Whether expert evidence based on or involving chemistry or materials science is sufficiently scientific and reliable to satisfy the requirements of Federal Rule of Evidence 702 or comparable State rules for the admissibility of expert evidence

United States v. Austrew, 202 F. Supp. 816, 822 (D. Md. 1962) (upholding trial court's admission of a birth certificate [which was offered to prove the age of victim Shirley Monroe] as a public record because "the document was properly sealed and certified.").There is a hearsay exception for government records of births, fetal deaths, deaths, or marriages if such records are based on legally-required reports made to a public office.

United States v. Bruguier, 161 F.3d 1145, 1148-1150 (8th Cir. 1998) (upholding trial court's ruling which allowed the government to cross-examine the accused's opinion character evidence witnesses on their knowledge about specific incidents in order to explore the bases for holding such opinions).Although a character witness who testifies to the reputation of another person or gives an opinion of the character of another person cannot testify to specific instances of that person's conduct to bolster the character witness's testimony, an opposing party may question the character witness about specific instances of the person's conduct to show that the character witness' testimony about the character of the person was not well-founded.

Fed. R. Evid. 401 advisory committee's note ("The standard of probability under the rule is 'more * * * probable than it would be without the evidence.' Any more stringent requirement is unworkable and unrealistic. As McCormick Section 152, p. 317, says, 'A brick is not a wall,' or, as Falknor, Extrinsic Policies Affecting Admissibility,...Evidence is relevant if it increases or decreases to any degree the probability of a fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action.