Ronald J. Allen

Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

John Henry Wigmore Professor of Law

375 E. Chicago Ave

Chicago, IL 60611

United States

  • Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

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    • Tel: 312-503-8372
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SCHOLARLY PAPERS

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Scholarly Papers (52)

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1.

Naturalized Epistemology and the Law of Evidence

Number of pages: 73 Posted: 11 Dec 2001
Ronald J. Allen and Brian Leiter
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and University of Chicago
Downloads 1,107 (27,564)
Citation 3

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2.

Evidence, Probability, and the Burden of Proof

Arizona Law Review, Vol. 55, 2013, pp. 557-602, Cardozo Legal Studies Faculty Research Paper No. 388, Northwestern Law & Econ Research Paper No. 13-11, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 13-07
Number of pages: 47 Posted: 05 Apr 2013 Last Revised: 08 Nov 2013
Ronald J. Allen and Alex Stein
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Israel Supreme Court
Downloads 930 (35,299)
Citation 2

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evidence, probability, burden of proof, paradoxes, conjunction, gatecrasher, evidence thresholds, relative plausibility, inference to the best explanation

3.

Juridical Proof and the Best Explanation

Law and Philosophy, Forthcoming, U of Alabama Public Law Research Paper No. 1003421
Number of pages: 47 Posted: 29 Jul 2007 Last Revised: 09 Nov 2007
Michael S. Pardo and Ronald J. Allen
Georgetown University Law Center and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 929 (35,299)
Citation 5

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evidence, proof, abduction, inference to the best explanation, probability, burdens of proof, probative value

4.

The Myth of the Law-Fact Distinction

Northwestern University Law Review, Vol. 97, 2003, U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2925903
Number of pages: 41 Posted: 02 Mar 2017
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 590 (64,554)
Citation 1

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questions of law, questions of fact, punitive damaages, constitutional facts, Seventh Amendment, First Amendment, contracts, torts, patents, appellate review, juries, judicial notice, criminal procedure

5.

Deadly Dilemmas

U of Texas Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 141
Number of pages: 31 Posted: 24 Jun 2008 Last Revised: 30 Sep 2017
Ronald J. Allen and Larry Laudan
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and University of Texas School of Law
Downloads 542 (71,877)
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6.

Relative Plausibility and its Critics

U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 3179601, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 18-16
Number of pages: 71 Posted: 17 May 2018 Last Revised: 24 Sep 2018
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 530 (73,926)
Citation 8

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evidence, juridical proof, probability, plausibility, explanations, standards of proof, inference to the best explanation, conjunction problem

7.

Burdens of Proof

Journal of Law, Probability and Risk, Forthcoming, Northwestern Law & Econ Research Paper 12-17, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper 12-25
Number of pages: 47 Posted: 14 Sep 2012 Last Revised: 29 Apr 2014
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 448 (90,454)

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evidence, epsteimology, burdens of proof, persuasion, production, trials, probability theory, inference to the best explanation, relative plausibility

8.

Standards of Proof and the Limits of Legal Analysis

Los estándares de prueba y los límites del análisis jurídico, in Carmen Vázquez (ed.), Prueba científica y estándares de prueba, Marcial Pons, Madrid-Barcelona-Buenos Aires-Sao Paolo, 2012, Forthcoming.
Number of pages: 20 Posted: 04 May 2011 Last Revised: 05 Oct 2012
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 441 (92,132)

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evidence, standards of proof, burdens of proof, burden of persuasion, standards of science, epistemology, rationality

9.

Bayes Wars Redivivus - An Exchange

International Commentary on Evidence, Vol. 8, No. 1, November 2010, The Pennsylvania State University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 36-2010
Number of pages: 41 Posted: 19 Nov 2010 Last Revised: 14 Nov 2012
Roger C. Park, Peter Tillers, Frederick Crawford Moss, D. Michael Risinger, David H. Kaye, Ronald J. Allen, Samuel R. Gross, Bruce L. Hay, Michael S. Pardo and Paul F. Kirgis
UC Hastings Law, Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, affiliation not provided to SSRN, Seton Hall University School of Law, PSU - Penn State Law (University Park), Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, University of Michigan Law School, Harvard Law School, Georgetown University Law Center and St. John's University School of Law
Downloads 419 (97,775)

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evidence, relevance, probative value, inference, Bayes' rule, likelihood ratio

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evidence, procedure, comparative law, Tanzania

11.

The Devastating Impact of Prior Crimes Evidence – And Other Myths of the Criminal Justice Process

U of Texas Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 183, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 10-74
Number of pages: 40 Posted: 06 Sep 2010 Last Revised: 25 Oct 2010
Ronald J. Allen and Larry Laudan
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and University of Texas School of Law
Downloads 416 (98,608)
Citation 1

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prior convictions, exclusionary rules, silence, Rule 403, Rule 404, jury instructions, conviction rates, NCSC, defendant testimony

12.

