Ever watch a TV courtroom drama where they question an expert witness? Chances are, you’ve never seen an actor portray an expert witness who is a statistician. But statisticians can have a big impact inside real courtrooms.

Our guest is Professor Ian Gordon, Director of the Statistical Consulting Centre at The University of Melbourne. Among the consulting work he does includes being an expert witness in legal cases.

In this episode, we explore how statisticians get involved in legal cases, what that legal work looks like, and we look at some of the big cases Ian has worked on.

Our host is Cynthia Huang, a PhD Candidate at Monash University in the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics.

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News story on racial profiling case:

• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-18/police-agree-to-new-procedures-to-combat-racism/4524770

Stories on the Johnson & Johnson case:

• https://ms.unimelb.edu.au/news/professor-ian-gordon-provide-evidence-in-landmark-case
• https://research.unimelb.edu.au/facilities/infrastructure/statistical-consulting-centre/shine-lawyers-wins-case-against-mesh-implant-manufacturer

Statistical Consulting Centre at The University of Melbourne

• https://scc.ms.unimelb.edu.au/

Previous Podcast with Prof Ian Gordon on the SSA’s 60th Anniversary

The Statistical Society Celebrates its 60th

Previous podcast on Statistics in Legal Cases

Weighing Up Evidence in Criminal Courts and at a King’s Burial Site