11/22/2025
Family Justice Resource Center ·
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨
The New Jersey Supreme Court has released a major ruling in State v. Nieves, a decision that could influence how infant injury cases are handled nationwide: https://www.njcourts.gov/cases/a-2627-23
In its opinion, the Court found that Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)—as it is often used to interpret a baby’s medical symptoms—is not accepted within the field of biomechanics, the science that examines how injuries occur. Because of that, the Court ruled that SBS cannot be presented in court as a certain or exclusive explanation for infant medical findings.
The ruling represents one of the clearest judicial acknowledgments yet that the cluster of symptoms historically linked to SBS does not point to a single cause. In both cases before the Court, prosecutors relied on the same Child Abuse Pediatrician, Dr. Gladibel Medina, who told authorities that the infants’ conditions could only be the result of inflicted harm. After reviewing scientific literature spanning several decades, the justices concluded that the broader scientific community has never reached that level of certainty.
The decision arrives at a moment when families and medical professionals across the country have raised concerns about Child Abuse Pediatricians (CAPs) identifying abuse based on patterns that may have multiple medical explanations. The Court’s opinion addresses those concerns directly, emphasizing that expert testimony must reflect what the science can reliably support.
With Dr. Medina’s testimony excluded, the State now faces major challenges in both prosecutions. Her opinions formed the backbone of each case, and without them, the charges will have to be reassessed. Legal analysts say the ruling leaves prosecutors with significantly less evidence than they originally relied on, and it may prompt broader review of similar cases that depended heavily on SBS-based conclusions.
The Family Justice Resource Center participated in the case by submitting an amicus brief.
Supreme Court case questioning the scientific reliability of abusive head trauma diagnosis, also known as shaken baby syndrome. Certification and appeal dates set for March and October 2024.
