Ethical Implications of Physician Involvement in Lawsuits on Behalf of the Tobacco Industry

The statements of physicians who serve as expert witnesses for the tobacco industry reveal subtle but significant problems. Some expert testimony obfuscates the important issues, and some initially reasonable statements later evolve into extreme positions during cross-examination. Such statements fall into a "gray area" of professional ethics, potentially misleading juries and adversely affecting professional integrity. Medical associations can and should strongly enforce professional standards that do not tolerate tobacco industry influence on physician expert witnesses.     

专家参与刑事司法的多元功能及其体系化

从1979年刑事诉讼法颁布至今,专家参与我国刑事司法的制度功能变得开放而多元。专家制度功能的多元化,根源于刑事司法的三重逻辑:弥合法律人与专家之间知识鸿沟的“认知逻辑”;落实公检法机关“分工负责,互相配合,互相制约”原则的“权力逻辑”;保障当事人合法权益与实现控辩平等的“权利逻辑”。从结构主义与整体主义的视角看,当前,刑事专家制度存在明显的体系化缺陷,主要表现为专家制度过度权力化、专家制度功能尚未结构化、专家制度不够规范化。改进刑事专家制度,应当采取体系化路径:首先,将多元专家参与模式调整为鉴定人与专家辅助人二元专家模式;其次,彰显专家制度的“权利逻辑”,矫正过度权力化倾向;最后,构建系统化的专家制度,为专家服务刑事司法创造制度条件。     

道路交通事故法医检验技术的研究进展

近年来,经济快速发展和机动车数量急剧增多,道路交通事故频发和伤亡人数不断上升已经成为备受关注的全球性问题。法医检验作为交通事故处理中重要的证据,其鉴定意见直接影响着当事方的权益和事故处理。不容置疑,法医检验技术的运用对鉴定意见有十分重要的影响作用。本文对国内外法医检验技术的最新研究进展和应用进行综述,供同行实践工作中参考。     

Kumho, Daubert, and the nature of scientific inquiry: implications for forensic anthropology

In the last 15 years, the US Supreme Court has implemented major changes concerning the admittance of expert testimony. In 1993, Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals superseded the Frye ruling in federal courts and established judges, not the scientific community, as the gatekeepers regarding the credibility of scientific evidence. In 1999, a lesser-known but equally important decision, Kumho Tire v. Carmichael, ruled that technical expert testimony needed to employ the same rigor as outlined in Daubert, but experts can develop theories based on observations and apply such theories to the case before the court. Anthropology has never been defined as a hard science. Yet, many recent publications have modified existing techniques to meet the Daubert criteria, while none have discussed the significance of Kumho to anthropological testimony. This paper examines the impact of Daubert and Kumho on forensic anthropology and illustrates areas of anthropological testimony best admitted under Kumho's guidance.     

电视节目保护方式的有效性论证

电视节目之间的抄袭已成为一种社会现象,需要法律在其保护方式上予以回应。如果将电视节目模板视为作品,由模板到节目既不是著作权法上的复制,又不符合演绎忠于原作的义理,所以保护模板并非保护电视节目的有效方式。如果将电视节目视为试听作品,由于节目使用不同主题人物和主持人即可呈现不同的试听效果,所以依据著作权侵权三步法和第三方测试都很难阻碍电视节目之间的抄袭和题材雷同。即使寻求反不正当竞争保护,其为电视节目提供的庇护也非常有限。新鲜性和即时性是电视节目的灵魂,除雷同和剽窃者外,应允许电视节目之间相互学习和模仿。     

日本司法鉴定制度的现状与改革

日本司法鉴定制度既不能满足诉讼对鉴定的需要 ,又影响了鉴定人的水准和鉴定结论的质量 ,成为导致诉讼非公正性和非效率性的重要原因。但其目前所进行的司法鉴定改革及诉讼专门委员会的设立都以法院为主导 ,虽易实现效率性 ,但难于保障公正性。中国应当吸取日本的教训 ,不仅注重规定鉴定结论与诉讼或法官的关系 ,而且更应注重建立中立的、统一的司法鉴定组织 ,注重使其他鉴定人员与司法鉴定挂钩 ,注重司法鉴定人员的司法和科学素质。     

