Neuroscience and the Law: Strange Bedfellows

Neuroscience is a hot topic with lawyers and judges, as recent advances in our understanding of the brain have raised important and unexpected implications for the development and application of legal principles. These implications, however, can sometimes be overstated, which presents a potential for abuse and warrants caution. Senior U. S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, a founding member of the MacArthur Foundation Project on Law and Neuroscience, explores the legal and ethical questions raised as neuroscience enters the courtroom and affects the judicial system.