Expert evidence accountability: new developments and challenges

A series of developments in relation to the accountability of expert witnesses and the admissibility of their opinions is taking place. This extends to encroachments in the United Kingdom on expert witness immunity, the imposition of disciplinary liability for registered health practitioners in Australia and the United Kingdom, and recommendations from the United Kingdom Law Commission for a systematised procedure for reliability determination as a prerequisite for admissibility rulings. This combination of measures is indicative of international concern about the contemporary role of expert witnesses. It highlights the need for both empirical information about whether the anecdotal and experiential concerns about expert evidence are well-founded and for the provision of better and clearer guidance to experts and litigators alike about the underpinnings and methodologies that are permissible for admissible and probative expert opinions.     

Mainstream medicine versus complementary and alternative medicine in the witness box: resolving the clash of ideologies

Mainstream medical philosophy and practice differ in many respects from those of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), differences which are explored in this article. Because of a resurgence of CAM therapies, courts and tribunals will scrutinise CAM in more and more contexts in the future. Such court cases may require the resolution of conflicts between opinions of CAM and medical experts. This article considers how courts evaluate such opinions where experts hold conflicting ideologies or philosophical approaches, and addresses the following questions: Do the opinions of CAM practitioners qualify as "expert" opinions in court? How do the courts examine the basis of such opinions? Are they systematically given less weight than the opinions of mainstream medical practitioners? Will recent procedural reforms for hearing expert evidence make it easier for courts to resolve these issues?     

中国司法与民意的沟通——基于主体间交往理性的认知

考察中国传统司法活动特质、民主革命时期司法活动特质、西方司法活动特质,今日之中国司法仍然徘徊在情理与国法之间,面临着司法的六重困局,力求通过主体间交往理性的认知以寻求脱困之思路。在三元结构下,进一步追问谁之民意,调和非理性民意,如网络暴民民意、操纵民意、偏执民意以及变调民意(仇官、仇富、侠客等),通过主体间交往理性的认知,达到沟通民意与司法的效果。通过司法中民意表达的认知机制、方法和路径选择,达成国家司法话语权和民间司法话语权的交涉和沟通,实现由舆论法庭走向制度化表达。     

论民事诉讼中专家辅助人的法律定位

司法鉴定意见在诉讼中占据重要的地位,但因鉴定意见具有较强的专业性,在法庭质证中普通人很难对其进行实质审查,虽然当事人可以聘请专家辅助人参与质证,但由于对专家辅助人的适用缺乏可操作规定,以至于严重影响这一制度的执行。如何发挥专家辅助人在鉴定意见质证中的作用,需要制定一套科学的程序来保障。     

Relevance of "psychopathy"-- concepts from the Hare measure for preventive detention

Preventive detention can be ordered, if a person falls back into crime repeatedly and shows a "disposition to commit substantial offences". In the trial and at subsequent points of time expert opinions supporting this personal disposition have to be obtained. However up to now it is not clear on which basis such statements should be made. On the basis of a retrospective investigation of the author's own expert opinions the paper discusses the relevance of Hare's psychopathy concept for opinions on criminal disposition.     

THE SUPREME COURT AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: A Quest for Balance between Legal and Societal Morality

The interrelationships of legal and societal morality are examined through an analysis of judicial opinions in the Supreme Court's review of the constitutionality of the death penalty. Neither community standards nor considerations of utility provided the justices with a satisfactory basis for rejecting or regulating the death penalty. Resting their decisions instead on grounds of fairness, the justices endorsed a mode of jury guidance and monitoring that potentially facilitates citizen participation in the process of "evolving standards of decency." Legal morality thus is used as the justification for a decision that affects societal morality in a manner likely to limit rather than to expand the gap between the two moralities .     

裁判文书援引学说的基本原理与规则建构

学说的内容实质正当性及其约束法官自由裁量空间的外观进而增强裁判可接受性的功能,是裁判文书援引学说的基本原理,也是建构援引规则的出发点。学说根据其竞争力可以分为通说、主流说、少数说,法官既可以援引通说也可以援引非通说;援引非通说应当成为援引的主流。法官在援引学说时应尽量采用对话技术,尤其是在援引通说时应尽量避免对学说进行大篇幅的“复制与粘贴”;应尽量援引不同体裁的代表性作品以体现学说的数量优势外观。学者姓名承担了标识学术产品的质量担保功能、“商誉”功能与司法修辞功能,学说出处具有定位学者学说发展脉络等功能,援引学说须注明姓名与出处。裁判文书援引学术作品实质上是法官“购买”学术产品的行为,它将刺激处于供给侧的学者主动生产实务所需的产品,继而促成学术与实务的良性互动。最高人民法院可以考虑出台有关裁判文书援引学说的具体规则指引。     

