spence authentication knowledge or reputation

[Exhibitman]

This 'court certified' forensic document examiner nonsense also needs some sunlight. The associations that certify these people are diploma mills. Government authorities and courts don't certify witnesses--they do certify (at least in CA) translators to work translating testimony and documents, but not experts to opine on whether a document is genuine or a signature is real. What they mean when they say they are court qualified is that a court has allowed them to testify as an expert witness. The rule on that is loose: as long as the witness can show some expertise above that of a layman he will be allowed to testify, which is called being "qualified" as an expert. Any of us could qualify to testify as experts on what we collect. Doesn't mean our opinions are worth a damn, just that we have enough of a resume to give them. It is left to the judge and jury to decide if they are idiots or not.