Science in Evidence

Science in Evidence collects materials&emdash;primarily judicial opinions, legal commentary, and scientific papers&emdash;that explore the efforts of lawyers and experts to present science in evidence. The materials are intended to teach law students how the so-called rules of evidence apply to scientific evidence and how these rules change with experience, to explain the science in "scientific evidence," and to identify the conditions that contribute to the introduction of accurate or erroneous scientific findings or opinions in court. The few written rules that are special to scientific evidence are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The readings here also try to probe beneath the ocean's surface and to consider the forces that generate the evidence about which lawyers argue and on which courts ultimately rule.