Frye standard

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Court	Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia Circuit
Full case name
Argued
Reargued
Submitted
Indictment
Started
Decided	1923
Verdict
Defendant

The Frye standard is a legal standard used to determine the admissibility of scientific evidence in United States courts. It originated from the 1923 case Frye v. United States, which set a precedent for evaluating the reliability of scientific evidence presented in court.

Background

In the early 20th century, the use of scientific evidence in courtrooms was becoming more prevalent. The case of Frye v. United States involved the admissibility of a polygraph test as evidence. James Alphonzo Frye was accused of murder, and his defense sought to introduce the results of a polygraph test to prove his innocence. The court had to decide whether this type of evidence was reliable enough to be presented to a jury.

The Frye Decision

The Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia Circuit ruled against the admissibility of the polygraph test, establishing what became known as the "Frye standard." The court stated that scientific evidence is admissible only if the technique is "generally accepted" as reliable in the relevant scientific community. The decision emphasized that the scientific principle from which the evidence is derived must have gained general acceptance in its field.

Impact and Criticism

The Frye standard was the dominant rule for determining the admissibility of scientific evidence in the United States for many decades. However, it faced criticism for being too rigid and not accommodating new or novel scientific techniques that had not yet gained widespread acceptance.

Transition to the Daubert Standard

In 1993, the United States Supreme Court case Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. established a new standard for the admissibility of expert testimony, known as the Daubert standard. This standard is more flexible than Frye, allowing judges to consider a variety of factors when determining the reliability of scientific evidence, such as testability, peer review, error rates, and general acceptance.

Current Use

While the Daubert standard is now the primary standard in federal courts and many state courts, some states still adhere to the Frye standard. These states continue to require that scientific evidence be generally accepted in the relevant scientific community before it can be admitted in court.

Also see

• Daubert standard
• Polygraph
• Expert witness
• Scientific evidence
• Admissibility of evidence