How well do judges understand science and scientific methods?
While judges have been given increasing power in examining scientific methods and techniques in the courtroom, they lack the professional training needed for true evaluation of scientific claims. In spite of this lack of training, judges often take on the role of “gatekeepers.”Judicature, a forum for fact and opinion relating to all aspects of the administration of justice and its improvement, publsihed “Applying Daubert” (vol. 85, no. 5, March-April 2002). The article responds to the results of a survey carried out to assess judges’ knowledge of science and scientific method, the scientific method of the Daubert criteria, and how to apply these criteria.The results of the survey suggest that the majority of judges interviewed, in spite of their confidence that judges should act as gatekeepers, lacked a clear understanding of the Daubert guidelines, in particular for the concepts of falsibility and error rate. The survey also demonstrates the need for improved science-based education t
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