Trial courts evaluating the admissibility of expert testimony on novel scientific issues need to act as “gatekeepers,” an attorney told the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday, in a closely watched case that could provide new guidance on how the state’s trial courts apply the Frye test.

Duane Morris attorney Robert Byer told the justices that Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge R. Stanton Wettick was properly performing his job when he reviewed an expert’s methodology and available evidence in determining whether there were any “analytical gaps” in the expert’s proffered opinion.