Amicus Brief - Hawthorne v. State

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On February 11, 1983 Robert Augustus Harper, Jr., filed Amicus Curiae on the case of Joyce Bernice Hawthorne v. State of Florida, 740 So.2d. 770. This was the third appearance of Hawthorne in the First District Court of Appeal of Florida for First degree murder, second degree murder and now manslaughter. The question raised in the Hawthorne v. State amicus was related to the expert testimony of Dr. Lenore E. Walker, a Clinical Psychologist with extensive involvement in the study and research of “battered woman syndrome.” Amicus indicated Dr. Walker’s testimony would provide the Trier of facts with expert opinion on a battered woman’s belief that resorting to the use of deadly force against her husband was required, if the woman had perceived imminent death or bodily hard to herself and/or her children. Dr. Walker would clarify battered woman’s syndrome to the jury including clarifying all the relevant stages, cycles of violence, symptoms and reasons why women choose to stay with the abuser. Amicus states that the appellant brief argues that evidence supported Dr. Walker’s qualifications as an expert and so focuses its own brief on the scientific knowledge of the field in support of an expert’s opinion on battered women syndrome. In doing so, amicus turned to guidelines, case law, scholarly legal materials, expert’s methodology received as “generally accepted” in scientific journals written by authorities in the field of battered woman syndrome. It told the appeal court that other courts have looked at many or even all of these examples as proof of an experts methodology as being “generally accepted” by the scientific community and in doing so found reliability in this experts opinion and reliability of the techniques use... ... middle of paper ... ...d their courts and the same should apply in Florida courts. It was clear in his dissenting opinion of the current appeal court and the lower court that the area of expert testimony requires more definitive direction within the trial and appeal court system of Florida. Works Cited American Psychological Association (n.d.). Hawthorne v. State. Retrieved on November 16, 2013 from http://www.apa.org/about/offices/ogc/amicus/hawthorne.aspx Westlaw (February 6, 1997). Joyce Bernice Hawthorne v. State of Florida. Retrieved on November 16, 2013 from https://a.next.westlaw.com/Document/I3dd08cf00d9b11 d9821e9512eb7d7b26/View/FullText.html?listSource=Foldering&originationContext= clientid&transitionType=MyResearchHistoryItem&contextData =%28oc.Search%29& VR=3.0&RS=cblt1.0

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