From the DNA profiling of a murder suspect to brain
scans presented in head-injury cases, the use of
medical-based evidence has exploded in the nation's courts
in recent years. In an effort to better prepare judges for
cases involving advanced science and medical issues, the
School of Medicine in conjunction with the Maryland
Judiciary will host a three-day workshop for judges this
week featuring some of Johns Hopkins' most renowned
researchers.
The workshop, a program of the Advanced Science and
Technology Adjudication Resource Center, will focus on
topics in molecular biology, genetics, stem cell research
and neuroimaging. From Jan. 19 to 21, more than a dozen
School of Medicine faculty will hold a series of didactic
lectures in the Tilghman Auditorium and laboratory tours
for the 23 participating judges.
Chi Dang, vice dean for research at the School of
Medicine and a catalyst for the workshop, said that he
began to meet last spring with several state judges who
expressed an interest in keeping up with the latest in
medical developments and breakthroughs in order to make
well-informed decisions in cases dealing with clinical
information.
Most of the judges, Dang said, will come into the
workshop with a rudimentary knowledge of some of the
topics. He said the program should help the judges be able
to cut through "junk science" and ask the right questions
in court.
"What they face in the courtroom is experts testifying
on both sides of the same topic, coming at it from
different angles," he said. "The judges want to understand
the validity of their arguments and be able to judge
themselves. That is where this stems from. It's also a
desire for a continuing education on their part, to get out
of their circle of knowledge. We hope the workshop will be
both enjoyable and deliver a wealth of practical
information."
The workshop at Johns Hopkins is the second formal
ASTAR session to train the 21 circuit court judges and two
appellate judges recruited throughout the state to become
"science and technology resource judges" for Maryland.
These judges, who attended a workshop in Annapolis in
October, are receiving training in advanced bioscience,
biomedical and biotechnology issues and in related
adjudication/mediation skills.
Through the training, the judges will be able to apply
what they learn in their own courtrooms and also be a
resource, within ethical constraints, to colleagues dealing
with novel and complex scientific evidence. The education
the judges receive will not make them experts on any of the
issues but rather better adjudicators by supplying them
with an enhanced scientific background.
Formed in 2004, ASTAR is a consortium run by the
Maryland and Ohio judiciaries. It grew out of a decade-long
effort by the Einstein Institute for Science, Health and
the Courts to raise judicial consciousness about the impact
of the human genome project on the courts system.
The first resource judge "class" will graduate in
December 2006. By 2010, ASTAR hopes to certify at least 700
resource judges across the United States and in
jurisdictions internationally. Maryland will serve as a
resource for judge preparation for other jurisdictions
nationally and internationally.
The subjects included in the upcoming workshop will be
presented at an introductory college level, Dang said. Some
specific topics to be covered are a "Primer on Molecular
Biology and Proteomics," "Genetic Testing," "Bioethics
Primer and Policy Overview" and "Spinal Cord Injury." The
workshop will also feature a talk on hematopoietic stem
cells by Curt Civin, professor of oncology and immunology;
and a presentation on neuroimaging related to Alzheimer's,
dementia and competence by Susan Resnick, a researcher with
the National Institute on Aging and a frequent collaborator
with Psychiatric Neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins.
Other speakers will be James Potter, who leads the
molecular biology and genetics section; John Gearhart and
Linzhao Cheng, for the stem cell section; Dean Wong and
Peter Van Zijl, for neuroimaging; and Debra Matthews, an
ethicist who will be involved in multiple sections.
"We identified topics that we felt would have some
utility in the courts system," Dang said. "We thought,
Let's start out with molecular biology and present the most
current thinking and the tools used. The judges themselves
requested information on neuroimaging and neuroscience, so
we added that to the program."
Dang said the lectures would be supplemented with a
laboratory component so that the judges, for example, could
see firsthand the culturing and study of stem cells and
their derivatives. In addition, the participants will break
up into smaller groups to discuss the topics learned during
the day and hypothetical cases.
"In general, we wanted to keep the program as simple
as possible, but not too simple. These are highly
intellectual people, and it will be a challenge for all of
the participating faculty to present their expertise in a
new and different way," he said. "We're very excited to
host this, and the faculty have been very enthusiastic."