Penn & Teller Warn Supreme Court About Junk Science
Magic performers Penn & Teller have filed a U.S. Supreme Court brief in support of death row inmate Charles Don Flores. The brief highlights that key evidence used to convict Flores was tainted by a police officer’s use of “investigative hypnosis” on a witness. This discredited technique, which falsely purports memory to be a recording device, led the witness to identify Flores despite initial descriptions not matching him. Penn Jillette, an expert in misdirection, argues that such questionable practices mirror his own stagecraft and should invalidate the evidence.
John Q. Hosedrinker