专家证据的价值与我国司法鉴定制度的修改

随着科学技术的飞速发展，专家证据在诉讼中发挥着越来越重要的作用。在英美法系国家，专家证据制度在专家证人资格规定上的广泛性和选任上的自由性，使其在适用上具有灵活性和实用性的特点，其详细而完备的专家证据可采性规则，更是司法经验的积累与法官智慧的结晶。英美法系国家的专家证据制度和大陆法系的鉴定制度，在近些年的改革中呈现出共同的趋向，如启动程序的多样化、过错责任的严格化和庭审对抗的强化，这为完善我国司法鉴定制度、准确适用新刑诉法中有关专家辅助人的规定以及充分发挥专家证据的作用开启了新的思路。面对我国司法鉴定中依然相当混乱的鉴定主体问题，构建鉴定人、专家顾问和专家辅助人三位一体的司法鉴定主体格局，或许是一条比较合理可行的出路。     

Chapter 5: Forensic Psychiatric Expert Examination in Civil Proceedings. Problems of Incompetence of the Mentally Ill

Forensic psychiatric expert examination in civil proceedings is most often called upon to determine the extent of mental changes affecting the capacity of a person to understand the significance of his actions or to govern them. In connection with the coming into force of the Fundamentals of Civil Procedure of the USSR and the Union Republics on May 1, 1962, this type of expert examination has become much more frequent, inasmuch as the determination of legal competence has come under the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts.     

The sick accused: forensic and emergency aspects in the courtroom

Evaluation of the fitness of an accused person to participate in legal proceedings is a classic forensic activity. Before the trial, the forensic expert will already assess any preexisting somatic and psychological illnesses and give a written expert opinion describing the condition of the accused at the time of the examination and assessing whether he is fit to stand trial. Nevertheless, decompensation or aggravation of a disease may occur--especially in stress situations as they are to be expected for an accused in the courtroom--so that apart from the current evaluation of the state of health of the accused, emergency treatment may occasionally become necessary in the courtroom. The article tries to answer the question how the expert can meet this challenge.     

Forensic psychiatric expert witnessing within the criminal justice system in Germany

In recent years, the number of occupied beds in German forensic–psychiatric hospitals has continued to rise. Diversion refers to the removal of offenders from the criminal justice system at any stage of the procedure and court proceedings. There are no specific diversion programs in Germany but diversion does in fact happen via legal regulations that are based on the construct of legal responsibility. The assessments of responsibility as well as risk are the core tasks of forensic–psychiatric expert witnessing in Germany. Recommendations of an interdisciplinary working group serve as a guide to operationalize this forensic–psychiatric task. These recommendations list formal minimum requirements for expert reports on the question of criminal responsibility and risk assessment as well as minimum standards regarding content and in writing the report.     

Medicaid program; limitations on aggregate payments to disproportionate share hospitals; Federal Fiscal Year 1993--HCFA. Notice

This notice announces the final Federal fiscal year (FFY) 1993 individual State allotments for Medicaid payments made to hospitals that serve a disproportionate number of Medicaid recipients and low-income patients with special needs. The final FFY 1993 State DSH allotments published in this notice supersede the preliminary FFY 1993 DSH allotments that were published in the Federal Register (57 FR 55261) on November 24, 1992.     

The Impact of Daubert on the Admissibility of Forensic Anthropology Expert Testimony

Forensic anthropologists anticipated a significant impact from the 1993 Supreme Court Daubert decision, which addressed the standard of admissibility for expert testimony. In response, many forensic articles cited Daubert in the search for objective techniques or a critique of established subjective methods. This study examines challenges to forensic anthropological expert testimony to evaluate whether Daubert has actually affected the admissibility of such testimony. Thirty cases were identified that addressed the admissibility of the testimony, including 14 cases prior to Daubert and 16 after Daubert. Examination of these cases indicates that post‐Daubert cases do not result in more exclusions. Yet, this lack of exclusions may instead be viewed as a manifestation of the field's overall surge toward more objective and quantifiable techniques in a self‐regulating response to Daubert.     

Fingerprint comparison evidence has been under sustained attack in the United States of America for the last number of years: Is the critique with regard to reliability sufficiently penetrating to warrant the exclusion of this valuable evidence?

