Opinion ID: 1277506
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: hgn testimony

Text: {19} Torres also argues that the trial court erred by admitting testimony from Officer Bowdich on the results of the HGN test. Specifically, Torres raises the following points of error: (1) that the State failed to lay a proper foundation demonstrating that the HGN test was reliable scientific evidence, and (2) that the State failed to lay a proper foundation in qualifying Officer Bowdich as an expert in the administration of the HGN test. Both of Torres's contentions relate to the provisions bearing on the admissibility of scientific and other expert evidence as set forth in Rule 11-702 NMRA 1999. {20} Although we are remanding for a new trial because of the trial court's error in denying Torres's motion for a continuance, we also address his contentions regarding the HGN evidence because this issue will recur on retrial and there is conflicting law on the subject. In particular, we find no clear guidance from other jurisdictions with regard to both the general standards they employ for evaluating the evidentiary reliability of expert testimony and their specific treatment of HGN evidence. See generally 1 Richard E. Erwin, Defense of Drunk Driving Cases: Criminal-Civil § 10.11 (3d ed. 1994 & Supp.1994) (noting lack of uniformity in treatment of HGN evidence); I Donald H. Nichols, Drinking/Driving Litigation: Criminal and Civil § 14:32.50 (Supp.1996) (same); John P. Ludington, Annotation, Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test: Use in Impaired Driving Prosecution, 60 A.L.R.4th 1129 (1988 & Supp.1998) (same). Further, in State v. Burke, 1999-NMCA-031, 126 N.M. 712, 974 P.2d 1169, cert. denied, 972 P.2d 351 (1999), the Court of Appeals issued a ruling on the admissibility of HGN evidence that may conflict with this opinion, as we explain below. Cf. NMSA 1978, § 34-5-14(B)(1) (1972) (providing that the Supreme Court may review by writ of certiorari a decision of the Court of Appeals that conflicts with a decision of the Supreme Court). Thus, we take this opportunity to correct the misapprehension of the law concerning HGN evidence that may arise as a result of Burke and the conflicting rulings of other jurisdictions.
{21} Before turning to the merits of Torres's contentions, we address the State's argument that Torres failed to preserve his evidentiary challenges below. Absent a question of jurisdiction, general public interest, or fundamental error, this Court reviews an alleged error in a trial court's evidentiary ruling only when the party alleging error makes a timely objection or motion to strike that states the specific ground of objection, if that ground is not apparent from the context. See Rules 11-103(A)(1), 12-216 NMRA 1999. {22} The State contends that Officer Bowdich testified at length before any defense objection was voiced and that, as a consequence, [t]his failure to timely and specifically object bars appellate review. We disagree for two reasons. First, the record shows that Torres made his objection while the State was laying the foundation for Officer Bowdich's HGN testimony. Torres specifically objected to both the officer's expertise and the reliability of the HGN test at the time the State was eliciting foundational matters from the officer, such as his HGN training and the manner in which he administered the test upon Torres. Second, the trial court considered Torres's objections at that time, inquired as to the grounds for his objections, and ruled on the issue. We therefore conclude that this objection was timely, and hence the issue of the admissibility of the HGN testimony was preserved for appellate review. Cf. Nasser v. State, 646 N.E.2d 673, 676 (Ind.Ct.App.1995) (concluding that a party opposing admission of an officer-expert's testimony regarding intoxilyzer results preserved specific foundational challenges on appeal by objecting, at trial, that the officer was not qualified as an expert because of his lack of expertise and his failure to comply with appropriate intoxilyzer-testing procedures). In reviewing this issue, however, we may affirm on grounds upon which the trial court did not rely unless those grounds depend on facts that Torres did not have a fair opportunity to address in the proceedings below. See State v. Franks, 119 N.M. 174, 177, 889 P.2d 209, 212 (Ct.App.1994).
