Chief Justice signals high court will hear Md. DNA case

[Casino67]

Baltimore Sun:

 

 

Calling

DNA collection from those arrested for certain feloniesa "valuable tool for investigating unsolved crimes," Chief Justice John G. Roberts on Monday said there was a "fair prospect" that the nation's high court would overturn a Maryland ruling striking down the practice as unconstitutional.

 

The

U.S. Supreme Court has not yet agreed to take on the issue, but statements made by Roberts in a four-page opinion signaled that was likely. The Maryland attorney general's office plans to file a petition asking for the court's review by mid-August.

 

State officials and local law enforcement authorities lauded the development, saying that DNA collection saves lives and clears the streets of dangerous criminals by matching arrestees with prior crimes. But defense attorneys and others questioned what it could mean for civil rights.

 

 

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Seems as though any decision by SCOTUS will affect many more states than just Maryland.