Criminal defendants have no federal constitutional right of access to DNA evidence after they are convicted, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
By a 5-4 vote in District Attorney’s Office for the Third Judicial District v. Osborne, the court concluded that establishing rules on DNA evidence should be the job of legislators, not justices. “To suddenly constitutionalize this area would short-circuit what looks to be a prompt and considered legislative response” by the states and Congress, wrote Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. for the majority.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