The Self-Incrimination Clause Explained and its Future Predicted

Number of pages: 58 Posted: 26 Dec 2003
Ronald J. Allen and M. Kristin Mace
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Independent
Downloads 373 (111,668)
Citation 2

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Evidence, criminal law and procedure, constitutional law, jurisprudence, legal theory

13.

The Juridical Management of Factual Uncertainty

Number of pages: 31 Posted: 26 Aug 2003
Ronald J. Allen and Craig R. Callen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Michigan State University-DCL College of Law (Deceased)
Downloads 319 (132,369)
Citation 1

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evidence, criminal law and procedure, constitutional law, jurisprudence, legal theory

15.

Deadly Dilemmas II: Bail and Crime

Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 08-44
Number of pages: 17 Posted: 14 Dec 2008 Last Revised: 09 Apr 2012
Ronald J. Allen and Larry Laudan
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and University of Texas School of Law
Downloads 307 (137,949)

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bail, preventive detention, prior convictions, violent crimes, serial felons

16.

The Nature of Juridical Proof: Probability as a Tool in Plausible Reasoning

21 Int. J. of Evidence and Proof, 133–142 (2017), Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 17-19
Number of pages: 11 Posted: 08 Jun 2017 Last Revised: 18 Oct 2017
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 303 (139,880)
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Plausibility, Probability, Bayes Theory, Juridical Proof, Forensic Science

17.

Taming Complexity: Rationality, the Law of Evidence, and the Nature of the Legal System

Thirteenth International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law Workshop on AI & Evidential Inference Pittsburgh, June 10, 2011, 12 Law, Probability & Risk, No. 1, Forthcoming, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 11-52
Number of pages: 18 Posted: 20 May 2011 Last Revised: 05 Oct 2012
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 267 (159,154)
Citation 3

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evidence, procedure, epistemology, rationality, artificial intelligence

18.

Legal Phenomena, Knowledge, and Theory: A Cautionary Tale of Hedgehogs and Foxes

Number of pages: 88 Posted: 06 Mar 2002
Ronald J. Allen and Ross M. Rosenberg
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Sullivan & Cromwell - New York Headquarters
Downloads 263 (161,608)

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19.

Laudan, Stein, and the Limits of Theorizing About Juridical Proof

Law and Philosophy, Vol. 29, No. 2, p. 195, 2010
Number of pages: 32 Posted: 02 Feb 2010
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 262 (162,213)
Citation 1

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evidence, procedure, criminal law, jurisprudence, economics, game theory, litigation

20.

Rationality and the Taming of Complexity

62 Alabama Law Review 1047 (2011), Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 11-51
Number of pages: 24 Posted: 13 Apr 2011 Last Revised: 05 Oct 2012
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 246 (172,514)
Citation 1

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evidence, rationality, complexity, rules, discretion, standards

21.

The Problematic Value of Mathematical Models of Evidence

Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 36, January 2007, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 900910, U of Alabama Public Law Research Paper No. 900910
Number of pages: 34 Posted: 16 May 2006 Last Revised: 26 Feb 2015
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 242 (175,219)
Citation 4

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Evidence, Statistical Evidence, Probative Value

22.

Deadly Dilemmas III: Some Kind Words for Preventive Detention

101 Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 781 (2011), Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 11-24, U of Texas Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 187
Number of pages: 25 Posted: 05 Feb 2011 Last Revised: 05 Oct 2012
Larry Laudan and Ronald J. Allen
University of Texas School of Law and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 236 (179,536)

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preventive detention, inchoate crimes, possession crimes, dangerousness, criminal law

23.

Proposed Final Draft: Tanzania Evidence Act 2014

Boston University International Law Journal, Forthcoming, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 15-25
Number of pages: 117 Posted: 01 Apr 2015 Last Revised: 26 Apr 2015
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 224 (188,561)

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evidence, procedure, comparative law, foreign law, reforming the law of evidence, law reform, Tanzania

24.

Further Reflections on the Guillotine

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Vol. 95, p. 625, 2005
Number of pages: 12 Posted: 20 Apr 2005 Last Revised: 28 Nov 2007
Ronald J. Allen and Amy Shavell
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Independent
Downloads 222 (190,175)

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25.

No Plausible Alternative to a Plausible Story of Guilt as the Rule of Decision in Criminal Cases

PROOF AND STANDARDS OF PROOF IN THE LAW, Juan Cruz, Larry Laudan, eds., 2010, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 10-27
Number of pages: 14 Posted: 28 May 2010 Last Revised: 03 Jul 2010
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 209 (201,305)

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evidence, proof, plausibility, probability, burdens of persuasion, burdens of proof, epistemology

26.

