Yesterday I attended a webinar offered by NACDL on Chemical Endangerment that addressed allegations of drug use by pregnant people. Presenters Mishka Terplan, MD, MPH and Kima Joy Taylor, MD, MPH shared important information about defending clients in these cases, including the slide below. Attorneys often ask me about what substances could potentially cause false …
Resources
Great trial result from working with Expert Services Project
Attorneys handling complex cases know that expert insight can be the difference between a strong defense and a missed opportunity. Yet securing qualified forensic expertise quickly and efficiently can be a challenge. For Assistant Public Defenders and IDS Managed Assigned Counsel attorneys, the Expert Services Project helps bridge that gap by providing streamlined access to …
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Omnibus Tech Discovery List
From NACDL’s Fourth Amendment Center – One of the most challenging parts of litigating surveillance technology in criminal cases is identifying and getting access to appropriate discovery. Often, the types of technologies used in a case are opaque and cannot be identified, let alone challenged, until certain information is shared during discovery. Even if you …
New Database Documents a Century of Court Decisions on Forensic Expert Evidence Testimony
This week, the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law announced the launch of a new public resource: the Forensic Expert Evidence Database, a searchable collection of court decisions addressing when and how forensic expert testimony is admitted in criminal cases. The database brings together reported decisions from courts across all fifty states …
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Testimony about shaken baby syndrome excluded by NJ Supreme Court
On Nov. 20, 2025, the New Jersey Supreme Court barred testimony concerning shaken baby syndrome, finding that the State failed to meet its burden of showing reliability under the Frye standard. The opinion discusses the history of this diagnosis and lack of consensus around the so-called “triad” of symptoms in shaken baby cases. The opinion demonstrates …
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Spring 2025 Cannabis Update
I have been covering developments around the legalization of hemp in North Carolina since 2018. Never did I suspect then that I would still be working on the topic all this time later, but here we are. My last post on In Re: J.B.P. covered the then most recent developments around probable cause and the odor of …
How do you know if audio evidence is faked?
Digital forensics expert Lars Daniel has a new 8-minute video explaining how he spotted 80 different points where an audio file was edited in a criminal case he testified in a couple of weeks ago. He did this via a spectrogram analysis, which lets you “see” where audio has been edited, even if you cannot hear it. In …
Information for Attorneys Representing Pregnant Clients
IDS is sharing this information from Megan Williams, MSPH, MSW, Research Associate at the UNC Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health to assist counsel representing clients who may be pregnant. The number of incarcerated women has risen dramatically across North Carolina in the past few decades, and about 5-7% of incarcerated women are pregnant. Incarcerated …
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Traumatic Brain Injury Resources
Desiree Gorbea-Finalet, Project Manager for the Traumatic Brain Injury Project at Disability Rights North Carolina has shared the following resources that may be helpful for attorneys working with clients who may have a Traumatic Brain Injury. Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide for Criminal Justice Professionals (CDC) Accessible Court Participation with a Brain Injury – The …
CIFS Bite Mark Video is Now Available on YouTube
The Center for Integrity in Forensic Science (CIFS) has released their first animated video. The video explores the problematic use of bite mark comparison evidence in the justice system. CIFS’s primary goal in creating the video is to raise public awareness about the flaws in bite mark evidence and educate potential jurors on its unreliability. …
“Is This Research Credible?”: A New FIU Forensic Library Video
The Florida International University Research Forensic Library has released a new video: “Is This Research Credible?” The short video provides four easy to follow steps on how to evaluate the credibility of research, from articles to testimonies. Attorneys may find the tips helpful when reviewing research that an expert has relied upon. You can access the video here: The Research Forensic …
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Hemp remains legal in NC
With Governor Cooper signing it into law yesterday Senate Bill 455 which permanently excludes hemp from the legal definition of marijuana under state law in NC, hemp’s future as a widely-available consumer product in our state seems secure. Under the new legislation, the previous requirement that the hemp be cultivated or possessed by a grower …
Announcing Expert Services Project
We want court appointed attorneys to use experts, and we want using experts to be easier for attorneys. Access to qualified expert services is essential to the provision of indigent defense. To better equip the North Carolina public defense community with the resources it needs to achieve fair and just outcomes for clients, Indigent Defense …
New Video on Working with Experts
Reposted with permission. Originally posted here on the North Carolina Criminal Law blog. I’m pleased to announce a new collaboration between the Public Defense Education team at the School of Government and Indigent Defense Services. I frequently get questions from defense lawyers about expert witnesses. Where do you find experts? How do you know which …
Mental Health Resources on ForensicResources.org
As part of our mission to help North Carolina’s public defense community understand forensic science evidence and achieve better outcomes for clients, the office of the Forensic Resource Counsel continues our efforts to make information related to forensic science evidence more easily accessible to attorneys through this website. In that vein, we are pleased to …