Court Quote by Rob Roberge
“The least trusted testimony in a court of law is eyewitness testimony. We are simply not good reporters of facts that happen to us, or in front of us. But that's not the same as knowingly lying.”
About This Quote
Eyewitness accounts are unreliable because human perception and memory are flawed, yet they are still heavily relied upon in legal settings.
In simple terms: Eyewitnesses often misremember details.
Key Takeaway
Treat eyewitness evidence with caution.
Themes
law
cognitive bias
truth
justice
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
legal
psychological
When to use this quote
- court trials
- police investigations
- news reporting
Key Concepts
memory distortion
perception error
Questions to Reflect On
- What safeguards can improve testimony accuracy?
- How should juries weigh eyewitness evidence?
A Different Perspective
Eyewitness testimony can still be valuable when corroborated.
![“During voir dire, the interviews for jury selection, each person is asked under oath about their experience with the criminal justice system, as defendant or victim, but usually not even the most elementary effort is made to corroborate those claims. One ADA [Associate District Attorney] told me…” quote by Edward Conlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d1d/edward-conlon-33074_cops_during-voir-dire-the-interviews-for-jury_1540504.jpg)
