North Carolina State University and the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence two-part virtual workshop series: Qualifications of an expert witness for legal professionals—The Daubert and Frye standards

Abstract

The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence, a program of the National Institute of Justice, in collaboration with North Carolina State University, hosted a two-part virtual workshop series on the Qualifications of an Expert Witness for Legal Professionals. The workshop series included topics relevant to qualifications of expert witnesses in forensic disciplines, with the first workshop occurring on August 2, 2023, and centering around the Daubert standard. The second workshop occurred on October 25, 2023, and focused on the Frye standard. The workshops brought together over 800 criminal justice professionals to explore the historical basis for the Frye and Daubert standards, the issues surrounding qualifying expert witnesses, the effect of the standards on the admission of expert testimony in the courts, and the future of forensic testimony with the December 2023 revisions to Federal Rule of Evidence 702. The workshops included presentations from a diverse panel of speakers spanning the breadth of legal practitioners—including trial attorneys, professors, attorney generals, and postconviction litigators—and provided a platform for attendees to discuss legal issues related to forensic science.