The Conceptual Challenge of Expert Evidence

Derecho Probatorio Contemporáneo: Prueba Científica y Ténicas Forenses (Contemporary Law of Evidence: Scientific Proof and Forensic Techniques) 215 (2012), republished in English at Discusiones Filosóficas. Año 14 Nº 23, julio – diciembre, 2013., Northwestern Law & Econ Research Paper No. 12-15
Number of pages: 28 Posted: 05 Sep 2012 Last Revised: 08 Apr 2014
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 203 (206,829)

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evidence, expert testimony, scientific evidence, epistemology, trials, education, deference

27.

Complexity, the Generation of Legal Knowledge, and the Future of Litigation

UCLA Law Review, Forthcoming, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 13-11, Northwestern Law & Econ Research Paper No. 13-16
Number of pages: 33 Posted: 28 Apr 2013 Last Revised: 01 May 2013
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 198 (211,491)

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28.

The Judicial Treatment of Non-Economic Compensatory Damages in the Nineteenth Century

Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 365-399, July 2007, 1st Annual Conference on Empirical Legal Studies Paper
Number of pages: 36 Posted: 02 Jul 2006
Ronald J. Allen and Alexia Brunet Marks
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and University of Colorado Law School
Downloads 187 (222,437)

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Tort Law, Non-Economic Compensatory Damages, Historical

29.

Ignoring Issues of Morality or Convicting the Innocent, Is Capital Punishment a Good Idea or a Bad Idea?

Texas Tech. L. Rev., Forthcoming, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 14-31
Number of pages: 11 Posted: 07 Jun 2014 Last Revised: 06 Jul 2014
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 175 (235,518)

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capital punishment, convicting the innocent, deadly dilemmas

30.

Conley as a Special Case of Twombly and Iqbal: Exploring the Intersection of Evidence and Procedure and the Nature of Rules

Penn State Law Review, Forthcoming
Number of pages: 56 Posted: 14 Apr 2010
Ronald J. Allen and Alan E. Guy
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and affiliation not provided to SSRN
Downloads 175 (235,518)

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evidence, procedure, jurisprudence, rules

31.

The Misguided Defenses of Miranda v. Arizona

Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, Vol. 5, p. 205, 2007
Number of pages: 10 Posted: 22 Oct 2007
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 175 (235,518)

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Miranda, coercion, compulsion, self-incrimination, incrimination, Warren court, constitutional criminal procedure, constitutional interpretation

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evidence, reform of evidence, international law, comparative law, Tanzania, code of evidence

33.

The Law’s Aversion to Naked Statistics and Other Mistakes

Legal Theory, forthcoming
Number of pages: 37 Posted: 18 Feb 2022 Last Revised: 14 Jun 2022
Ronald J. Allen and Christopher Smiciklas
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Independent
Downloads 153 (264,858)

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evidence, legal epistemology, naked statistics

34.

The Perils of Comparative Law Research

Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 15-22
Number of pages: 19 Posted: 04 Mar 2015 Last Revised: 26 Apr 2015
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 149 (269,166)
Citation 1

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Comparative law and procedure, legal practice, legal systems, litigation, courts, evidence, truth, fact-finding

35.

Reforming the Law of Evidence (Part Three): The Foundations of the Law of Evidence and Their Implications for Developing Countries

Boston University International Law Journal, Forthcoming , Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 15-24
Number of pages: 12 Posted: 26 Mar 2015 Last Revised: 26 Apr 2015
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 145 (275,165)
Citation 1

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evidence, procedure, comparative law, reform of evidence, law reform

36.

Legal Probabilism—A Qualified Rejection: A Response to Hedden and Colyvan

Number of pages: 11 Posted: 26 Mar 2019
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 120 (317,385)
Citation 2

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evidence, proof, probability, epistemology, relative plausibility, bayes theorem

37.

Inference to the Best Explanation, Relative Plausibility, and Probability

Philosophical Foundations of Evidence Law (Oxford University Press, 2021, Christian Dahlman, Alex Stein & Giovanni Tuzet eds.), Forthcoming
Number of pages: 26 Posted: 13 Oct 2020
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 116 (324,956)
Citation 1

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evidence, legal proof, abduction, inference to the best explanation, probability

38.

Clarifying Relative Plausibility: A Rejoinder

U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 3338080 (2019)
Number of pages: 18 Posted: 21 Feb 2019
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 116 (324,956)
Citation 3

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evidence, proof, epistemology, probability, plausibility, inference to the best explanation

39.