{23} If scientific, technical or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training or education may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise. Rule 11-702. This Court has discerned three prerequisites in Rule 11-702 for the admission of expert testimony: (1) experts must be qualified; (2) their testimony must assist the trier of fact; and (3) their testimony must be limited to the area of scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge in which they are qualified. See Alberico, 116 N.M. at 166, 861 P.2d at 202; accord State v. Anderson, 118 N.M. 284, 291-92, 881 P.2d 29, 36-37 (1994) (explaining the second and third prerequisites); State v. Stills, 1998-NMSC-009, ¶ 27, 125 N.M. 66, 957 P.2d 51 (explaining the third prerequisite). Torres contends that the State failed to lay a proper foundation demonstrating that the HGN test was reliable scientific evidence, and therefore that Officer Bowdich's testimony failed to satisfy any of the prerequisites for expert testimony under Rule 11-702. We agree that the HGN testimony was improperly admitted under the evidentiary reliability standard adopted by this Court in Alberico, 116 N.M. at 166-70, 861 P.2d at 202-06, and explained in both Anderson, 118 N.M. at 290-92, 881 P.2d at 35-37, and Stills, 1998-NMSC-009, ¶¶ 22-34, 125 N.M. 66, 957 P.2d 51. {24} Following the lead of the United States Supreme Court in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993), this Court has established that it is error to admit expert testimony involving scientific knowledge unless the party offering such testimony first establishes the evidentiary reliability of the scientific knowledge. See Alberico, 116 N.M. at 166-69, 861 P.2d at 202-05. This evidentiary reliability standard replaced the older, stricter general acceptance standard, which required the proponent to show that the knowledge was generally accepted by the relevant scientific community. Daubert, 509 U.S. at 587-89, 113 S.Ct. 2786 (holding that, with their focus on relevance, the Federal Rules of Evidence superseded the general acceptance standard established in Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1013, 1014 (D.C.Cir.1923)); Alberico, 116 N.M. at 167-68, 861 P.2d at 203-04 (rejecting Frye, and citing Daubert favorably). Alberico therefore established evidentiary reliability as the hallmark for the admissibility of scientific knowledge. {25} In Anderson, our first scientific knowledge case to follow Alberico, we considered the admissibility of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) typing under the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method. See Anderson, 118 N.M. at 287-90, 881 P.2d at 32-35. Anderson reaffirmed Alberico 's adoption of the evidentiary-reliability standard developed in Daubert, explaining that, `under the Rules [of Evidence] the trial judge must ensure that any and all scientific testimony or evidence admitted is not only relevant, but reliable. ' Anderson, 118 N.M. at 291, 881 P.2d at 36 (emphasis added) (quoting Daubert, 509 U.S. at 589, 113 S.Ct. 2786). We explained further that, in considering the reliability of any particular type of scientific knowledge, the trial court should consider the following factors: (1) whether a theory or technique can be (and has been) tested; (2) whether the theory or technique has been subjected to peer review and publication; (3) the known [or] potential rate of error in using a particular scientific techniqueand the existence and maintenance of standards controlling the technique's operation; and (4) whether the theory or technique has been generally accepted in the particular scientific field. Id. (quoting Daubert, 509 U.S. at 593-94, 113 S.Ct. 2786) (alteration indicating wording in Daubert ); cf. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. v. Robinson, 923 S.W.2d 549, 557 (Tex. 1995) (listing six factors to aid courts in determining evidentiary reliability). {26} In Stills, our next scientific knowledge case, we considered whether the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method of DNA analysis was admissible under the standards adopted in Alberico and reaffirmed in Anderson. See Stills, 1998-NMSC-009, ¶¶ 16-25, 125 N.M. 66, 957 P.2d 51. We held that, under the Alberico-Daubert standard, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting DNA typing evidence under the PCR technique. Id. ¶ 56, 125 N.M. 66, 957 P.2d 51. Like Anderson, Stills reaffirmed this Court's adoption of the evidentiary-reliability standard. Alberico, Anderson, and Stills all stand for the proposition that, in New Mexico, evidentiary reliability is the hallmark for the admissibility of scientific knowledge.
