Flawed witness testimony is as old as the notion of justice itself. A witness may have unquestionable integrity, but his memories and perspectives may be incomplete or incorrect. In his August Illinois Bar Journal column, retired circuit court judge Ron Spears examines Abraham Lincoln’s famous almanac trial for the lessons it reveals about flawed witnesses. Spears also discusses how discoveries in neuroscience are adding to our understanding of human memory and eyewitness identification. 

Spears, along with attorney and historian George Dekle, are leading the 2018 Lincoln Legal Legacy CLE Course in Beardstown on Sept. 7 at the courthouse where Lincoln argued the almanac trial. The program also will include a discussion on flawed eyewitness testimony in today’s legal world. 

Read more in the August issue of the Illinois Bar Journal.