The decision in Daubert v Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals 509 US 579 (1993) brought about renewed attention to and scrutiny of fingerprint comparison evidence in the United States of America. In terms of the decision courts were to act as the gatekeepers with respect to the admissibility of scientific expert evidence. This article describes these events and investigates the grounds upon which challenges were made to fingerprint comparison evidence in the courts, as well as the position that was taken by the courts. The article also considers the fundamental test for the admission of expert evidence, and whether the critique pointed out by the defendants in the cases with regard to reliability are sufficiently penetrating to warrant the exclusion of fingerprint comparison evidence.     

让科学证据走下神坛

科学证据迅速＂蹿红＂,说明了人们对科学有极高期待。但现在人们对科学证据有奉若神明之趋势,这又人为制造了证据理论的另一混乱局面。从历史根源、法律根源、科学根源及社会根源等四个方面剖析人们迷信科学证据的原因,然后讨论科学证据回归理性的途径,让科学证据走下神坛,与其它证据携手共同维护司法的公正。     

Use of Bayesian networks in forensic soil casework

Forensic soil comparisons can be of high evidential value in a forensic case, but become complex when multiple methods and factors are considered. Bayesian networks are well suited to support forensic practitioners in complex casework. This study discusses the structure of a Bayesian network, elaborates on the in- and output data and evaluates two examples, one using source level propositions and one using activity level propositions. These examples can be applied as a template to construct a case specific network and can be used to assess sensitivity of the target output to different factors and identify avenues for research.     

The skeptic's guide to a movement for universal health insurance

The social movement has become institutionalized as a form of political action. The aim of this article is to evaluate the possibilities presented by this form as a strategy to bring about universal health insurance in the United States. I draw on the work of social movement theorists, on the substantial body of empirical research on health-related social movements, and on relevant comparative work from Canada to develop a template for this evaluation. Using that template I compare the failed campaign for President Bill Clinton's health insurance plan with a recent, more successful campaign in the state of New York. I conclude that the keys to success are, first, a broad-based coalition that combines an ideologically and/or grievance-motivated grass roots with financially and politically well-endowed mainstream organizations; second, a "master frame" that resonates with the American people; and, third, a political window of opportunity. The prospects for such a conjunction are not hopeless, but they are not high.     

论专家辅助人意见——以刑事辩护为视角的分析

我国2012年新《刑事诉讼法》首次设立了专家辅助人制度，对鉴定意见的质证提供了技术上的支持，对于刑事辩护来说意义重大。从证据法的角度看来，专家辅助人意见具有言词证据、意见证据、弹劾证据的多重属性，因此意见的内容应围绕鉴定意见中的专门性问题，并结合《刑事诉讼法》及相关司法解释对鉴定意见的审查判断规则来提出；而法庭对于鉴定意见的审查也应从准入资格与可靠性两方面进行，以免专家辅助人意见替代鉴定意见来主导审判。     

请求权竞合论:以诉之选择性合并为归宿

请求权竞合问题由来已久,产生于actio体制的分离过程中。为了解决这个问题,民法表现为两种态度,一者为直面之,并寻求规范适用上的先后;一者则径直加以否认,视之为基础或规范竞合。相反,在民事诉讼领域中,围绕此问题引发了旷日持久的诉讼标的论争,最后以德国采用二分肢说,日本采用一分肢说加以解决。我国实体法径直要求当事人起诉时作出选择的方法弊端丛生,诉的选择性合并理论可以提供一种最优的解决方案。     

A statistical approach to aid examiners in the forensic analysis of handwriting

We develop a statistical approach to model handwriting that accommodates all styles of writing (cursive, print, connected print). The goal is to compute a posterior probability of writership of a questioned document given a closed set of candidate writers. Such probabilistic statements can support examiner conclusions and enable a quantitative forensic evaluation of handwritten documents. Writing is treated as a sequence of disjoint graphical structures, which are extracted using an automated and open-source process. The graphs are grouped based on the similarity of their shapes through a K-means clustering template. A person's writing pattern can be characterized by the rate at which graphs are emitted to each cluster. The cluster memberships serve as data for a Bayesian hierarchical model with a mixture component. The rate of mixing between two parameters in the hierarchy indicates writing style.