Law and Expertise | 2024 Boston University Law Review Symposium

Description: From the use of algorithms in criminal law to critiques of the administrative state, the relationship between law and expertise sits at the heart of debates about democracy and governance. At this symposium we hope to explore a shared set of questions about the interactions between law and expertise: How does the law shape the formation of epistemic communities, both expert and non-expert? Who has the authority to speak? When and why should we recognize expertise? What forms of expertise should we value in a democratic society? How are developments in technology, in the economy, and in civil society redefining expertise in the law? How can law and proponents of expertise most effectively respond to contemporary challenges to and rejections of claims of expertise? How are claims of expertise misused, both intentionally and unintentionally, to harm underrepresented communities? This symposium aims to gather leading scholars to examine the current relationship between expertise and law and explore future directions.