Frye Standard

Definition

The Frye Standard is a legal standard used to determine the admissibility of expert witness testimony in court, requiring that the scientific evidence presented must be generally accepted within its relevant scientific community. This standard emphasizes the importance of consensus in scientific validity, meaning that the methods used by an expert must be widely recognized and accepted by experts in the same field.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Frye Standard originated from the 1923 case Frye v. United States, where the court ruled that polygraph test results were not admissible because they were not widely accepted as reliable.
2. This standard places the burden on the party presenting the expert testimony to demonstrate that the evidence is accepted within the relevant scientific community.
3. The Frye Standard is still used in some jurisdictions, while others have adopted the more flexible Daubert Standard, leading to variations in how expert testimony is evaluated across different courts.
4. Under Frye, if an expert's methodology is deemed novel or lacks acceptance among peers, it may be excluded from consideration in court proceedings.
5. Critics of the Frye Standard argue that it may limit innovative scientific methods and restrict access to new types of evidence that could be beneficial in legal contexts.

Review Questions

• How does the Frye Standard impact the role of an expert witness in legal proceedings?
  • The Frye Standard significantly impacts an expert witness's role by requiring that their methods and testimony must be generally accepted in their field before being admissible in court. This means that an expert must not only have specialized knowledge but also utilize techniques that are recognized and validated by their peers. Consequently, expert witnesses may need to provide evidence of acceptance within the scientific community to support their findings and ensure their testimony is considered credible.
• Compare and contrast the Frye Standard with the Daubert Standard regarding expert testimony admissibility criteria.
  • The Frye Standard focuses on general acceptance within the scientific community as the primary criterion for admissibility, while the Daubert Standard assesses both the reliability and relevance of scientific evidence through a more detailed analysis of methodology. Under Daubert, judges act as gatekeepers to evaluate whether the reasoning or methodology behind the testimony is scientifically valid and applicable to the case at hand. This fundamental difference allows for a broader range of scientific evidence under Daubert, potentially including new and emerging techniques not yet widely accepted.
• Evaluate how the Frye Standard might influence judicial outcomes and access to justice in cases involving complex scientific evidence.
  • The Frye Standard can influence judicial outcomes significantly by potentially limiting access to newer scientific evidence that hasn't achieved widespread acceptance. This could hinder cases where innovative techniques might provide crucial insights or evidence, particularly in fields like forensic science or technology. As a result, defendants or plaintiffs relying on cutting-edge research may find it difficult to present vital information to support their cases, raising concerns about fairness and equity in judicial processes. Critics argue that this reliance on established consensus can inhibit justice, especially as science continually evolves.

Related terms

Daubert Standard:

A legal standard that evaluates the admissibility of expert witness testimony based on the reliability and relevance of the scientific evidence, differing from the Frye Standard by focusing on the methodology rather than general acceptance.

Expert Witness: A person who possesses specialized knowledge, skills, or experience in a particular field and is called to provide testimony or opinions in a legal proceeding.

Admissibility: The legal criteria that determine whether evidence can be presented in court, including whether it meets standards like Frye or Daubert.