The Evolving Role of Statistical Assessments as Evidence in the Courts

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvii

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2. Introduction

   • Stephen E. Fienberg

   Pages 1-16

3. Case Studies

   • Stephen E. Fienberg

   Pages 17-83

4. Review of the Use of Statistics in Selected Areas of Litigation

   • Stephen E. Fienberg

   Pages 85-137

5. Statistics, Law, and Expert Testimony

   • Stephen E. Fienberg

   Pages 139-154

6. Some Partial Solutions to the Problems Arising From Expert Statistical Testimony

   • Stephen E. Fienberg

   Pages 155-189

7. Back Matter

   Pages 191-357

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With increasing frequency, the proof of facts in legal proceedings en­ tails the use of quantitative methods. Judges, lawyers, statisticians, social scientists, and many others involved in judicial processes must address is­ sues such as the evaluation and interpretation of quantitative evidence, the ethical and professional obligations of expert witnesses, and the roles of court-appointed witnesses. The Panel on Statistical Assessments as Evi­ dence in the Courts was convened to help clarify these issues and provide some guidance in addressing the difficulties encountered in the use of quan­ titative assessments in legal proceedings. This report is the culmination of more than three years of research and deliberation. In it, we address a variety of issues that arise in federal and state court proceedings when statistical assessments such as quantitative descriptions, causal inferences, and predictions of events based on earlier occurrences are presented as evidence. We appraise the forms in which such assessments are presented, aspects of their admission into evidence, and the response to and evaluation of them by judges and juries.

• law
• statistical assessment
• statistical assessments as evidence
• statistical evidence
• statistical testimony

• Department of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA

  Stephen E. Fienberg

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