Court Rules on Autism-Vaccine Link

The US Court of Federal Claims’ ruling:

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has ruled that vaccinations — or, more specifically, thimerosal, an additive in some vaccinations — does not cause autism. The court considered three separate claims for damages, but ruled Friday in each of them that the vaccinations the children received were unconnected to their eventual diagnoses of autism.

Is it just me, or is this kind of crazy?  Since when were courts invested with the power to make final medical evaluations?  This is different than something like Roe v. Wade, which deals specifically with medical policy.  It decided legal issues surrounding abortion, not any medical or scientific questions.  It just doesn’t seem right for a court – a judge or judges who likely have no scientific expertise – to be making a medical judgment.  I wonder what kind of legal precedents there are for something like this.  (There may be some – I’m genuinely curious.)

-Aaron Bekemeyer