{27} The rule in this State has consistently been that the admission of expert testimony or other scientific evidence is peculiarly within the sound discretion of the trial court and will not be reversed absent a showing of abuse of that discretion. Alberico, 116 N.M. at 169, 861 P.2d at 205; accord Anderson, 118 N.M. at 292, 881 P.2d at 37; Stills, 1998-NMSC-009, ¶ 33, 125 N.M. 66, 957 P.2d 51. However, we have also noted: An abuse of discretion in a case [involving scientific evidence] can be found when the trial judge's action was obviously erroneous, arbitrary, or unwarranted.... [It] is not tantamount to rubber-stamping the trial judge's decision. It should not prevent an appellate court from conducting a meaningful analysis of the admission [of] scientific testimony to ensure that the trial judge's decision was in accordance with the Rules of Evidence and the evidence in the case. Alberico, 116 N.M. at 170, 861 P.2d at 206; accord Anderson, 118 N.M. at 292, 881 P.2d at 37; Stills, 1998-NMSC-009, ¶ 33, 125 N.M. 66, 957 P.2d 51.N.M. 66, 957 P.2d 51. {28} Moreover, the threshold question of whether the trial court applied the correct evidentiary rule or standard is subject to de novo review on appeal. See State v. Elinski, 1997-NMCA-117, ¶ 8, 124 N.M. 261, 948 P.2d 1209 ([O]ur review of the application of the law to the facts is conducted de novo.); cf. State v. Attaway, 117 N.M. 141, 144-45, 870 P.2d 103, 106-07 (1994) (discussing circumstances in which mixed questions of law and fact are subject to de novo review). [2] We realize that the Alberico-Daubert evidentiary standard gives rise to mixed questions of law and fact, and that the determination of whether to admit or exclude particular testimony under this standard may result from an inquiry that is `essentially factual.' Attaway, 117 N.M. at 144, 870 P.2d at 106 (quoting United States v. McConney, 728 F.2d 1195, 1202 (9th Cir.1984) (en banc)); cf. Alberico, 116 N.M. at 168, 861 P.2d at 204 (listing factors for trial courts to consider in assessing the validity of a particular technique). All the same, we discern that a trial court's initial determination of whether to apply the Alberico-Daubert standard in a given context requires consideration of `legal concepts in the mix of fact and law and [the] exercise [of] judgment about the values that animate legal principles.'  Attaway, 117 N.M. at 144, 870 P.2d at 106 (quoting McConney, 728 F.2d at 1202); see also Clarence Morris, Law and Fact, 55 Harv.L.Rev. 1303, 1328-29 (1942) (If a rule of law must be applied before a conclusion is reached, that conclusion is one of law.). As such, the initial determination of whether to apply the Alberico-Daubert standard entails a conclusion of law that is subject to de novo review. Cf. Edens v. New Mexico Health & Soc. Servs. Dep't, 89 N.M. 60, 62, 547 P.2d 65, 67 (1976) ([C]onclusions of law are freely reviewable.).
{29} In making the initial determination of whether the Alberico-Daubert evidentiary standard applies, some courts have established a threshold requirement that the scientific knowledge at issue must be novel. See, e.g., Thornton v. Caterpillar, Inc., 951 F.Supp. 575, 577 (D.S.C.1997)( Daubert should only apply to novel scientific testimony.); Johnson v. Knoxville Community Sch. Dist., 570 N.W.2d 633, 637 (Iowa 1997) (same). The better view, however, is that the Alberico-Daubert standard is not limited to novel scientific theories. See Cummins v. Lyle Indus., 93 F.3d 362, 367 n. 2 (7th Cir. 1996) (citing Daubert, 509 U.S. at 592 n. 11, 113 S.Ct. 2786). While it is true that some of our past decisions involved scientific theories that may have been regarded as novel at the time, see, e.g., Alberico, 116 N.M. at 175, 861 P.2d at 211 (post-traumatic stress disorder); Anderson, 118 N.M. at 287-90, 881 P.2d at 32-35 (DNA typing under the RFLP method), we have never held that the Alberico-Daubert evidentiary standard is limited to scientific knowledge that is novel. Further, while a novel scientific theory might be admissible under the Alberico-Daubert standard, notwithstanding the fact that it has not achieved the level of acceptance required to meet the Frye standard, it does not follow that Daubert applies only to scientific knowledge that is novel or not generally accepted. On the contrary, the Alberico-Daubert standard explicitly incorporates general acceptance as a factor for courts to consider in determining the admissibility of scientific testimony, see Anderson, 118 N.M. at 299-300, 881 P.2d at 44-45, and we believe that the novel status of a particular scientific principle or procedure may be addressed in considering this factor. Indeed, in some contexts novelty may be nothing more than an antonym for general acceptance. For these reasons, a finding that the scientific principles underlying HGN testing are generally accepted (or no longer a novelty) does not necessarily preclude consideration of other factors relevant to the Alberico-Daubert inquiry.
