📄 Sidebar: FBI population study objection — Thursday, May 18, 1995
Address:
C:\DEPT103\CRIMINAL\1995\MAY\18\SIDEBAR-FBI-POPULATION-STUDY-O.DOC
TRIAL
▲ Day 77 of 167

Sidebar: FBI population study objection

Date: Thursday, May 18, 1995 • Utterances: 10
During a sidebar, Scheck objected that Harmon was about to introduce a worldwide FBI population study that had not been disclosed in discovery and was not part of the witness's stated methodology. Harmon clarified he only intended to ask if the witness was familiar with it, not to rely on it as a basis for frequency calculations. Judge Ito overruled the objection on that narrow basis.
1 (The following proceedings were held at the bench:)
2 THE COURT:

All right. We're over at the sidebar. What's your 1054 objection?

3 MR. SCHECK:

Your Honor, this is precisely what I was worried about. And that is the worldwide--so-called study, worldwide study of the FBI where they went around and they collected frequency data from different laboratories from different parts of the world with different kinds of marker systems is not--was not turned over in discovery and was not part of the calculation that this witness made with respect to these frequencies, was not part of the offer that Mr. Harmon made when I pinned him down as to which databases he was relying upon and not relying upon. So it goes beyond the scope of what he said he was going to do and what they specifically indicated in discovery when they turned over databases to us when we specifically asked what databases they were relying upon.

4 THE COURT:

Mr. Harmon.

5 MR. HARMON:

That was the only question I was going to ask.

6 THE COURT:

Is he familiar with it?

7 MR. HARMON:

Sure. And his presentation is not going to be based on it. It may be depending on the extent of cross-examination, but we've never had any intention of presenting that. I just wanted to--

8 MR. SCHECK:

No, no, no. Then it should be struck because the implication in here is that he's relying on it if he's familiar with the world-wide study, and that's more prejudicial than probative.

9 THE COURT:

All right. Objection is overruled, if that's all it is, is he familiar with it.

KEY QUOTE
10 MR. HARMON:

Could we--I want to read that back.

Temperature

tense

Key Quotes (3)

Barry Scheck
the worldwide--so-called study, worldwide study of the FBI where they went around and they collected frequency data from different laboratories from different parts of the world with different kinds of marker systems is not--was not turned over in discovery
Scheck frames the objection as a discovery violation, arguing the study was never disclosed as a database the prosecution would rely on.
Barry Scheck
the implication in here is that he's relying on it if he's familiar with the world-wide study, and that's more prejudicial than probative
Scheck shifts to a 352 argument — even asking about familiarity with the study implies reliance and inflates the perceived scientific consensus behind the DNA evidence.
Lance A. Ito
Objection is overruled, if that's all it is, is he familiar with it.
Ito draws a narrow line: asking about familiarity is allowed, but actual reliance on the undisclosed study would not be.

Evidence (1)

Informal
Worldwide FBI population study — frequency data collected from laboratories around the world using different marker systems
challenged as undisclosed in discovery; not formally introduced

Notable Exchanges (2)

Barry ScheckRockne Harmon
Scheck argues the worldwide FBI study was never turned over in discovery and was not part of the offer Harmon made when pinned down on which databases he would rely upon; Harmon says he only planned to ask if the witness was familiar with it, not use it as a basis for frequency calculations.
strategic
Barry ScheckLance A. Ito
After Harmon's clarification, Scheck pushed back that even asking about familiarity is prejudicial because it implies reliance; Ito overruled on the narrow framing.
tense

Objections

1 objections (0 sustained, 1 overruled)
Proceeding 6101 • 10 utterances
Criminal Trial
Department 103
⚖️ Start
📂 MAY 18, 1995 📄 Sidebar: FBI population study
MAY 18, 1995 KRT DvH TD