(GVR: Grant, Vacate, and Remand — a disposition that is the US Supreme Court’s way of telling a lower court “don’t waste our time; go do what we told you to do.”  The court grants certiorari–agreeing to take the case; vacates the judgment below; and remands the case–sends it back to the lower court with instructions to get it right next time).

And that, friends is what happened today in Briscoe v. Virginia–the case that was widely feared (or hoped) to limit the reach of this summer’s decision in Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts.  That’s right, folks–you really really have to put the analyst on the witness stand!

And for the record, that is exactly what I predicted they were going to do when they granted cert in this case.

---

Posted by AndyCowan on January 25th, 2010 :: Filed under A Day in the Life
Tags :: forensic evidence, law and science, legalese, old fashioned beatdown

---

As an astronomer-cum-lawyer and a big word nerd, I am thrilled to see that the Supreme Court took a break from being serious yesterday to learn a new word:

---

Posted by AndyCowan on January 12th, 2010 :: Filed under A Day in the Life, Judicial Pearls of Wisdom
Tags :: almost but not quite entirely unlike law, law and science, overheard in court, Things that are funny, words that are in fact words

---