NCJ Number
144955
Journal
Judicature Volume: 77 Issue: 2 Dated: (September-October 1993) Pages: 68-76
Editor(s)
K Sampson
Date Published
1993
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This is an edited transcript of a panel discussion on the use and misuse of expert evidence in court, at the midyear meeting of the American Judicature Society, March 6, 1993.
Abstract
An introduction precedes the transcript. The panel consisted of a Federal trial judge, an Arizona Supreme Court justice, a criminal defense attorney, a civil litigator, a psychiatrist, and an academic. In a hypothetical death penalty case, the psychiatrist admits that psychiatrists cannot adequately predict a defendant's future behavior. During the discussion of limits on experts, the Arizona justice explains that in his state, each side is allowed one expert witness per issue, and each deposition is limited to 4 hours. The panel talks about tort cases, court-appointed experts, neutrality and integrity, video simulations, new theories, and the value of experts. An audience member relates an experience of being a juror and not feeling very sure about the verdict despite the fact that expert witnesses were used. 3 footnotes