{30} Courts in other jurisdictions disagree about whether the results of HGN testing in particular constitute scientific evidence that is subject to the Alberico-Daubert standard. See State v. Meador, 674 So.2d 826, 833-34 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1996) (noting that a minority of states have concluded that the HGN test is not based on scientific expertise, while the majority have concluded that the results of HGN testing are scientific evidence); State v. Merritt, 36 Conn.App. 76, 647 A.2d 1021, 1026-28 (1994) (same); State v. Ruthardt, 680 A.2d 349, 355-56 (Del.Super.Ct.1996) (same). Today we adopt the majority view that the results of HGN testing constitute scientific evidence that must meet the standard of evidentiary reliability articulated in Alberico and Daubert. {31} The rationale for requiring evidence of HGN test results to meet the Alberico-Daubert standard has been well stated by other courts: [W]hile most of the field sobriety tests are self-explanatory, HGN is not. When courts have taken judicial notice of the common physical manifestations of intoxication, horizontal gaze nystagmus is not included. Horizontal gaze nystagmus is not just a symptom such as slurred speech or bloodshot eyes, which are commonly understood signs of intoxication.... The phenomena being tested are predicated on a scientific or medical principle that the automatic tracking mechanisms of the eye are affected by alcohol.... .... ... [T]he significance of the HGN observation is based on principles of medicine and science not readily understandable to the jury. We thus conclude that the HGN test is scientific evidence.... Meador, 674 So.2d at 833-34 (citations omitted); accord Merritt, 647 A.2d at 1026-28; Ruthardt, 680 A.2d at 355-56. We find this reasoning persuasive. {32} Because we adopt this reasoning, we take this opportunity to correct any misapprehension of the law that may arise from Burke, 1999-NMCA-031, ¶¶ 11-14, 126 N.M. 712, 974 P.2d 1169. While the Court of Appeals correctly notes that the use of HGN testimony is not lay opinion under Rule 11-701 NMRA 1999, id. ¶ 12, the discussion of the HGN testimony in that case does not support the general proposition that HGN evidence is not based on scientific principles, id. ¶ 14. Indeed, the trial court was never asked to analyze the HGN evidence under the Alberico-Daubert standard in Burke because the defendant in that case did not object below that there was no scientific basis for the officer's testimony; [he] never mentioned either ... Alberico ... or Rule 11-702. Id. We thus limit Burke, 1999-NMCA-031, ¶ 14, 126 N.M. 712, 974 P.2d 1169, to the situation where the trial court is not asked to perform an Alberico-Daubert analysis of HGN evidence, and thus the issue is not preserved for appellate review.
{33} Because we conclude that HGN testing involves scientific knowledge, we hold that the HGN evidence in this case must satisfy the requirements of Alberico-Daubert. In short, `under the Rules [of Evidence] the trial judge must ensure that any and all scientific testimony or evidence admitted is not only relevant, but reliable.' Anderson, 118 N.M. at 291, 881 P.2d at 36 (quoting Daubert, 509 U.S. at 589, 113 S.Ct. 2786). {34} Although [t]he inquiry envisioned... is ... a flexible one, Daubert, 509 U.S. at 594, 113 S.Ct. 2786, determining the evidentiary reliability of scientific knowledge does require trial courts to consider several factors, see Stills, 1998-NMSC-009, ¶ 27, 125 N.M. 66, 957 P.2d 51; cf. Anderson, 118 N.M. at 291, 881 P.2d at 36 (listing factors). Further, the overarching subject [of the inquiry] is the scientific validityand thus the evidentiary relevance and reliabilityof the principles that underlie a proposed submission. The focus ... must be solely on principles and methodology, not on the conclusions that they generate. Daubert, 509 U.S. at 594-95, 113 S.Ct. 2786; accord Alberico, 116 N.M. at 168, 861 P.2d at 204. {35} Our review of the record indicates that the trial court did not consider any of the required factors for assessing the evidentiary reliability of HGN testing in this case, nor was there an appropriate focus on principles and methodology. Rather, the trial court simply overruled Torres's objection that the State had failed to establish the evidentiary reliability of Officer Bowdich's HGN testimony, and no application of the Alberico-Daubert standard ensued. Because the trial court allowed the State to continue its questioning of Officer Bowdich concerning the HGN test without a proper inquiry into the evidentiary reliability of this test, we must presume that the trial court viewed the Alberico-Daubert standard as inapposite under the facts of this case. This view is premised on a misapprehension of the law, and we hold that the trial court's decision to admit the HGN testimony without applying the Alberico-Daubert standard is reversible error in this case. {36} The State proposes three arguments to the contrary, but we remain unconvinced. First, the State relies on State ex rel. Hamilton v. City Court, 165 Ariz. 514, 799 P.2d 855, 858 (1990) (en banc), for the proposition that the proper foundation for HGN evidence is limited to describing the officer's education and experience in administering the test and showing that proper procedures were followed. This argument is unpersuasive. Unlike New Mexico, the Arizona courts have rejected Daubert in favor of the general acceptance standard articulated in Frye, 293 F. at 1014. See State v. Tankersley, 191 Ariz. 359, 956 P.2d 486, 491 (1998). Given that HGN testimony had been ruled admissible in Arizona courts four years prior to City Court, see State v. Superior Court, 149 Ariz. 269, 718 P.2d 171, 181 (1986) (en banc) we do not find it surprising that the prosecution met the general acceptance standard in that case without any additional testimony regarding the scientific principles upon which the HGN test is based. Further, we note that part of the reason the Arizona courts may regard such additional