A study of judges’ perceptions about digital evidence has not been previously accomplished because the digital forensics research field has been, in large part, illdefined. Specifically, the digital evidence domain still lacks a universally accepted
definition, foundational research, and a substantial body of literature (R. B. Vaughn, personal communication,July 22, 2010). Further, recent efforts to define a research agenda for the digital forensics community involved an examination of technical issues such as network forensics, evidence modeling, and mobile devices rather than social aspects such as the understanding of digital evidence (Beebe, 2009; Nance, Hay, & Bishop, 2009).