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Is Mass. Facing An Evidence Testing Problem?

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A breathalyzer test is administered. The tests were barred from evidence in most Massachusetts drunken driving cases after it was discovered that the state wasn't transparent about flaws in testing. (KOMUnews/Flickr)
A breathalyzer test is administered. The tests were barred from evidence in most Massachusetts drunken driving cases after it was discovered that the state wasn't transparent about flaws in testing. (KOMUnews/Flickr)

A ruling out of Concord District Court calls into question the accuracy of breathalyzer machine tests in Massachusetts and could impact 20,000 drunken-driving cases in the state. The cases occurred between June 2012 and September 2014.

In a hearing decision issued last week, Judge Robert Brennan found that the state's Office of Alcohol Testing failed to prove its methodology for calibrating its breath-testing machines.

WBUR legal analyst Nancy Gertner joins the show to discuss the ruling and other legal news.

Guest

Nancy Gertner, former Massachusetts federal judge, senior lecturer on law at Harvard Law School and WBUR legal analyst.

This article was originally published on February 20, 2017.

This segment aired on February 20, 2017.

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