testimony as unnecessary is that they only admit HGN evidence for limited purposes such as establishing probable cause and corroborating the results of more reliable sobriety tests such as chemical analyses of breath, blood, or urine. See Superior Court, 718 P.2d at 181-82. Thus, it is not clear that the HGN evidence in this case would be admissible under the Arizona standard, because the State was not using this evidence merely to corroborate a chemical analysis of Torres's blood alcohol content. Indeed, the State offered no such analysis in this case. {37} Although the State presented evidence at trial as to Officer Bowdich's training and experience with HGN testing, we conclude that his training and experience are not sufficiently probative of the test's evidentiary reliability. We note that some courts have allowed the admission of HGN testimony for limited purposes without a scientific expert laying an appropriate foundation under the relevant admissibility standard. See, e.g., Whitson v. State, 314 Ark. 458, 863 S.W.2d 794, 798 (1993) (holding that admission of HGN evidence for the limited purpose of showing unquantified level of alcohol consumption did not require a preliminary inquiry regarding novel scientific knowledge); State v. Murphy, 451 N.W.2d 154, 157-58 (Iowa 1990) (holding that HGN testing is not unlike any other lay, field-sobriety test and that it therefore requires no admissibility foundation for scientific evidence); City of Fargo v. McLaughlin, 512 N.W.2d 700, 708 (N.D.1994) (We agree with those cases holding that the only foundation required [for HGN testing] is a showing of the officer's training and experience in administering the test, and a showing that the test was in fact properly administered.); State v. Bresson, 51 Ohio St.3d 123, 554 N.E.2d 1330, 1336 (1990) (holding that HGN evidence is as admissible as would be other field sobriety tests). Nevertheless, we find persuasive the reasoning of other courts which have held that if police officers are not qualified to testify about the scientific bases underlying the HGN test, they are not competent to establish that the test satisfies the relevant admissibility standard. See, e.g., People v. Leahy, 8 Cal.4th 587, 34 Cal.Rptr.2d 663, 882 P.2d 321, 334 (1994) (in bank); Merritt, 647 A.2d at 1026-28; People v. Vega, 145 Ill. App.3d 996, 99 Ill.Dec. 808, 496 N.E.2d 501, 504-05 (1986); State v. Witte, 251 Kan. 313, 836 P.2d 1110, 1116 (1992); State v. Borchardt, 224 Neb. 47, 395 N.W.2d 551, 559 (1986); cf. Barrett v. Atlantic Richfield Co., 95 F.3d 375, 382 (5th Cir.1996) (holding that an animal behaviorist was not qualified to testify about the cause of observed chromosomal changes to rats due to their exposure to chemicals, or about the possible effects of similar exposure on humans, because such testimony was beyond his expertise); 4 Jack B. Weinstein & Margaret A. Berger, Weinstein's Federal Evidence, § 702.06[1], at 702-44 to -45 (Joseph M. McLaughlin ed., 2d ed. 1998) (The trial court should exclude proffered expert testimony if the subject of the testimony lies outside the witness's area of expertise.). {38} As its second argument in support of its contention that the trial court did not err in admitting the HGN evidence, the State cites case law from other jurisdictions for the proposition that HGN testing is generally accepted in the scientific community. See, e.g., Superior Court, 718 P.2d at 180-81, app. A, at 182, app. B, at 182-84 (concluding that HGN testing is generally accepted in the scientific community, and listing scholarly sources in support of this conclusion); People v. Joehnk, 35 Cal. App.4th 1488, 42 Cal.Rptr.2d 6, 9-17 (1995) (concluding, upon a review of the expert testimony introduced at trial as well as a review of the case law of California and other jurisdictions, that HGN testing is generally accepted in the scientific community as a useful tool when combined with other tests and observations); Schultz v. State, 106 Md.App. 145, 664 A.2d 60, 70-74 (1995) (taking judicial notice of the scientific validity of HGN testing based on reported case law and scientific literature). However, in Alberico, we concluded that [i]t is improper to look for scientific acceptance only from reported case law. 116 N.M. at 167, 861 P.2d at 203. We reaffirm that conclusion today. {39} The thrust of the policy behind Alberico, Anderson, and Stills is to broaden the trial court's role in admitting evidence of scientific knowledge. Specifically, Alberico and its progeny allow a trial court to admit evidence of scientific knowledge that is adequately valid (from a scientific viewpoint) to be sufficiently reliable (from an evidentiary viewpoint). To facilitate this intent, Alberico rejected the principle that general acceptance within a particular scientific discipline was a necessary or sufficient condition for evidentiary admissibility. See Alberico, 116 N.M. at 167, 861 P.2d at 203. {40} At this point, we do not decide whether HGN testing is adequately valid from a scientific point of view based on reported case law or other authorities. Cf. Vega, 99 Ill.Dec. 808, 496 N.E.2d at 504-05 (refusing to accept evidence regarding the scientific validity of HGN testing for the first time on appeal). Our holding is limited to whether the State provided sufficient support at trial for a threshold determination that the underlying scientific technique is based upon well-recognized scientific principle and... is capable of supporting opinions based upon reasonable probability rather than conjecture. Alberico, 116 N.M. at 167, 861 P.2d at 203. We hold that the State did not satisfy its Alberico-Daubert burden. Although Officer Bowdich testified that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) accepted HGN testing, that the test was nationally certified, and that the test was routinely given, his testimony was insufficient to establish the evidentiary reliability required by Alberico-Daubert. Officer Bowdich was not qualified to testify about the scientific bases of HGN