Opinion ID: 771005
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Making a Record

Text: 195 Finally, the nature and scope of the advice provided to the district court by the technical advisor should be recorded in some manner. While I would not prescribe a mandatory procedure for making that record, such as a reporter's transcript of all ex parte conferences between the court and the technical advisor, obviously, some documentation is required -such as a report by the advisor, a summary of the advice given, or the court's statement on the record -of the court's interaction with the technical advisor. 7 196 The district court, as well as other courts, likened the duties of a technical advisor to those of a law clerk and, thus, reasoned that the communications between the court and advisor may be kept confidential, i.e., concealed from the parties and the appellate court. See Reilly, 863 F.2d at 158. While there are some similarities between a law clerk and a technical advisor, that analogy is limited. 8 197 In some important respects, a technical advisor is quite unlike a law clerk. A law clerk's function is to aid the judge in researching legal issues in cases pending before the court. Because the judge is an expert in the law and fully understands legal theory and analyses, it is unlikely, to say the least, that a law clerk will impermissibly usurp the judicial function. On the other hand, a technical advisor is brought in precisely because the judge is not familiar with the complex, technical issues presented in the case. See id. at 157 (appointment of a technical advisor must arise out of some cognizable judicial need for specialized skills). There is therefore an understandable concern that the technical advisor's opinion will carry undue weight with the judge. Cf. Daubert, 509 U.S. at 595 (noting that [e]xpert evidence can be both powerful and quite misleading because of the difficulty in evaluating it) (internal quotations and citation omitted). In short, a judge can filter out bad legal advice or research from a law clerk; he or she is ill-equipped, however, to do the same with bad technical advice. Moreover, resolution of legal issues is committed to the judge qua judge and is subject to de novo review. On the other hand, factual issues, no matter how technical, are committed to the fact finder and, to be reviewed properly, must be based on the record made in the trial court. 198 Whatever method the court employs in making a record of the technical advisor's advice and counsel, there is no reason why a neutral technical advisor's advice should be shrouded in absolute secrecy. Concealing the nature of that expert advice can only erode confidence in the court's role as a neutral and independent decision maker.