What does 12 cents buy you these days? Nothing I know of. But in law in Lebanon County, it is the total difference between valid and non-validated testing. It is the literal price of justice. All because good Samaritan Hospital wanted to save 12 cents per test and the local DA did not ask to […]
You know what really grinds my gears? Tax money that unfairly excludes defense attorneys from forensic science education
I pay my taxes. A lot of them. I vote. So I have earned the right to complain. So I shall. Does anyone see what is wrong with the below…. This is tax payer funded education that is only open to prosecutors. And that is wrong! Shame on WVU! Shame on our government! Justice comes […]
Chain of Custody: The essential forensic link
The chain of custody is known as the forensic link. It is essential. It’s proper documentation differentiates between it and other forms of medical/biological testing. It serves two major purposes, if done correctly. First, it forms a receipt of who had it when and who had it next. This is the typical and tradition notion […]
In chromatography, you see what they want you to see: Get the Electronic Data Files
In chromatography, you see what they want you to see: Get the Electronic Data Files By: Justin J. McShane, JD, F-AIC and Josh D. Lee, JD What evil lies in the heart of man? The Shadow knows… What evil may lie in the heart of chromatographers? The Electronic Data Files (EDF) know… In courtrooms all […]
What can the Lennay Kekua and Manti Te’o craziness teach us in forensic science?
If you haven’t heard the developing story about Notre Dame superstar Manti Te’o and his girlfriend Lennay Kekua, then you are living under a rock. According to ESPN reporters, if you believe Manti’s side of the story he was tricked into believing that the love of his young life existed, and that although he never […]
A New ACS Course that Teaches Lawyers About Forensic Drug Analysis
In my last post, I questioned “What’s wrong with Forensic Science? Criminal Defense Attorneys That’s What’s Wrong.” We, the defense bar, need to become better educated in the science of forensic science. We have to get training not simply in what the police or police scientists are taught (how to be a button pusher), but […]
What’s wrong with Forensic Science? Criminal Defense Attorneys That’s What’s Wrong
This blog was created because I was sick and tired of the state of forensic science in American courtrooms. We could do better and we must do better was my thought. So rather than sit around and lament on how unfair the world is and how injustice happens, I created this blog. And I am […]
Pennsylvania State Police Agree to Halt Evidential Breath Testing in PA
Breaking News: According to the Legal Intelligencer article “Breath-Test Ruling Could Affect Thousands of DUI Cases,” in reaction to our firm’s successful litigation of Commonwealth v. Jason Schildt, and the Linear Dynamic Range Challenge, the Pennsylvania State Police have agreed to halt all evidentiary breath testing in Pennsylvania. According to reporter Zack Needles: In fact, the […]
Open Letter to the Department of Health about the Linear Dynamic Range Challenge
I sent the following letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Health right after Judge Lawrence F. Clark, Jr.’s ruling in the Linear Dynamic Range Challenge. So far, there has been no response, but it has also only been a couple of days. Let’s hope that they truly care about justice and science and the safety […]
The Demonstrated Linear Dynamic Range Challenge in PA DUI Breath Tests
“You gotta prove it before you can use it, and then prove it again.” Would you use a pacemaker in a loved one if it wasn’t proven to work correctly before you used it? Would you use a baby car seat with your child if it wasn’t proven to work correctly before you used it? […]
A New Year’s Resolution for us all: Better forensic science
I would love it if our collective societal New Year’s Resolution would be for us to demand more science in forensic science. What a wonderful world it would be. I have reprinted in its entirety a wonderful article about the state of forensic science today (Hat tip to Michael Romano for noticing the article and […]
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