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Forensic Genetic Genealogy: Police Are Searching Genetic Genealogy Companies’ Databases Regardless of Whether They Have Permission
Loaded on Dec. 1, 2024
by Ann Foster, Matthew Clarke
published in Criminal Legal News
December, 2024, page 1
by Matt Clarke with research assistance by Ann Foster
Millions of people have submitted oral cheek (buccal) swab samples to companies like 23andMe and Ancestry hoping to use their DNA to trace their ancestors and locate relatives in a process known as genetic genealogy. By comparing their DNA to that ...
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More from this issue:
- Forensic Genetic Genealogy: Police Are Searching Genetic Genealogy Companies’ Databases Regardless of Whether They Have Permission, by Ann Foster, Matthew Clarke
- Montana Supreme Court: Expert Witness Testimony Presented Via Two-Way Video Conferencing Technology Violates Confrontation Clause, by Sam Rutherford
- Indigent Defense: Appointed Counsel Does Not Mean Free Counsel, by David Reutter
- Parole Rate Plummets in South Carolina, by Matthew Clarke
- Washington Supreme Court Announces Prohibition Against Use of ‘In-Court Holding Cell’ for Court Proceedings Without Individualized Determination of Need, by Sam Rutherford
- False Confessions and Wrongful Convictions: Known Causes and Steps to Eliminate Them, by Douglas Ankney
- Federal Court Rules Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Laws Violate Constitution, by Dale Chappell
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Announces Prosecution’s Duty to Provide Discoverable Evidence Upon Request Applies to Discoverable Items in Law Enforcement Agencies’ Possession Unbeknownst to Prosecution and Exclusion Is Appropriate Remedy for Violation, by Sam Rutherford
- Second Circuit Holds Full De Novo Resentencing Hearing Required Based on Partially Successful Habeas Petition Where Resentencing Judge Not Original Judge and Changed Circumstances Plausibly Alleged, by Sam Rutherford
- Michigan Supreme Court: Fundamentally Unfair to Deny Indigent Defendant Funds to Retain False Confession Expert Where Genuineness of Confession Key Issue at Trial, by Sam Rutherford
- Ninth Circuit Grants Habeas Relief to California Prisoner on Napue Claim Because Prosecution Failed to Correct Informant’s False Testimony That He Did Not Receive Any Benefit In Exchange for His Testimony, by Sam Rutherford
- Nevada Supreme Court Announces Incorporated Probable Cause Affidavit Cannot Broaden Scope of Warrant’s Description of Places and Persons to be Searched or Items to Be Seized, by Anthony Accurso
- Wrongfully Convicted Actor Exonerated After 24 Years in Prison
- Missouri Man Awarded Record $38 Million After Insurance Company Refuses to Pay Wrongful Conviction Settlement, by Sam Rutherford
- California Supreme Court Announces Uncharged and Unproven Offense-Specific Enhancements May Not Be Imposed Under § 1172.6(e) Resentencing, by Sam Rutherford
- Arkansas Supreme Court Announces Petition for Testing Forensic Evidence Based on Advances in Technology Under Act 1780 of 2001 May Be Filed by Anyone Convicted of a Crime, Not Just Those Still in State Custody, by Anthony Accurso
- Rhode Island Supreme Court: Officer Lacked Reasonable Suspicion for Terry Stop Based on Unsubstantiated, Anonymous Tip, by Sam Rutherford
- Third Circuit: Despite ‘Expressly and Repeatedly’ Requesting Low-End Sentence, Government Breached Plea Agreement by Emphasizing ‘Heinous’ Nature of Offense and Presenting Victim-Impact Evidence at Sentencing Thereby Undermining Recommendation, by Sam Rutherford
- Indiana Supreme Court: Defendant Entitled to Discharge by Showing No Court ‘Congestion’ After Trial Court’s Unexplained Denial of Speedy Trial Motion, by Sam Rutherford
- Mississippi Supreme Court: Defendant’s Guilty Plea Not Knowing and Voluntary Because He Was Not Informed of His Habitual Offender Status, by Sam Rutherford
- Washington Supreme Court: Judgment and Sentence Facially Invalid Based on Miscalculated Offender Score Despite Defendant’s Stipulation to Exceptional Sentence, by Sam Rutherford
- Cell-Site Simulator Proposal: A Glimpse Inside the Black Box Whose Secrets Are Protected by NDAs and Obfuscation, by Michael Thompson
- Chula Vista’s Police Drones, by Michael Thompson
- News In Brief
More from Ann Foster:
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Texas Social Workers Challenge Blanket Denial of State Occupational License Based on Youthful Assault Convictions, Aug. 1, 2025
- After Judge’s Letter, at Least 22 Former FCI Dublin Prisoners Granted Compassionate Release, Aug. 1, 2025
- Nebraska Supreme Court Clarifies Award of Time Served Credit for Non-Citizen Awaiting Extradition, Aug. 1, 2025
- Former Oregon Prison Guard Sergeant Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Imprisoned Women, Aug. 1, 2025
- Nebraska Supreme Court Clarifies Procedure for Crediting Jail Time to Multiple Contemporaneously-Imposed Sentences, Aug. 1, 2025
- Over One-Third of Older Texas Prisoners Suffering Cognitive Impairment, July 15, 2025
- Kansas Supreme Court Revives Prisoner’s Challenge to Loss of Parental Rights, June 1, 2025
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Baha’i Texas Prisoner’s Dietary Claim, June 1, 2025
- $5.6 Million Settlement for California Prisoner’s Wife Strip-searched During Visit, June 1, 2025
- Academic Study of Prison Guards’ Use of Excessive Force Details Sad State of Civil Rights for Abused Prisoners, June 1, 2025
More from these topics:
- How to Build a Human; A Forensics Company Tells Cops It Can Use DNA to Predict a Suspect’s Face. Scientists Worry the Tool Will Deepen Racial Bias., Sept. 15, 2025. Forensic Sciences, Fourth Amendment, rights, DNA Evidence, Advanced Imaging Technology.
- Latest Jail Booking Info Is Based on New Data Source, July 15, 2025. Databases, Arrest and Booking.
- Federal Government Circumventing Fourth Amendment by Buying Data From Data Brokers, April 15, 2025. Databases, Searches - Cellphones/Computers/Internet, Immigration Law/Offenses, Fourth Amendment.
- California Police Misused State Databases Over 7,000 Times in 2023, March 15, 2025. Police Misconduct, Databases.
- ‘Fictional Pleas’ and ‘Hidden Departures’: Failure to Collect Data on Binding Federal Plea Bargains Hinders Researchers, Feb. 15, 2025. Databases, Disclosure of Records, Public Records Act, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- Study: DNA Transfer in Social Settings, Feb. 15, 2025. DNA Testing/Samples, Forensic Sciences, DNA Evidence, DNA Evidence/Testing.
- Study Highlights Limitations in Forensic DNA Analysis Involving Lower Genetic Diversity Groups, Feb. 1, 2025. Diversity Jurisdiction, Forensic Sciences, DNA Evidence.
- You’d Better Watch Out: The Surveillance State Is Making a List, and You’re On It, Dec. 15, 2024. Databases, Police State-Surveillance.
- Minnesota’s $100 Million-Per-Year Civil Commitment Program Has No “Discernible Impact” on Sex Crimes, Oct. 15, 2024. Sex Offenders (Discrimination), Databases, Civil Commitment.
- Cops Want to Use DNA for Facial Recognition, Oct. 1, 2024. Computer Searches, DNA Evidence.