testing, and although his testimony lent support for a conclusion that the test was widely usedthus giving rise to an inference of general acceptancehis testimony did not explain how the test proved intoxication. He therefore did not assist the trier of fact in understanding the scientific validity of the test. In addition, although his testimony supported an inference that various authorities believe HGN testing to be scientifically valid, his testimony did not provide the trier of fact with a ground on which to evaluate the basis of that belief. {41} In its final argument, the State asserts that, [i]f this Court desires, judicial notice may be taken of the limited fact that HGN is a scientific test used to determine whether someone is under the influence. We conclude at this point that HGN testing does not meet the criteria we have previously established for the proper taking of judicial notice: This court, since early territorial days, has expressed the view that courts will take judicial notice of matters of common and general knowledge. The matter of which a court will take judicial notice must be a subject of common and general knowledge. The matter must be known, that is well established and authoritatively settled. Thus, uncertainty of the matter or fact in question will operate to preclude judicial notice thereof. Rozelle v. Barnard, 72 N.M. 182, 183, 382 P.2d 180, 181 (1963) (citations omitted); accord Holton v. Janes, 25 N.M. 374, 379, 183 P. 395, 397 (1919); see also Hartford Accident & Indem. Co. v. Beevers, 84 N.M. 159, 162-63, 500 P.2d 444, 447-48 (Ct.App.1972) (refusing to take judicial notice of a general law of nature concerning the combustibility of gases where there was no showing as to how this law was affected by variables). {42} We are not persuaded that HGN testing is a subject of common and general knowledge, or a matter well established and authoritatively settled in New Mexico. We therefore determine that judicial notice of the evidentiary reliability of HGN testing would be inappropriate at this time. Specifically, we hold that because the State failed to establish the evidentiary reliability of HGN testing, the HGN testimony should not have been admitted at trial.
{43} Torres further contends that apart from failing to lay a proper foundation as to the evidentiary reliability of HGN testing, the State neglected to lay a proper foundation in qualifying Officer Bowdich as an expert in the administration of the HGN test. Like Torres's evidentiary reliability objection, this contention gives rise to Rule 11-702 concerns. To determine the appropriate scope of appellate review concerning this issue, we must determine whether the Alberico-Daubert standard applies only to expert testimony that relies on scientific knowledge, or to all forms of expert testimony, including the administration of the HGN test by a trained observer. Courts in other states that have rejected the Frye standard in favor of Daubert are in disagreement as to the scope of Daubert 's application. See generally 4 Weinstein & Berger, supra § 702.05[2], at 702-35 to -38 nn. 10-11 (listing and summarizing cases that have come to opposite conclusions on this issue). We believe the better view is expressed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, which has concluded that application of the Daubert factors is unwarranted in cases where expert testimony is based solely upon experience or training. Compton v. Subaru of Am., Inc., 82 F.3d 1513, 1518 (10th Cir.1996); accord Thomas v. Newton Int'l Enters., 42 F.3d 1266, 1270 n. 3 (9th Cir.1994) ( Daubert was clearly confined to the evaluation of scientific expert testimony. Special concerns arise when evaluating the proffer of scientific testimony that do not arise when evaluating [nonscientific testimony]. (citation omitted)); Edward J. Imwinkelried, The Next Step After Daubert: Developing a Similarly Epistemological Approach to Ensuring the Reliability of Nonscientific Expert Testimony, 15 Cardozo L.Rev. 2271, 2285 (1994) (explaining that the Daubert test is useless as a criterion for the admissibility of other types of expert testimony). {44} Under the Tenth Circuit view that we adopt today, the trial court did not err in declining to apply the Alberico-Daubert standard in determining the admissibility of Officer Bowdich's testimony as an expert in the administration of the HGN test. Officer Bowdich's expertise as an administrator of the HGN test was based solely on his experience and training, and we review the trial court's primarily factual ruling on Officer Bowdich's qualifications in this area for an abuse of discretion. See Wood v. Citizens Standard Life Ins. Co., 82 N.M. 271, 273, 480 P.2d 161, 163 (1971). {45} Regardless of whether the subject matter involves scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge, however, a witness must qualify as an expert in the field for which his or her testimony is offered before such testimony is admissible. Under [Federal Rule of Evidence] 702, a witness must qualify as an expert to testify on matters that are scientific, technical, or specialized in nature. The description of the kinds of testimony requiring expertise is broad, and so are the means to qualify a witness as an expert: What is required is knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education. It should be noted at the outset that normally the calling party must qualify the witness to testify as an expert first, before any substantive testimony is given. 