This article argues (to the legal community and especially to communityoriented psychologists) that, despite some philosophical and methodological differences between law and the social sciences, research in community psychology is an especially appropriate medium for deriving much of the expert testimony that is central to public interest~social change litigation. Judicial attitudes toward the use of social scientific knowledge throughout this century are discussed, with the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision viewed as the turning point, not only for civil rights fitigation but also for the judicial recognition of social research. While the courtroom use of social science theories and testimony has generally expanded, community psychologists have yet to play as major a role as their method and field of inquiry warrant. It is concluded that community psychologists and those involved in public interest litigation need to pay closer and more systematic attention to one another's work.