One of my most comforting thoughts comes from the following quote I once heard: Over the long term science is self-correcting Another one that I like is: The free, unhampered exchange of ideas and scientific conclusions is necessary for the sound development of Science, as it is in all spheres of life.’ (Albert Einstein, 1952) […]
Government run Crime Labs are never wrong
It never happens, right? Crime labs cannot be wrong. There is no need to be professionally scientifically skeptical as to the reported test results of a crime lab, right? We should always trust the government because, after all, they’re here to do good, right? Right? WRONG! As my great friend and Minnesota criminal trial attorney […]
Will US Courts Wake Up and Look at Bad Forensic Science?
It was once said that science over the long term is self-correcting. Too bad law isn’t. But there is hope. There is at least one jurist who cares. US District Court Judge Nancy Gertner has issued a standing order for all prosecutors and defenders who come before her. She has ordered that they not assume […]
A Quick Summary of The National Academy of Sciences Report
“Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward” was the end product of three (3) years of research and testimony taken by the Committee on Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Sciences Community and the Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. To […]
Senate Judiciary Committee-Draft Outline of Forensic Science Reform Legislation
It appears as if someone is listening in Congress. On May 5, 2010, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a “Draft Outline of Forensic Reform Legislation.” In my opinion: It is a good start, but with a target as big as a barn as identified painstakingly by the NAS report, the Senate Judiciary Committee seems to […]
The prosecution is the enemy of good science
The criminal defense attorney is truly not the enemy of forensic science, the prosecution is. That is a pretty bold statement, but it is true. The way that prosecutor’s present forensic science in the Courtroom is the biggest hindrance to the truth. I took the time to go out and attend the 62nd annual conference […]
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