3 Christopher B. Mueller & Laird C. Kirkpatrick, Federal Evidence § 349, at 602 (2d ed.1994). {46} We have already held that HGN testing involves scientific knowledge. We have also determined that Officer Bowdich does not qualify as a scientific expert who may establish the evidentiary reliability of HGN testing. Thus, the State finds itself in a quandary: Because HGN testing involves scientific knowledge; only a scientific expert may testify as to its results, and because Officer Bowdich does not qualify as a scientific expert, he may not testify about HGN test results. The question remains, however, whether witnesses who only qualify as non-scientific experts based on their training and experience may testify about the administration of tests involving scientific knowledge after an appropriate foundation regarding such knowledge has been laid by another, scientific expert. In the context of HGN testing, we conclude that such nonscientific experts may testify, provided that another, scientific expert first establishes the evidentiary reliability of the scientific principles underlying the test. {47} Although experts who lack the qualifications necessary to testify about scientific knowledge cannot establish the evidentiary reliability of the scientific knowledge underlying the respective tests, they may, because of their training, experience, and specialized knowledge, testify as to the administration and specific results of the test after it has been shown to meet the requirement of evidentiary reliability. We note that nystagmus, or jerking of the eyes, `can be observed directly and does not require special equipment.'1 Erwin, supra § 10.06[5], at 10-32 (quoting Transportation Safety Inst., NHTSA, U.S. Dep't of Transp., HS 178 R6/92, DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, Student Manual, at VIII-16 to -18 (1992)). In administering the HGN test a police officer will move an object back and forth in front of a drinking/driving suspect's face.... The officer will observe the suspect's eyes as they track the moving object, specifically taking note at what point each eye begins jerking. 1 Nichols, supra § 14:32.50, at 298; see also 1 Erwin, supra § 10.06[5], at 10-28 to -32. Based on this description and our review of the record in this case, we conclude that in order to establish the technical or specialized knowledge required to qualify a witness as an expert in the administration of the HGN test, there must be a showing: (1) that the expert has the ability and training to administer the HGN test properly, and (2) that the expert did, in fact, administer the HGN test properly at the time and upon the person in question. {48} In the instant case, we conclude that the State satisfied these two foundational criteria. Regarding his ability and training to administer the HGN test properly, Officer Bowdich testified at trial that he had used the test on a regular basis, that he had conducted numerous HGN tests on subjects who had been drinking and on subjects who had not, and that he had been trained to determine, based on appropriate HGN test techniques, whether an individual had been drinking. This was sufficient. As for administering the HGN test properly at the time and upon the person in question, Officer Bowdich described the HGN test techniques he employed in administering the test to Torres on January 16, 1994, testified that the techniques he employed were those in which he had been trained, and explained that, based on his administering the test to Torres, he determined that Torres had been drinking quite a bit. Again, this was sufficient. We thus conclude that the State properly qualified Officer Bowdich as an expert in the administration of the HGN test. {49} Finally, we take the opportunity to correct the misapprehension of the law that may arise from Burke, 1999-NMCA-031, ¶ 15, 126 N.M. 712, 974 P.2d 1169. In that case, our Court of Appeals was confronted with a situation where the State offered an officer's testimony about HGN test results without first establishing that the officer did, in fact, administer the HGN test properly at the time and upon the person in question: [W]hen confronted with a photocopy of the training manual that the officer used when learning how to give HGN tests, [the officer] admitted that he used improper procedure on virtually every aspect of the test. Specifically, (1) he was looking for smooth tracking of the eyes after, rather than before, the test; (2) he checked for all three of the required clues during the same pass of the object before the subject's eyes, and he checked for these clues in two total passes, rather than checking for each of the three clues during two separate passes, for a total of six passes; (3) when he checked for maximum deviation, he held the object for two or three seconds, rather than the required four; and (4) he never spent the required four seconds getting to the 45-degree point. Id. ¶ 3. Because of the officer's improper administration of the test, the Court of Appeals acknowledged that the HGN evidence may have been improperly admitted [a]s expert testimony of a specific degree of intoxication. Id. ¶ 15. Nevertheless, the Court of Appeals concluded that this officer's HGN testimony was based on personal experience, rather than scientific knowledge. Thus, it held that the evidence was admissible. As discussed earlier, this ruling was incorrect insofar as it suggests that HGN evidence does not rely on scientific knowledge. {50} The Court of Appeals also was incorrect in stating, When used as nonscientific, expert testimony, we believe our Supreme Court would rule that deficiencies in conducting the HGN test such as [those shown above] would go to the weight, not the admissibility, of the evidence.... Id. ¶ 15. In light of the foundational requirements set forth above, it is clear that this is not our view. As the partial dissent in Burke explains, The officer ... acknowledged that his manner of conducting the test departed substantially from what was required by his training manual. Given that acknowledgment, I do not think that his personal experience with the HGN test provided a sufficient foundation for admitting the results of his test.... Id. ¶ 21 (Hartz, C.J., concurring in part, dissenting in part). We agree with the partial dissent in Burke that the foundational requirements for admitting the results of HGN testing were not met under these circumstances, and we overrule Burke, 1999-NMCA-031, ¶ 15, 126 N.M. 712, 974 P.2d 1169, to the extent it is inconsistent with this opinion.
