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Frye v. United States - Significance, Impact, The Polygraph

test evidence court appellant

Appellant

James Alphonzo Frye

Appellee

United States

Appellant's Claim

That the trial court erred when it refused the introduction of a systolic blood pressure deception test and expert testimony on the test as evidence.

Chief Lawyers for Appellant

Richard V. Mattingly, Foster Wood

Chief Lawyers for Appellee

Peyton Gordon, J. H. Bilbrey

Justices for the Court

George Ewing Martin, Constantine J. Smyth, Josiah A. Van Orsdel (writing for the court)

Justices Dissenting

None

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

3 December 1923

Decision

Upheld the conviction of Frye by refusing to admit the deception test into evidence.

Related Cases

  • Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993).
  • United States v. Scheffer, 118 S.Ct. 1261 (1998).

Sources

American Polygraph Association. http://www.polygraph.org

Further Readings

  • Cushman, Robert F. Leading Constitutional Decisions. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1982.
  • Green, Eric D., and Charles R. Nesson. "Expert Testimony, Scientific Proof, and Junk Science." Problems, Cases, and Materials on Evidence. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1994.
  • Lyons, Thomas. "Frye, Daubert, and Where Do We Go From Here?" Rhode Island Bar Journal, January 1997.

Additional Topics

Frye v. United States - Significance

The ruling set a standard for the acceptance of expert testimony in court that, by the early 1970s, was adopted by almost all state and federal courts. In 1923 James Alphonzo Frye appealed his conviction for second degree murder. Frye, who had confessed and later retracted his admission, had been prosecuted by the federal government and convicted by a jury sitting in a Washington, D.C. trial court…

Frye v. United States - Impact

For years, lie detector tests were inadmissible as evidence in virtually all courts. However, in the 1970s and 1980s, as the practice of lie detection gradually gained respect in the scientific community, some courts began to admit the evidence in certain situations and for limited purposes in both criminal and civil trials. However, courts in most states continue to prohibit any and all forms of …

Frye v. United States - The Polygraph

A polygraph machine measures an examinee's rate of heartbeat and blood pressure, perspiration, and breathing with various sensing devices. Questions are asked of the examinee while he or she is connected to the machine, and polygraph examiners claim to be able to detect when an examinee is not telling the truth by analysis of these measurements. The American Polygraph Association claims that polyg…

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User Comments

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over 1 year ago

clarissa

what was the major impact of this case.... ???

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over 3 years ago

what was the result of the case. the court decision?

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over 3 years ago

james

how many courts did the frye case went through?

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over 3 years ago

Angela Sa'o

How many courts did this case go through?

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over 3 years ago

Angela Sa'o

is there any other resouces about this case, i need it for my class.

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about 4 years ago

What was the reason Frye was in court anyways, I'm doing a project on this case but everywhere i go just talk about the end of the court case.

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over 5 years ago

Was there a Federal Law in the U.S. Constitution regulating Lie Detector Tests before the Appeals Court made a Ruling in Frye vs.United States in 1923? Thank You!

Sincerely:

John

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over 1 year ago

clarissa

what was the major impact of this case.... ???