NLADA: Defender Legal Services - Forensic Science Resources

DNA tests have the potential to produce powerful and convincing results, but that potential is not always realized. Careful evaluation sometimes reveals significant problems that render DNA evidence far less probative than it might initially appear.

Forensics Library

DNA

DNA Database Issues

	Affidavit of Don Parker (IL vs. Luna) An affidavit by the CODIS administrator Don Parker in response to court order to conduct a pair-wise comparison of the profiles in the Illinois offender database. Alleges that such a search would tie up the resources of the ISP for an intolerable ... [ Submitter: PDSDC \| more info/full abstract ]
	STR Partial Profile in the AZ Database (Myers Presentation) Presentation summarizes the AZ database matching. Beginning with the birthday paradox, Meyers suggests that the number of matches that occur at 9 of 13 loci is not a lot higher than one would expect (observed is 122 matches, expected is 100). At 10 ... [ Submitter: PDSDC \| more info/full abstract ]
	New Jersey v. LR (Juvenile Databasing) Decision by New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, where defense challenged the retroactive application of amended DNA statute. [ Submitter: PDSDC \| more info ]
	Motion for a Supervisory Order (IL vs. Luna) This is a response to a court order for the Illinois State Police to analyze its forensic DNA database to determine the number of matches among the various profiles. The database has already been searched but the ISP and the FBI do not want to ... [ Submitter: PDSDC \| more info/full abstract ]
	*Petition for Hearing on RMP Admissibility Petition by Defense to grant a hearing on the admissibility of the random match probability. Grounds for this hearing is that the RMP does not accurately state the significance of a match. [ Submitter: PDSDC \| more info ]
	*Johnson Amicus Letter Includes an open letter signed by 25 scientists where the point is made that the question of statistical methods in forensic DNA analysis is a scienific question, the answer to which requires input from geneticists, statisticians and other ... [ Submitter: PDSDC \| more info/full abstract ]
	Attorney General Opposition to DNA Database Disclosure Opposition by the California Department of Justice to defense request to conduct pairwise comparisons of all profiles in the state's forensic DNA database. Reasons cited for opposition are: 1) the information is protected by non-disclosure ... [ Submitter: PDSDC \| more info/full abstract ]
	Affidavit of Bruce Budowle (IL vs. Luna) An affidavit by Bruce Budowle in response to IL court order to conduct a pair-wise comparison of the profiles in the Illinois offender database. Budowle states that a convicted offender database is an inappropriate source of DNA data for ... [ Submitter: PDSDC \| more info/full abstract ]
	Arizona Database Search Report This report was obtained in November of 2005. It lists matches present in the Arizona convicted offender database between unrelated people at 9 (122 matches) and 10 loci (20 matches). [ Submitter: DC PDS \| more info ]
	A Nine STR Match Between Two Apparently Unrelated Individuals Paper on coincidental 9-loci match between unrelated individuals in the Arizona convicted offender database. [ Submitter: DC PDS \| more info ]

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