An influential federal district judge whose opinions on e-discovery are well respected may have set e-discovery on a path toward its most searching scrutiny yet.
In Disability Rights Council v. Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, 242 F.R.D. 139 (D.D.C. 2007), Judge John M. Facciola recommended “concept searching,” — the use of complex search engines that make use of linguistic or statistical patterning to locate responsive e-mails and electronic -documents, in order for a tardy producer of discovery to wade through voluminous electronically stored information quickly. Interestingly, Facciola made no mention of whether the use of concept searching tools should be subject to Federal Rule of Evidence 702, which governs the admission of scientific or expert testimony.
