Gianneli on the Unreliability of Microscopic Hair Analysis Paul C. Giannelli (Case Western Reserve University School of Law) has posted Microscopic Hair Comparisons: A Cautionary Tale on SSRN. Here is the abstract: According to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Report on forensic science, “testimony linking microscopic hair analysis with…
Thanks to Professor Colin Miller for this piece. In Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts, the Supreme Court recently found that certificates of state laboratory analysts are "testimonial" and thus covered by the Confrontation Clause. Thus, if the forensic analysts (or similar experts) who prepared such certificates (or similar documents) do not testify…
United States v. Douglas. This is a UCI case. The military judge found UCI and then crafted a remedy. The issue on appeal related to the appropriateness of the remedy and whether or not the appellant had accepted the remedy and actively participated in the remedy. The AFCCA decision was…
Does it exist or not. Here are a couple of news articles about a pending case in Fairfax, VA. Shaken baby syndrome itself is put on trial in Fairfax court Shaken-baby syndrome at center of Fairfax trial
I have done several posts on this blog (here, here, here, here, and here) about the inaccuracy of regular and cross-racial eyewitness identifications and whether expert testimony about this inaccuracy should be allowed. My general sense is that most courts allow such expert testimony although a decent number of courts,…
A couple of new opinions from NMCCA address issues related to CP prosecutions. United States v. Jones, III, has this issue: WHETHER THE MILITARY JUDGE ERRED BY DENYING APPELLANT THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE EVIDENCE BEFORE HE PLED GUILTY AND WHETHER, IN LIGHT OF THAT DENIAL, APPELLANT’S PLEA WAS PROVIDENT.…
MiamiHerald.com An American soldier accused of killing five fellow troops at a counseling center in Iraq had been unraveling for nearly two weeks but the U.S. military lacked clear procedures to monitor him or deal with the deadly shooting spree once it began to unfold, a military report found. The…
Thanks to CAAFLog, here is a link to the above report. Here are the most pertinent sections affecting military justice trial practitioners. SEC. 512. MEDICAL EXAMINATION REQUIRED BEFORE ADMINISTRATIVE SEPARATION OF MEMBERS DIAGNOSED WITH OR REASONABLY ASSERTING POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER OR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. 1. Prior to administrative discharge a…
United States v. Brasington, ARMY 20060033 (A. Ct. Crim. App. 5 October 2009). On 10 September 2008, our superior court granted appellant’s petition for grant of review on the following issue: WHETHER APPELLANT WAS DENIED HIS SIXTH AMENDMENT RIGHT TO EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL WHERE THE TRIAL DEFENSE COUNSEL ALLEGEDLY…
This is the name given to statistical errors that can arise when deciding the probability that a DNA sample is that of the accused. This is potentially more meaningful than usual to Troy Brown who was convicted of sexual assault and attempted murder. He has a twin brother. This transposition…