these related concerns, the integration and interpretation of written contracts, constitutes the focus of this comment. Part One will distinguish integration from interpretation and highlight factors which bear on the choices between conflicting approaches to extrinsic evidence. Part Two will examine the rules governing the ascertainment of integration, by which courts decide whether the parties embodied their transaction in a written memorial, rendering it subject to the parol evidence rule. Part Three will analyze the analogous rules governing the extent to which a court interpreting the parties' language may look to the circumstances surrounding the document's …

Evidence—Admissibility Of The Victim's Past Sexual Behavior Under Washington's Rape Evidence Law—Wash. Rev. Code § 9.79.150 (1976), Evelyn Sroufe

Washington Law Review

Although R.C.W. § 9.79.150 deals with many sex crimes, this note is limited to its application in forcible rape cases. Part I examines various exclusionary rules of evidence in order to develop a framework for analysis of Washington's new law. Part II discusses the relevance of the victim's sexual history to her credibility as a witness; it concludes that the complete exclusion of past sexual history to attack credibility may be unconstitutional under the United States Supreme Court holding in Davis v. Alaska. On the other hand, Part III suggests that R.C.W. § 9.79.150 should be redrafted to limit further …

A Reconsideration Of The Sworn Testimony Requirement: Securing Truth In The Twentieth Century, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The purpose of this Note is relatively modest-to explore whether the traditional uncritical confidence placed in the sworn nature of testimony is justified in light of twentieth-century practice. As such, its intention is not to propose legal reforms, but rather to invite its readers to pause and reconsider a ritual too often taken for granted by the legal profession. To this end, this Note will examine the following factors influencing the character of the oath in modern times: the common-law and religious roots of the oath, the rise of nonreligious affirmation within the last century, the relationship between the oath …

Employing Inconsistent Statements For Impeachment And As Substantive Evidence: A Critical Review And Proposed Amendments Of Federal Rules Of Evidence 801 ( D ) ( 1 ) ( A ), 613, And 607, Michael H. Graham

Michigan Law Review

The Federal Rules of Evidence have already been employed as a model for the new Uniform Rules of Evidence and for several state codifications, and yet apparently none of the drafters of these schemes gave serious consideration either to expanding admissibility under 801(d)(1)(A) selectively or to controlling potential abuse regarding the use of prior inconsistent statements not substantively admissible. This Article, after exploring the history, development, and rationale of rules 801(d)(1)(A), 613, and 607, proposes that rules 613 and 607 be amended to bring their provisions into conformity with rule 801 (d) (1) (A). In the same vein, the Article …

Reappraising The Legality Of Post-Trial Interviews, Fredric I. Lederer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Prohibiting Nonaccess Testimony By Spouses: Does Lord Mansfield's Rule Protect Illegitimates?, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Not surprisingly, there has been widespread disagreement concerning the validity of the policies advanced in support of Lord Mansfield's Rule and the efficacy of the rule to promote those policies. This Note assesses the validity of this rule of evidence in order to determine whether it is the most appropriate method of safeguarding the interests affected by the litigation of legitimacy. First, the historical development and justifications for Lord Mansfield's Rule are identified, and, in section II, the extent of the current acceptance of the rule in the United States is delineated. Section III analyzes traditional arguments advanced in support …

Evidence-Newsman's Privilege-Legislatively Enacted Newsman's Privilege Invalid As Infringement On Judicial Rulemaking Power-Ammerman V. Hub Bard Broadcasting, Inc.

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Modeling Relevance, Richard O. Lempert

Michigan Law Review

During the past decade, particularly during the years immediately following the California Supreme Court's decision in People v. Collins, a number of articles have appeared suggesting ways in which jurors might use certain mathematical techniques of decision theory as aids in the rational evaluation of circumstantial evidence. Professor Tribe, in an important response to the post-Collins articles, argues against introducing these techniques into the factfinding process. Problems that Tribe foresees include the necessary imprecision of the probabilistic estimates that these techniques require, the dwarfing of soft variables by those that are more readily quantified, and the potential dehumanization …

The Impact Of The Foia On Nlrb Discovery Procedures, Del Dillingham

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

A prerequisite to filing a suit under the FOIA is the exhaustion of administrative remedies; in an unfair labor practice hearing, this means petitioning the Board for discovery. The increase in the number of suits against the Board under the FOIA demonstrates a growing dissatisfaction with the Board's discovery procedures. This article will discuss the impact of the FOIA on the Board's policies and practices and will examine various factors which must be considered in applying the Act to the NLRB.

Replacing The Exclusionary Rule With Administrative Rulemaking, Francis A. Gilligan, Fredric I. Lederer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Survey Of Developments In West Virginia Law: 1976

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Expert Witnesses And The Federal Rules Of Evidence, James W. Mcelhaney

Mercer Law Review

Brainerd Currie was already a legend when he came to Duke from the University of Chicago. I was a third-year law student then and took his course in Conflicts in the spring of 1962—a dazzling intellectual display centered around the hard practicalities of complex litigation. But Currie was more than just a great teacher and scholar. Too busy to take a vacation ("How can you talk about taking a trip to Europe, McElhaney? I'm too busy to go to Europe, and you're going to be practicing. "), he had time to talk with us after class; to drink a cup …

Exclusionary Rule Need Not Be Applied In Federal Habeas Reviews Of State Convictions, Jann Johnson

Mercer Law Review

In Stone v. Powell, the U.S. Supreme Court held that if a state "has provided an opportunity for full and fair litigation of a Fourth-Amendment claim, a state prisoner may not be granted federal habeas-corpus relief on the ground that evidence obtained in an unconstitutional search or seizure was introduced at trial."