“法庭之友”制度的基础与运行机制——以吴英案为中心的分析

"法庭之友"制度的构建、运行及其功能发挥需要司法的独立与权威、有赖于良好的舆论环境和成熟的社会组织的支撑。在民众广泛参与、理性发表法律意见的前提下,出现了社会精英主导舆论走向、主流意见趋于统一、舆论表现出更强的社会责任感的发展趋势,这就为"法庭之友"制度的建构提供了舆论结构基础。"法庭之友"制度有助于疏通政治渠道、凝聚民意、弥补法官知识的缺陷、分担法院责任、推动法律发展,因而具有促进司法的法律效果和社会效果有机统一的制度功能。"法庭之友"制度功能的发挥,在很大程度上有赖于法院通过尊重、评价、吸纳机制所给予的司法支持。"法庭之友"制度在凝练主流民意、优化舆论环境、构建信任基础和消解政治压力方面对我国司法制度的改革与完善具有重要的借鉴意义。我们应该在借鉴国外有益经验的基础上,结合我国的司法国情,合理定位"法庭之友"的功能、框定适用范围、界定合适主体、构筑严密正当的程序,建构中国特色的"法庭之友"制度。     

论我国行政诉讼调解的正当性构建

传统行政法理论中,"公权力不可处分"等观点否定行政诉讼适用调解。受此影响,我国法律规定行政诉讼不适用调解。但行政审判实践中,以"协调"、"和解"等形式变通适用调解的做法一直存在。这一矛盾根源在于将"公权力不可处分"、"当事人法律地位不平等"等学说的绝对化。行政裁量权的广泛存在和契约行政的渐成趋势,使行政诉讼中调解制度的建立具有了充分的正当性。但同时,行政裁量权的有限性和契约行政的局限性,又决定了行政诉讼中的调解应当是一种有限的调解。     

司法鉴定认证认可调研报告

在司法鉴定行业逐步走上规范化、法制化和科学化发展轨道的背景下,司法鉴定质量和质量管理问题日益突显,司法鉴定机构的认证认可已经列入相关管理机关的工作议程。本文从实现鉴定意见的合法性、可靠性和有效性要求出发,针对司法鉴定活动中存在的突出问题,依据相关法律、法规和规章,从司法鉴定质量管理的角度,探讨在司法鉴定领域开展实验室和检查机构资质认定或实验室和检查机构认可的必要性、紧迫性和可行性,分析了当前存在的问题和困难,提出了推进这项工作应当遵循的基本原则,提出了分阶段、分层次、分类别、分地域实施司法鉴定机构认证认可工作的具体建议。     

Breaking the Principle of Secrecy: An Examination of Judicial Dissent in the European Constitutional Courts

As “oracles of the law,” judges are trained to provide certainty and guidance within an often‐uncertain legal landscape. Nowhere is this statement truer than in the civil law tradition, where the idea of legal certainty has been prized as a “supreme value.” Despite this tradition, dissenting opinions are now quite common within most European constitutional courts. Using new data from five countries and interviews with constitutional court judges and clerks, I investigate factors that contribute to dissent on constitutional courts. Results indicate that legal and policy characteristics matter, but so do judicial backgrounds and the issues reviewed.     

Psychiatric patients and AIDS: the forensic clinician perspective

A survey was completed by American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Psychiatry and Behavioral Science members regarding their opinions on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, (AIDS)-related issues. A considerable range of opinions was found, probably reflecting such differences in society. There was general agreement that psychiatric hospitals should not be allowed to refuse AIDS patients and that education about AIDS is useful for psychiatric patients. There was also support for notifying the public health department, known sexual contacts, and hospital staff about human-immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive patients.     

Separate opinions in the European Court of Human Rights

Separate opinions, both concurring and dissenting, have beena feature of judgments of the European Court of Human Rightssince its earliest days, but detailed studies of their incidenceand impact have until recently been sparse. This article, basedon an AHRC-funded research study, offers a survey of the researchliterature and describes the outcome of its own considerationof such opinions. The use of separate opinions in the EuropeanCourt of Human Rights is significant, but the incidence of soledissents by national judges is very low. It would appear thatthe main determining factor in the writing of a separate opinionis judicial temperament. There is some evidence that the backgroundof judges prior to their election to the Court has some influenceon their approach to writing separate opinions. The Court, however,demonstrates high levels of collegiality and the use of separateopinions contributes to the transparency of its decision-making.     

