對質權如何適用於科學證據－－Williams v. Illinois 判例及啟示

How the Confrontation Right Apply to Scientific Expertise: The Enlightenment From Williams v. Illinois

Williams v. Illinois案反映了美國憲法第六修正案的對質權應在多大程度上適 用於專家證言形式的科學證據，尤其是一個專家基於另一個未出庭專家製作的法庭科學報告而出庭作證時該如何適用對質條款。美國聯邦最高法院在對質權如何適用於科學證據問題上各方觀點存在嚴重分歧，揭示了科學證據與對質權的持續緊張關係、對質權適用於科學證據的各種處理模式以及不同處理模式所顯示的刑事訴訟價值取捨與平衡。Williams v. Illinois案的判決意見對中國刑事鑒定意見對質制度的規範化建設無疑具有重要的啟發和借鑒意義。

The Williams v. Illinois case reflects that to what extent the confrontation right provided in the Sixth Amendment of U. S Constitution can be applied to the scientific expertise, especially when an expert witness testifies on the basis of a forensic lab report prepared by another expert who is absent in the trail. The U. S Supreme Court is widely divided on the topic of how the confrontation right apply to scientific expertise, which reveals the continuous tension and their relation patterns between scientific expertise and confrontation right, also shows its selection or balance of criminal procedural virtues. Undoubtedly, the Williams' decision has important instruction and reference value to the normalization of the Chinese criminal appraisal system.