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Science Manual For US Judges

An anonymous reader writes "American court judges need to learn science. That's the message from the National Academies and the National Research Council, which today released the first new edition in 11 years of the Reference Manual of Scientific Evidence. It has new chapters about forensic science, mental health, and neuroscience, but unfortunately nothing about computer science. The manual is available as a free download and it's also online."

3 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. All you need is a jury of your PEERS. by trout007 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The key word being PEERS. Someone with equal training and ability.

    If you are suing a doctor for malpractice the jury should consist of people with enough medical knowledge to judge the case.

    --
    I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
  2. Re:Just judges? by penix1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's pretty much a local issue, anyway, so start going to PTA meetings and lobby your town selectmen or mayor. Heck, run for your local school board if they're incompetent.

    In a society that is in debt up to its tits, and both parents need to work to make ends meet, that isn't going to happen. Real wages have remained flat but the standard of living has continued to rise. The difference between the two is the debt we are seeing. As long as that debt is overwhelming, you will see less and less participation in "normal" society especially politics.

    Besides, the way most politicians are treated (at least in the US) it is little wonder anyone wants to run. So you wind up with the sociopath in office because nobody else wants it.

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  3. Re:Just judges? by Moryath · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Parental involvement is needed. This we can agree on.

    HOWEVER:
    - When your government is insisting on "saving money" by bumping up grade school numbers to 40 kids in a classroom and no teachers' aides to help keep order? PROBLEM.
    - When your government is telling schools desperate for basic building maintenance and desperate to hire enough teachers to make ends meet "fuck you, cut your budget so that we can cut property taxes", PROBLEM.
    - When your government is telling teachers "fuck you, you're just a glorified babysitter, what do you do anyways?" - PROBLEM.
    - When your government's idea of "accountability" is "fuck the poor, we don't care what the public schools are like, all our kids go to private school anyways" - PROBLEM.