Brief – Includes Analysis of why Toolmark Identification is Unreliable
p. 40-86 outline the flaws in firearm identification, the current state of the field, and issues of cognitive bias
Amicus brief (a) explaining why Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma (SBS/AHT) diagnoses are not legitimate, (b) discussing the importance of biomechanical engineering experts in debunking the validity of SBS/AHT, and (c) collecting research about the causes of false confessions and forensic confirmation biases
Pg. 13 – noting that there is no reliable scientific study validating the hypothesis that shaking alone can cause bleeding in the brain and eyes and neurological impairment; accidents can cause these symptoms Pg. 14 – discussing thirty documented exonerations of innocent people wrongfully convicted based on shaken baby syndrome (and in 13% of those […]
Motion to Dismiss for Failure to Preserve Relevant DNA Evidence
Explains the issue of secondary DNA transfer – footnotes on p. 7 specifically cite studies demonstrating a person’s DNA can be transferred to an object they never touched via an intermediate person or object.
Motion to Exclude Ballistics Expert Evidence
This brief follows an extensive Frye hearing on bullet matching evidence and incorporates extensive criticism from the scientific community, an explanation of the unintended impact that a narrow definition of the “relevant scientific community” can have, and evidence of the ways that cognitive bias impermissibly taint pattern-matching evidence.
Amicus Brief – Bite mark comparison testimony is inherently unreliable
p. 35-65 detail research demonstrating bite-mark comparison has “no empirical support” high error rates, and is not accepted within the scientific community
Amicus Brief to Exclude Drug Recognition Expert
Pages 1-4 discuss the history and development of the DRE program; pages 6-10 explain how the DRE test fails Rule of Evidence 702 because it does not assist the trier of fact to understand a fact in issue and the officers who testify about it are not qualified in the relevant field of knowledge; and […]
Brief – Developments in Arson Science
P. 21-25 of the brief details the developments in scientific understanding of fire, including the 2004 National Fire Protection Association’s Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations (NFPA 921), studies conducted by ATF and the National Institute of Justice, and other experts.
Brief – Unreliability of Fire Origin Evidence
p. 22-33 explain the changing landscape of arson investigations and wide-scale rejection of the “negative corpus” theory that some fire investigations rely upon.
Affidavit of Expert in Facial Recognition Technology
This document was filed in support of a motion to compel discovery of the underlying source code, parameters, error rates, input data, results, reports, analyst, and confidence scores of the Facial Recognition program used in a criminal case. The expert explains the steps involved in a facial recognition search and areas where subjective human decisions […]
Amicus Brief – Forensic Analyst Bias – Structural, Contextual, Confirmation
Filed by the Center for Integrity in Forensic Science, this brief explains the research demonstrating that cognitive bias in forensic analysts contributes to unreliable conclusions.