Naturalized Epistemology and the Law of Evidence Revisited

Number of pages: 37 Posted: 03 Jun 2020 Last Revised: 12 Jun 2020
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 108 (341,416)
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Naturalized Epistemology, Juridical Proof, Jurisprudence, Evidence, Knowledge, Probability, Relative Plausibility

40.

The Hearsay Rule as a Rule of Admission Revisited

Fordham Law Review, Forthcoming
Number of pages: 11 Posted: 24 Nov 2015 Last Revised: 09 Feb 2016
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 107 (343,557)
Citation 3

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evidence, hearsay, hearsay rule

41.

Fiddling While Rome Burns: The Story of the Federal Rules and Experts

Symposium on Forensic Expert Testimony, Daubert and Rule 702 (October 1, 2017), Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 17-29
Number of pages: 6 Posted: 05 Dec 2017 Last Revised: 17 Jan 2018
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 104 (350,208)

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evidence, federal rules of evidence, experts, forensics

42.

The Declining Utility of Analyzing Burdens of Persuasion

Number of pages: 24 Posted: 02 Oct 2017 Last Revised: 06 May 2018
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 102 (354,776)

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evidence, burden of proof, relative plausibility, fuzzy sets, fuzzy logic, juridical proof

43.

To Tow or Not to Tow: The Deterrence Effect of a Municipal Ordinance

Criminal Law Bulletin, Forthcoming 2011
Number of pages: 28 Posted: 16 May 2008 Last Revised: 31 May 2010
Ronald J. Allen and Alexia Brunet Marks
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and University of Colorado Law School
Downloads 78 (417,768)

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Deterrence, Municipal Law

44.

Generalizations and Reference Classes

Philosophical Foundations of Evidence Law (Oxford University Press, Christian Dahlman, Alex Stein & Giovanni Tuzet eds.), Forthcoming
Number of pages: 22 Posted: 13 Oct 2020
Michael S. Pardo and Ronald J. Allen
Georgetown University Law Center and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 76 (424,048)
Citation 1

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evidence, statistical evidence, probative value, likelihood ratio, reference-class problem

45.

A Note to My Philosophical Friends About Expertise and Legal Systems

Humana-Mente - Journal of Philosophical Studies, Forthcoming, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 15-27
Number of pages: 12 Posted: 23 Apr 2015 Last Revised: 05 May 2015
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 74 (430,346)
Citation 1

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evidence, procedure, testimony, expert testimony, knowledge, belief, justified belief, justified true belief

46.

Probability, Explanation, and Inference: A Reply

11 International Journal of Evidence & Proof 307 (2007), U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2925866
Number of pages: 12 Posted: 02 Mar 2017
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 71 (440,044)

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probability, statistical evidence, inference, relevance, probative value, standards of proof, explanations, reference classes, beyond a reasonable doubt

47.

The Gravitational Pull of Miranda’s Blackhole: The Curious Case of J.D.B. v. North Carolina

46 Texas Tech. L. Rev. 143 (2014), Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 14-30
Number of pages: 14 Posted: 07 Jun 2014 Last Revised: 06 Jul 2014
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 70 (443,359)

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Miranda, juvenile justice, Miranda's blackhole

48.

Naturalized Epistemology and the Law of Evidence: A Reply to Pardo, Spellman, Muffato, and Enoch

Quaestio Facti, 2021
Number of pages: 18 Posted: 01 Apr 2021
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 66 (457,121)

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probability, relative plausibility, epistemology, safety, sensitivity

49.

Explanations and the Preponderance Standard: Still Kicking Rocks with Dr. Johnson

48 Seton Hall Law Review, Forthcoming, U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 3220019
Number of pages: 12 Posted: 02 Aug 2018
Michael S. Pardo and Ronald J. Allen
Georgetown University Law Center and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 65 (460,613)

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evidence, juridical proof, probability, plausibility, explanations, standards of proof, preponderance of the evidence, summary judgment, judgment as a matter of law

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evidence, procedure, complex adaptive systems, complexity theory, human flourishing, common law, markets, elections

51.

A Positive Theory of the Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine

Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 19, No. 359, 1990
Number of pages: 41 Posted: 30 Mar 2017
Ronald J. Allen, Mark F. Grady, Daniel D. Polsby and Michael Yashko
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law, George Mason University - Antonin Scalia Law School, Faculty and Independent
Downloads 29 (630,327)
Citation 1

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confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, ethics

52.

The Error of Expected Loss Minimization

Law, Probability and Risk, Vol. 2, pp. 1-7, 2003
Posted: 29 Feb 2008
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

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burden of persuasion, decision theory, expected utility, errors in litigation, equality, jury trials, algorithms, formalisms, formal reasoning