U.S. v. Herrera

In prosecution on drug charges, Dist. Ct. did not err in allowing expert witness to testify regarding his opinion that latent fingerprint on taped bag of heroin matched patent fingerprint known to be defendant’s. Ct. found that expert’s method of matching fingerprints was sufficiently reliable under Rule 703, even if said method was not infallible. Defendant also was not deprived of fair trial when said trial was delayed 11 days by mandamus proceeding that resulted in mid-trial reassignment of case to different judge following appellate reversal of suppression order that had originally been entered in favor of defendant, even though defendant argued that said delay and reassignment posed risk that jury might draw erroneous inference from replacement of district judge.