Ethics

Obama Maintains Bush Position on DNA Access

By Ed Brayton

Yet another absolutely appalling example of the Obama administration continuing a vile Bush administration position in a legal case with a profound effect on freedom and the rule of law. Now the Obama DOJ is continuing to support the Bush administration's position that prisoners do not have a right to access DNA evidence that may prove their innocence:

The solicitor general's office has turned down a request by the Innocence Project to disavow a Bush Administration stance on prisoners' access to DNA evidence in postconviction proceedings. As a result, on March 2, Neal Katyal will make his debut as deputy solicitor general by arguing before the Supreme Court in support of the state of Alaska's view that prisoners have no constitutional right to obtain DNA evidence that might help them prove their innocence -- even if the prisoners pay for the DNA testing themselves. The case is District Attorney's Office for the Third Judicial District v. Osborne.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on February 26, 2009 (boomark / email).