JURIMETRICS
The study of law and science.
Used primarily in academia to mean a strictly empirical approach to the law, the term
jurimetrics originated in the 1960s as the use of computers in law practice began to revolutionize the areas of legal research, evidence analysis,
and data management. A neologism whose
roots suggest JURISPRUDENCE and measure-
ment, it was popularized by the AMERICAN BAR
ASSOCIATION (ABA), whose quarterly Jurimet-
rics Journal of Law, Science, and Technology is a
widely respected publication with an interna-
tional focus.
Although the effect of science on law has
a long history, modern developments date only
to the second half of the twentieth century. Pre-
cipitating the rise of the contemporary legal
practice—which relies heavily on computers to
research relevant law and, in some cases, to
analyze evidence—was an emphasis on logical
reasoning. Leading the way in this area was the
ABA, which in 1959 began publishing in its
journal Modern Uses of Logic in Law papers
arguing in favor of applying a strict, systematic
approach to the law. The advent of more pow-
erful and affordable computers allowed sym-
bolic logic (the use of formulas to express
logical problems) to be applied on a more prac-
tical scale. As the possibilities inherent in rapid
data retrieval caused a burst of research during
the mid-1960s, the ABA renamed the journal
Jurimetrics.
Published by the ABA’s Section of Law and
Technology, Jurimetrics examines a wide range
of interrelated scientific and legal topics. The
journal’s articles cover the influence on law of
the so-called hard sciences as well as the social
sciences, disciplines such as engineering and
communications, methodologies such as sym-
bolic logic and statistics, and the use of
technology in law practice, legislation, and adju-
dication. Thus, article topics range from the
state of the art in DNA EVIDENCE to experimen-
tal research on jury decision making. Also con-
cerned with the regulation of science and
technology, Jurimetrics examines cutting edge
issues such as electronic security and COPY-
