Ronald J. Allen

Northwestern University Law School

John Henry Wigmore Professor of Law

375 E. Chicago Ave

Chicago, IL 60611

United States

  • Northwestern University Law School

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    • Tel: 312-503-8372
    • Fax: 312-503-2035
SCHOLARLY PAPERS

47

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Scholarly Papers (47)

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1.

Naturalized Epistemology and the Law of Evidence

Virginia Law Review, 2001, Forthcoming
Number of pages: 73 Posted: 11 Dec 2001
Ronald J. Allen and Brian Leiter
Northwestern University Law School and University of Chicago
Downloads 1,023 (20,768)

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2.

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
University of Alabama School of Law and Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 805 (29,296)

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

3.

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 Law School and Israel Supreme Court
Downloads 718 (34,302)
Citation 2

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

4.

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 Law School and University of Texas School of Law
Downloads 487 (56,928)
Citation 6

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5.

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 Law School and University of Alabama School of Law
Downloads 414 (69,442)
Citation 1

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

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evidence, procedure, comparative law, Tanzania

7.

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 Law School and University of Texas School of Law
Downloads 388 (74,995)
Citation 1

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

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 Law School
Downloads 375 (77,961)

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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
University of California Hastings College of the Law, Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, affiliation not provided to SSRN, Seton Hall University School of Law, Pennsylvania State University, Penn State Law, Northwestern University Law School, University of Michigan Law School, Harvard Law School, University of Alabama School of Law and St. John's University School of Law
Downloads 374 (78,188)

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

10.

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 Law School
Downloads 351 (84,199)

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

11.

The Self-Incrimination Clause Explained and its Future Predicted

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 2003
Number of pages: 58 Posted: 26 Dec 2003
Ronald J. Allen and M. Kristin Mace
Northwestern University Law School and Independent
Downloads 349 (84,769)
Citation 1

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

12.

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 Law School and University of Alabama School of Law
Downloads 320 (93,393)

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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

13.

The Juridical Management of Factual Uncertainty

International Journal of Evidence & Proof, Vol. 7, p. 1, 2003
Number of pages: 31 Posted: 26 Aug 2003
Ronald J. Allen and Craig R. Callen
Northwestern University Law School and Michigan State University-DCL College of Law (Deceased)
Downloads 292 (103,232)

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14.

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 Law School and University of Texas School of Law
Downloads 283 (106,746)

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

15.

Burdens of Persuasion in Civil Cases: Algorithms V. Explanations

Law Review of Michigan State University-Detroit College of Law, Forthcoming
Number of pages: 62 Posted: 08 Jan 2004
Ronald J. Allen and Sarah Lively
Northwestern University Law School and Northwestern University - Pritzker School of Law
Downloads 280 (107,954)

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

16.

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

Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 02-3
Number of pages: 88 Posted: 06 Mar 2002
Ronald J. Allen and Ross M. Rosenberg
Northwestern University Law School and Sullivan & Cromwell - New York Headquarters
Downloads 256 (118,634)

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17.

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 Law School
Downloads 246 (123,564)

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

18.

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 Law School
Downloads 236 (128,835)

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evidence, procedure, epistemology, rationality, artificial intelligence

19.

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 Law School
Downloads 224 (135,624)

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

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 Law School
Downloads 221 (137,391)

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evidence, rationality, complexity, rules, discretion, standards

21.

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 Law School
Downloads 217 (139,873)

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Plausibility, Probability, Bayes Theory, Juridical Proof, Forensic Science

22.

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 Law School and Independent
Downloads 213 (142,362)

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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 Law School
Downloads 194 (155,392)

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

24.

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 Law School
Downloads 184 (163,014)

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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 Law School
Downloads 183 (163,860)

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

26.

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 Law School and University of Alabama School of Law
Downloads 181 (165,451)

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Evidence, Statistical Evidence, Probative Value

27.

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 Law School and University of Colorado Law School
Downloads 178 (167,949)

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Tort Law, Non-Economic Compensatory Damages, Historical

28.

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 Law School
Downloads 171 (174,009)

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

29.

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 Law School and affiliation not provided to SSRN
Downloads 167 (177,620)

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evidence, procedure, jurisprudence, rules

30.

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 Law School
Downloads 164 (180,382)

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capital punishment, convicting the innocent, deadly dilemmas

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 Law School
Downloads 156 (188,192)

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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 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 Law School
Downloads 127 (222,138)

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

34.

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 Law School
Downloads 107 (251,792)

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

35.

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 Law School
Downloads 92 (278,425)

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evidence, hearsay, hearsay rule

36.

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 Law School
Downloads 86 (290,576)

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evidence, federal rules of evidence, experts, forensics

37.

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 Law School
Downloads 77 (310,493)

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

38.

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 Law School and University of Colorado Law School
Downloads 67 (335,535)

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Deterrence, Municipal Law

39.

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 Law School
Downloads 66 (338,201)

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

40.

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 Law School and University of Alabama School of Law
Downloads 65 (340,837)
Citation 1

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

41.

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 Law School
Downloads 64 (343,598)

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Miranda, juvenile justice, Miranda's blackhole

42.

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 Law School and University of Alabama School of Law
Downloads 57 (363,945)

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

43.

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

Number of pages: 11 Posted: 26 Mar 2019
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 56 (367,054)

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

44.

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
University of Alabama School of Law and Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 43 (410,995)

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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

46.

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 Law School, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law, George Mason University School of Law and Independent
Downloads 19 (525,235)

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confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, ethics

47.

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 Law School

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