{51} The State contends that, even if we find error in the admission of the HGN evidence, that error was harmless. Specifically, the State asserts: Take away Officer Bowdich's testimony about the HGN test. The remaining evidence established Defendant failed both the finger count and the nose touch tests. Coupled with the personal observations of Officer Byers and Officer Bowdich, the effect, if any of the HGN testimony, was harmless. We disagree. {52} In Clark v. State, 112 N.M. 485, 487, 816 P.2d 1107, 1109 (1991), we explained that [e]rror in the admission of evidence in a criminal trial must be declared prejudicial and not harmless if there is a reasonable possibility that the evidence complained of might have contributed to the conviction. We conclude that the error in this case was not harmless, because there is a reasonable possibility that the admission of Officer Bowdich's HGN testimony might have contributed to Torres's conviction. {53} We note at the outset that the State introduced no results from chemical tests to support its assertion that Torres was intoxicated at the time in question. Indeed, the State concedes that the evidence supporting the finding of Torres's intoxication was limited to the personal observations of Officers Byers and Bowdich as well as the results of three field sobriety tests, i.e., the HGN test, the finger count test, and the nose touch test. In introducing these observations and tests at trial, the State presented the latter as more accurate than the former, for Officer Bowdich testified that he received at least some sort of training for each of the tests. Furthermore, among the three field sobriety tests, the State presented the HGN test as the most accurate, for Officer Bowdich testified that, of the three tests, he only regularly administered the HGN test in DWI investigations; that, of the three tests, he had only received formal training for the administration of the HGN test; and that, of all field sobriety tests, the HGN test was the one test that cannot be beat. Hence, the State presented the HGN results to the jury as the most accurate indicator of Torres's intoxication. In this respect, this case is distinguishable from the analysis of harmless error in Burke, 1999-NMCA-031, ¶¶ 16-17, 126 N.M. 712, 974 P.2d 1169, where the prosecution emphasized the specific results of a breath test rather than the HGN evidence. Given the State's emphasis in Torres's trial, there is at least a reasonable possibility that the admission of the HGN evidence might have contributed to his DWI conviction. We thus conclude that the evidentiary error was not harmless.
{54} We conclude that the HGN testimony should not have been admitted at trial because it lacked the necessary Alberico-Daubert foundation. We also conclude that it would be appropriate for the trial court, on remand, to make the initial determination of whether HGN testing satisfies the Alberico-Daubert standard. See Merritt, 647 A.2d at 1027 (adopting the reasoning of courts [that] have determined that a trial court, not an appellate court, provides the correct forum for the initial determination as to whether the criteria set forth in ... the appropriate state rule of evidence has been satisfied (footnotes omitted)). In making this determination, the trial court shall consider the factors set forth in Anderson, 118 N.M. at 291, 881 P.2d at 36. If, after considering these factors on remand, the trial court determines that the State has satisfied its burden of establishing the evidentiary reliability of HGN testing, then Officer Bowdich may testify about his administration of the HGN test. Further, if this Court or the Court of Appeals later publishes an opinion that decides the evidentiary reliability of HGN testing under the Alberico-Daubert standard, a trial court may reconsider the issue whether to take judicial notice of the test's evidentiary reliability, notwithstanding our conclusion that such judicial notice would be inappropriate at the present time. Cf. 3 Mueller & Kirkpatrick, supra § 353, at 657 (concluding that courts are right to admit or exclude much evidence without `reinventing the wheel' every time by requiring the parties to put on full demonstrations of the validity or invalidity of methods or techniques that have been scrutinized well enough in prior decisions to warrant taking judicial notice of their status).