One long-running debate in our field is how much appellate lawyers can use non-record social science evidence in their briefs. While there may be a little wiggle room, it’s best to be extremely cautious when testing judges’ patience. Poor research can harm an attorney’s reputation and also lead to a restriction of that little big of wiggle room we have to help build a stronger case theory through social science “evidence.” Appellate attorneys should take care to make sure they are using sound, widely accepted research.
I’ll be posting more on this over the next several days, but in the meantime, even if it’s been a long time science your last college science class, a great place to get your quick refresher is this handy, full-sheet PDF graphic by Compound Interest.
Hat tip: Lifehacker
A postscript: The blog’s been quiet for several days but we are still here. Our host, TypePad, faced several hacker attacks last week. Fortunately, things seem to be humming again.