An expert is someone who is perceived by others to possess
knowledge and/or technique in a specialized field of study or
activity beyond that of the average person. Typically an expert
has formal credentials or academic degrees and has avoided
saying anything that is politically incorrect. Often experts
rely on liberal influence inherent in university departments,
government grants, and/or decisions by attorneys in retaining
them for legal cases. The U.S. Supreme Court began to limit the
use of expert testimony in trials in Daubert v. Merrell Dow
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Subsequent decisions have placed
additional limits on the use of experts in trials, but they
still exert enormous influence on juries.