The Social Scientist as Expert Witness
نویسنده
چکیده
The Supreme Court decision on school desegregation 25 years ago-Brown v. Board o f ~ducatio-ushered in an era in which the law courts have carried an ever-growing share of the burden of social reform and policy change in this country. Even though several current members of the Supreme Court were appointed as "strict constructionists," and think of themselves as not in the business of setting social policy, their own rulings seem likely to increase judicial use of social science evidence and perspectives. It is becoming essential to understand the role and the potentialities of social science in the legal system. What follows is a case study of social science at work in a legal context.
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