Modern juries, spoiled by TV and CSI, want to see the evidence not just listen to a talking head describing it. This link takes you to a creation (not a...
Category: Evidence
Business Records
The last project I gave my law class this semester required them to master the business records rule. Each student had to introduce a telephone toll record into evidence. I...
Impeachment
I have been the fortunate recipient of many delicious pieces of impeachment in my career as a defense lawyer. The latest was in John Goodman’s trial.
Relevance
Relevance is one of those concepts most trial lawyers take for granted. They feel no reason to examine the rules because the concept is self-evident, isn’t it? Not a chance....
What’s in a Name?
Labels can be misleading. When Juliet says the Montague name isn’t important to her, she means what matters is what something is, not what it is called. In more modern...
Casey: The 403 Strategy
I am not obsessively into the Casey Anthony trial as many people are; I have my own cases to work on, but interesting evidentiary issues keep popping up. This happens...
The 403 Balancing Test
This weekend I wrote a piece on the Casey Anthony prosecutors using an animated video which opened with Caylee as a beatific child and then slowly morphed her face into...
The Casey Anthony Video Debacle
There was a photograph entered into evidence in the Casey Anthony trial on Friday, June 10, 2011. The photo shows Caylee Anthony and her mother Casey. An expert witness used...