Dec. 6, 2023 – According to Bicka Barlow, the legal system is struggling to keep up with advances in genetic genealogy, which uses DNA tests and other techniques to make deductions about genetic relationships between people.
“As with many other DNA techniques, this is being rushed into the legal system without much scrutiny,” Barlow said.
Barlow, an attorney and forensic consultant, is scheduled to speak at the Forensic Justice Institute on Jan. 19, 2024, a virtual event co-sponsored by the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences and the State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE®.
Barlow said that the use of genetic genealogy poses several issues for the criminal justice system. For instance: how are genetic searches documented, for discovery purposes? And do genetic searches – of both defendants and their relatives – raise Fourth Amendment concerns?
“The other thing that’s of interest is whether the use of genetic databases such as MyHeritage GEDmatch is being abused by law enforcement agencies to do these searches and whether there’s some legal challenge that a defendant can mount to that,” Barlow said.
Forensic Justice Institute 2024
The Forensic Justice Institute examines the use and application of scientific evidence presented in court. Hosted by the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences (CIFS) and State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE®, this event brings together experts in forensics and national speakers to provide an impartial evaluation of current scientific methods and their often-submitted evidential results.
The institute is your opportunity to gain a clearer understanding of the reliability of these methods to ensure your next case relies on science facts rather than science fiction.
Topics covered include:
- DNA Analysis
- Digital forensics
- Judicial insights
- Forensic chemistry
- Ethical duties regarding bad convictions
- And more
About the Forensic Justice Institute
Where: Online
When: 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19, 2024
Visit WisBar.org’s Marketplace for more information and to register.
Note that the Forensic Justice Institute will be submitted to the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners for up to 8.5 CLE and 1.5 EPR credits.