新《人民检察院刑事诉讼规则》若干问题评析

此次人民检察院刑事诉讼规则修改能够遵循立法精神,体现了司法改革成果,回应了实践需求。新规则恢复了业务机构负责人的个案审核与监督管理权,虽有积极意义,但亦可能冲击司法责任制。执行时应注意司法责任制改革要求,保持谨慎与谦抑,同时应修改与细化相关规定,限制业务审核管理权限。对侦查(调查)中的职能管辖错位,规则要求以事实、证据状况作为是否退回移管的标准,还要求征求意见以确定案件处置,同时体现出程序不平等。相关规定欠妥,应以是否故意违法,即"善意管辖"和"恶意管辖"作为直接起诉或退回移管的基本标准。对二审检察机关审查一审检察机关的抗诉意见,规则允许变更、补充。这种抗诉理由的改变不包括抗诉请求及抗诉对象的变更。为维护审级制度和法律救济原则,不得在法律适用上超出公诉范围对被抗诉人作不利变更,但就事实证据问题,因可发回重审,可提出与公诉不同的抗诉理由。但应注意抗诉理由表达方式,同时可以斟酌设置"显而易见、无争辩余地"的量刑情节例外。     

Application of the Absolute Pollution Exclusion to “Nontraditional” Pollution

A nationwide split exists with respect to whether the so-called “total” or “absolute” pollution exclusion precludes coverage for “nontraditional” pollution. Does the exclusion encompass only industrial waste that contaminates the environment, or does it also include a much broader range of damage, such as exposure to indoor fumes, chemicals, or mercury? A review of judicial opinions reveals that the split results from different approaches to policy interpretation. This article surveys recent opinions grappling with the “traditional” versus “nontraditional” pollution issue.     

知识产权诉讼中技术调查官制度的若干问题研究——以技术调查意见为视角

技术调查官制度是审理知识产权案件中查明技术事实的重要制度.技术调查官根据法官的指令参与诉讼审理的全过程并对查明的技术事实出具技术调查意见.由于我国的现行规定存在局限性,导致技术调查意见在司法实践的适用过程中出现诸多问题,比如适用范围的界定不清、适用程序中是否公开以及具体适用方式等问题.为了有效规范技术调查意见的具体适用...     

When the "Public Interest" is Not What Interests the Public

In response to the Federal Communications Commission's proposed changes to its electronic media ownership rules, thousands of concerned citizens filed e-mail comments to express their opinions. The chairman of the FCC at that time, Michael Powell, opined that such comments were too general to be seriously considered by the agency in making its decisions. Several indicia of effective participation in such proceedings have been established in the literature, including whether the comments provide specific information relevant to the issues being considered. This article analyses the e-mail comments filed in the FCC's ownership proceedings to determine whether they contain the kind of information that is considered necessary for meaningful public participation. While the comments generally addressed relevant topics in sometimes sophisticated ways, they did not present the kinds of specific information that the Commission uses to justify its expert opinions.     

Immunotoxicity testing guidance; availability. Food and Drug Administration, HHS. Notice

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of the guidance entitled "Immunotoxicity Testing Guidance." This guidance is intended to provide FDA reviewers and manufacturers with a coherent strategy for assessing whether testing for potential adverse effects involving medical devices or constituent materials and the immune system is needed. The guidance is also intended to aid in developing a systematic approach to such testing.     

妨害疫情防控行为的刑法适用之体系解释

国家司法机关制定发布的妨害疫情防控刑事司法意见是一种刑法适用性解释,与规范性司法解释相比,其具有间接的法律适用效力。从刑法体系解释角度看,有关妨害疫情防控的刑法规范、司法解释与司法意见应当是相互协调的。对刑事司法意见的适用进行解释应当遵循整体性、动态性、协调性原则,并运用同类解释规则、同一解释规则、排他解释规则,对以危险方法危害公共安全罪、妨害传染病防治罪、妨害公务罪等相关罪名进行适用性解释,实现严格依法从重处罚和宽严相济。     

科学证据的基本特征——兼谈法医学鉴定意见的审查

本文论述了科学证据应具备的基本特征。旨在帮助法官正确认识司法鉴定的本质,审查司法鉴定意见(或结论)的方法,以及法医学鉴定意见(或结论)可采信的条件。而对于司法鉴定人来说,正确认识司法鉴定意见(或结论)作为科学证据所应具备的基本特征,或作为科学证据被采信所应具备的基本条件,是做好司法鉴定工作的前提。