The Week 91 Forensic Science Geek of the Week is Announced

The Forensic Science Geek of the Week

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The week 91 “www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week” honors goes to: Chuck Ramsay, Esquire

According to our Geek’s website, the following is offered:

Chuck Ramsay has practiced Criminal Defense since 1995 and gained acquittals in nearly every type of case from DWI to Murder. He prides himself on being on the cutting edge of criminal defense and has helped pioneer a number of defenses in Minnesota, including faulty eyewitness identification, false confessions, and the right of a defendant to present alternative suspects to a jury. Today he practices primarily in the area of DWI/DUI criminal defense and appeals, and civil forfeitures arising out of alleged criminal conduct. He has tried dozens of cases to verdict, the majority of which have resulted in a not guilty. An effective appellate lawyer, Chuck has appeared before the Minnesota Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court in approximately 75 cases.

Ramsay is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and of William Mitchell College of Law. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Robert F. Borkenstein Course on Alcohol and Highway Safety: Testing Research and Litigation at the University of Indiana. In 2007. He is a member of the Minnesota Society for Criminal Justice (MSCJ) – a prestigious group of attorneys limited in number to 50 of the top criminal defense attorneys in the state. Chuck is also an active member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), and the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL). Chuck has been named Super Lawyer, being among the top 40 of the criminal defense lawyers in Minnesota in the last two years. A Certified Intoxilyzer 5000 operator, Ramsay has testified about the shortcomings of the Intoxilyzer 5000. Chuck also regularly serves as a faculty member at continuing education classes for health care professionals where he lectures on the topics of boundaries and ethics, and represents various professionals before their licensing boards and in the legal system. Chuck has been named Super Lawyer by Minnesota Law & Politics, Twin Cities Business Monthly and Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine. This honor is bestowed upon the top 5% of Minnesota lawyers as selected by their peers. In 2007 and again in 2008, he was among the top 40 of all the criminal defense lawyers in Minnesota. Throughout his career he has successfully challenged the constitutionality of unjust laws and invalid and unreliable scientific testing methods. Most recently he intervened in the federal source code lawsuit and obtained access to the actual source code for the Intoxilyzer 5000. He is one of the three lead counsel of the Source Code Coalition. Chuck is also widely recognized at the leading attorney on attacking Minnesotas urine testing program, having obtained court orders suppressing the urine testing as unscientific, unreliable and outright absurd.

Congratulations to our Forensic Science Geek of the Week winner

OFFICIAL QUESTION:

: Forensic Science Geek of the Week Challenge

1. Who is pictured above?

2. What is he best known for?

Our Geek of the Week answered:

Gary Wells is a distinguished professor of Psychology at Iowa State University and the Stavish Chair in the Social Sciences. Currently he is the Director of Social Sciences for the American Judicature Society’s Center for Forensic Science and Public Policy. He presently serves as a consultant to judges, law enforcement, defense counsel, and prosecution counsel in state and federal criminal cases involving eyewitness memory, crime investigation procedures, and evidence evaluation. He is best known for demonstrating the lack of reliability of eye witness identification. He is particularly known for improving eyewitness identifications for lineups. He published studies showing that sequential lineup presentation significantly reduced the amount of false identifications made by witnesses rather than using simultaneous lineups.

[BLOGGER’S NOTE: We had a lot of honorable mentions (they weren’t as quick as Chuck) including:

Justin Harris who answered “1. I believe that is Gary Wells (who I believe holds a PhD).
2. He is one of the leading experts in forensic eyewitness identification. He is a strong advocate for policy changes that follow the “double-blind” approach to identification procedures. He was instrumental in developing updating approaches to identifications, as well.”
Laura Magnuson who answered “That is Gary Wells. He is best known for his work with flaws in eyewitness identifications.”]

The Hall of Fame for the www.TheTruthAboutForensicScience.com Forensic Science Geek of the Week:

Week 1: Chuck Ramsay, Esquire

Week 2: Rick McIndoe, PhD

Week 3: Christine Funk, Esquire

Week 4: Stephen Daniels

Week 5: Stephen Daniels

Week 6: Richard Middlebrook, Esquire

Week 7: Christine Funk, Esquire

Week 8: Ron Moore, B.S., J.D.

Week 9: Ron Moore, B.S., J.D.

Week 10: Kelly Case, Esquire and Michael Dye, Esquire

Week 11: Brian Manchester, Esquire