STORY: "Judge Harry T. Edwards delivers opening address at the inaugural meeting of the National Commission on Forensic Science," published by New York University Law Faculty on February 4, 2014.
GIST: "In his speech to the commission, Edwards contended that “judicial
review, by itself, will not cure the infirmities of the forensic
community…. The burden falls on the scientific community to get this
done.” He explained that, “absent meaningful action by scientists and
forensic analysts, the courts will continue to admit forensic evidence
in criminal trials, without regard to its scientific validity and
reliability. Why? Because precedent supports this practice.” He
maintained that “the only way that the courts will be able to move
beyond this precedent is if forensic practitioners own up to the
limitations of their disciplines and real science is brought to bear in
assessing whether and how those limitations can be overcome.” The judge
also pointed out that, “apart from being bound by precedent, the
judicial system is encumbered by judges and lawyers who generally lack
the scientific expertise necessary to comprehend and evaluate forensic
evidence in an informed manner. And the judicial system embodies a
case-by-case adjudicatory approach that is not well suited to address
the systematic problems in many of the forensic disciplines. Given these
realities, there is a tremendous need for the forensic community to
improve.”"
The entire post can be found at:
The entire post can be found at:
http://www.law.nyu.edu/news/harry-edwards-national-commission-on-forensic-science
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
I look forward to hearing from readers at:
hlevy15@gmail.com.