Respondent Powell was convicted of second-degree murder in a California state court. A police officer had found the murder weapon on Powell during a search incident to his arrest for violation of a vagrancy ordinance, and the officer's testimony was admitted at trial over Powell's objection. Powell …

Diminished Capacity-Recent Decisions And An Analytical Approach, Robert P. Bryant, Corbin B. Hume

Vanderbilt Law Review

The concept of diminished capacity allows a defendant in a criminal case to prove, usually by presenting psychiatrists who testify that he suffered from an abnormal mental condition, that he was unable to entertain the particular mens rea required for conviction.' Although courts historically have been reluctant to admit such testimony, in recent years a growing number of jurisdictions have recognized the concept of diminished capacity. Recent decisions in Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and North Carolina, as well as recently adopted statutes in ten other jurisdictions,illustrate the evidentiary, social, and constitutional issues raised by the concept of diminished capacity. …

Vi. Evidence

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

Interrogation And The Sixth Amendment: The Case For Restriction Of Capacity To Waive The Right To Counsel, Patrick S. Brady

Indiana Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Instructing The Jury Upon Presumptions In Civil Cases: Comparing Federal Rule 301 With Uniform Rule 301, Christopher B. Mueller

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Fifth Amendment And The Production Of Documents: A New Rationale, Lucretia C. Irby

University of Richmond Law Review

During its last term, the Supreme Court decided two cases involving the production of documents and papers; one involved the use of a search warrant, the other a subpoena duces tecum. Both cases raised the fifth amendment issues. In both instances, the Supreme Court found no violation of the privilege against self-incrimination.

A Review Of The Proposed Michigan Rules Of Evidence, James K. Robinson, John W. Reed

Articles

On January 6, 1977, the Supreme Court of Michigan entered an order stating that it is considering adoption of the proposed Michigan Rules of Evidence which were submitted to the Court by the committee which it appointed in March 1975. The Court has solicited comments from interested persons regarding the proposed rules. A copy of the Supreme Court's order is published in this issue of the Bar Journal. The proposed rules are published in the January 26, 1977, issue of North Western Reporter, Second Series (Michigan Edition). The purpose of this article is to review in general the background and …

The Numbers Game - The Use And Misuse Of Statistics In Civil Rights Litigation, Marcy M. Hallock

Villanova Law Review

No abstract provided.

Search And Seizure In Alaska: A Comprehensive Review, Jeff M. Feldman

Articles

In the eighteen years since Alaska achieved statehood, fifty-two cases involving issues of search and seizure have reached the Alaska Supreme Court. This article will analyze these cases with an eyetowards outlining the law of search and seizure in Alaska, isolating those areas in which the Alaska Supreme Court has departed from prevailing search and seizure doctrine, and using past decisions to predict the probable outcomes to search and seizure issues still unresolved in Alaska.

Attacking Jury Verdicts: Paradigms For Rule Revision, Ronald L. Carlson, Steven M. Sumberg

Scholarly Works

The rule that a juror cannot impeach his own verdict has been applied inconsistently by the courts. This article describes the majority rule, known as the Mansfield or no-impeachment rule, and examines its origin and supporting policies. It then presents minority rules, questions posed by post-verdict interviewing of jurors, and procedural problems that accompany the impeachment of verdicts. The article also analyzes the recent erosion of the Mansfield rule and suggests that an exception to the rule should be made to allow a juror to impeach his own verdict by proving that he was threatened.

The Future Of Evidence Law: Or, Some Prophecies About Proof, John W. Reed

Other Publications

I am honored to participate in this seminar that is part of the celebration surrounding the dedication of Colorado's new State Judicial Building. But that feeling of honor is tempered by an awareness of the responsibility and perils of the role I have been asked to play. With the assignment, "The Future of Evidence Law," I have been asked to play the prophet, to be a seer of sorts, and to suggest what rules and principles will govern proof at trials at some date in the future. Exactly what date was not specified in the invitation-a decade, perhaps? A generation? …

Evidence Problems In Criminal Cases, John W. Reed

Book Chapters

The Federal Rules of Evidence, enacted by Congress, became effective on July 1, 1975. Ten states have adopted state versions of the Federal Rules to govern trials in their courts, and about half the remaining states are considering whether to follow suit. Michigan is one of these latter states. Early in 1977 a committee appointed by the Supreme Court of Michigan proposed rules of evidence for Michigan closely patterned on the Federal Rules, and, if all goes well, the Court will promulgate rules for the Michigan courts to become effective in 1977 or soon thereafter. Michigan lawyers should be aware …