Same Old Same Old:
Scientific Evidence Past and Present
Laws of Men and Laws of Nature: The History of Scientific Expert Testimony in England and America. By Tal Golan. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 2004. Pp. vii, 325. $49.95.
For over twenty years, and particularly since the Supreme Court’s Daubert decision in 1993, much ink has been spilled debating the problem of scientific evidence in the courts. Are jurors or, in the alternative, judges qualified to assess scientific reliability? Do courts really need to be concerned about “junk science”? What mechanisms can promote better decisionmaking in scientific cases? Even a cursory scan of the literature shows the recent explosion of interest in these issues, precipitating new treatises, hundreds of articles, and countless conferences for judges, practitioners, and academics.