Williams v. Illinois

Amicus curiae brief of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Brief filed: 12/06/2011

Documents

Williams v. Illinois

United States Supreme Court; Case No. 10-8505

Argument(s)

DNA laboratory analysts are not infallible. Developing a DNA profile of a suspect from biologic evidence collected in a criminal investigation is a complicated process requiring skill and judgment; making the prosecution expert who declares a DNA “match” available for cross-examination does not obviate the necessity of cross-examination of the lab analyst who actually did the benchwork developing the DNA profile. 

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Author(s)

Sandra K. Levick and Catharine F. Easterly, Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, Washington, DC.