Impact of Supreme Court's Ruling On Expert Intent Testimony In 'Diaz v. United States'

The Supreme Court held that expert testimony in a criminal case, as to whether "most people" similar to the defendant have a particular mental state, does not run afoul of the Federal Rule of Evidence's prohibition against expert opinion evidence about whether a criminal defendant had or lacked the mental state required for conviction. Particularly in white-collar cases, where the defendant's intent is often the central disputed issue, the implications of Diaz may be far-reaching.

9 minute readOctober 01, 2024 at 12:09 AM
By
Bonnie M. Baker
Impact of Supreme Court's Ruling On Expert Intent Testimony In 'Diaz v. United States'

In August 2020, Delilah Diaz was arrested when she drove her boyfriend's car, laden with over $350,000 of hidden methamphetamine, across the U.S. border from Mexico. Her criminal trial tested

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