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Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court

Making Information Comprehensible to Jurors

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Expert Qualifications

The first step to ensure that jurors understand and accept DNA evidence is to qualify the expert in the applicable field. The party presenting the evidence should demonstrate that the expert has appropriate scientific credentials and is objective.

If the opposing party offers to stipulate to the qualifications of the expert, the presenting party should still have the expert briefly summarize his or her background for the jury as permitted by the court.

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