Conference: Scientific Evidence in the Courts: The Sciences' Role in the Promotion of Justice

1923年，哥伦比亚特区法院裁定，法官有宪法责任评估科学技术证据和专家证人证词的可靠性(Frye v.United States)，为法官确定哪些证据和谁的证词将在审判中提出或提供给陪审团审议确立了指导方针。自这一裁决以来，美国最高法院和国会对这一把关职能进行了扩展并阐明了进一步的指导意见(1975年的《联邦证据规则》；1993年的Daubert诉Merrell Dow制药公司案；1997年的通用电气公司诉Joiner案；1999年的Kumho Tire Co.诉Carmichael案)。然而，Frye和Daubert标准在联邦法院和州法院的适用仍然不一致，允许不可靠的证据和证词进入审判，增加了不公正结果的可能性，如错误定罪，以及其他侵犯宪法权利的行为。一些专家认为，采用杜伯特标准也限制了历史上处于边缘地位的人群，特别是非洲裔美国人的诉讼当事人诉诸司法系统的机会。本次会议将反思目前关于法院适用可否受理标准的研究机构，并探讨快速发展的科学领域，如人工智能、气候科学、统计建模和法医科学进步对这些标准提出的潜在挑战。活动演讲者和与会者将评估当前的做法，并确定未来联邦和州法院改进可信、值得信赖的科学证据和专家证人证词的使用的途径。在华盛顿特区举行的会议将是一种高效和有效的方法，将来自研究学科、社会部门和地理领域的具有战略意义的不同群体聚集在一起，分享和讨论相关知识及其对整个社会的影响。这次活动将把科学界和法律界的成员、政府官员、学者和致力于改善美国司法系统的非政府组织(NGO)的代表聚集在一起。将在会议上提交和讨论的研究，以及将确定的未来研究需求，与改善司法系统准确和有效地使用科学证据以及建立公众对司法的信任直接相关。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In 1923, the District of Columbia Court ruled that judges have a constitutional responsibility to assess the reliability of scientific and technical evidence and expert witness testimony (Frye v. United States), establishing guidelines for judges to determine what evidence and whose testimony will be presented at trial or provided to the jury for their consideration. Since this ruling, the Supreme Court of the United States and Congress have expanded upon and articulated further guidance for this gatekeeping function (the Federal Rules of Evidence, 1975; Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1993; General Electric Co. v. Joiner, 1997; and Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael, 1999). However, the applications of the Frye and Daubert Standards remain inconsistent across both federal and state courts, allowing for unreliable evidence and testimony to enter trials, increasing the likelihood of unjust outcomes, such as wrongful convictions, as well as other violations of constitutional rights. Some experts suggest that the adoption of the Daubert Standard has also constrained access to the justice system for litigants from historically marginalized populations, specifically African Americans. This conference will reflect upon the current body of research regarding the courts’ application of admissibility standards and explore the potential challenges to these standards arising from quickly developing scientific fields such as artificial intelligence, climate science, statistical modeling, and advances in forensic science. Event speakers and attendees will assess current practices and identify pathways for improving the use of credible, trustworthy scientific evidence and expert witness testimony by federal and state courts going forward.The conference in Washington, DC, will be an efficient and effective method of assembling a strategically identified and diverse group of people from across research disciplines, societal sectors, and geography, to share and discuss relevant knowledge and its impacts on society at large. The event will bring together members of both the scientific and legal communities, with government officials, academics, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) dedicated to improving the United States justice system. The research that will be presented and discussed in the conference, and the needs for future research that will be identified, are directly related to improving the judicial system’s accurate and effective use of scientific evidence and to building public trust in the judiciary.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.