In honor of the 25th Anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc. that reshaped how judges evaluate scientific and expert evidence, join experts in the fields of forensics, statistics and law for a one-day conference on Monday, March 26, 2018 at the University of Virginia School of Law.

Panels will discuss how we can develop better forensic evidence, how we can analyze it more accurately in the crime lab, and how we can present it more effectively in criminal cases.  Speakers will also address the role of statistics in forensics, the crime lab and the court room. Several contributions will be published in a special symposium issue of the Virginia Journal of Criminal Law.

Speakers include Sue Ballou, the president-elect of the American Academy of Forensic Science, and Peter Neufeld, the founder and co-director of the Innocence Project who will introduce the conference. Judge Jed Rakoff of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York will deliver the keynote at noon, addressing the role of judges as gatekeepers and retired federal district judge Nancy Gertner will conclude the conference.

The event is free and open to the public.

Attendees may contact Brandon Garrett at bgarrett@virginia.edu or (434) 924-4153 for more information