The Judges' Journal

• Genetics in the Courtroom: An Introduction

The Scientific Perspective

• Introducing the Human Genome Project: Its Relevance, Triumphs, and Challenges
  Provides an overview of the Human Genome Project, touching upon the science, the organizational goals, the ethical and social issues, and the role of the courts
  By Ari Patrinos and Daniel W. Drell

• The Molecules of Life
  Explains the basic nature of DNA: what it is, how it works
  By Mahlon Hoagland and Bert Dodson

• What Can the New Gene Tests Tell Us?
  Offers a brief DNA introduction and discusses the gene tests that the HGP is engendering and what they mean for a healthier future
  By Denise K. Casey

• Interpreting Scientific Evidence: Comparing the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Program and Courts of Law
  Compares and contrasts the scientific method with the legal approach, and discusses the tensions between science and legal proof
  By John H. Ferguson

The Adjudicatory Perspective

• The End of Natural History and the Beginning of Engineered Evolution in the Courts
  Discussses the upcoming explosion of genetic science in our courts and explores how that fact will make societal and legal issues more complex in the years ahead
  By Franklin M. Zweig

• Using Courts' Equity Jurisdiction in Genetics Cases
  Presents a number of genetics-related scenarios and how they may be played out in the nation's courts
  By Michael Brennan Getty and Martin J. O'Hara

• The Evolving Standards of Admissibility of Scientific Evidence
  Explores the history of Frye and Daubert and their impact on the presentation of scientific evidence in court
  By Joseph T. Walsh

• Sidebar: Trying a Different Tack by U.S. Rep. Howard Coble. Offers a legislative option for the presentation of scientific evidence in court

• Judicial Branch Rulemaking and the Admission, Use, and Limitation of Genetic Information in Federal Courts
  Investigates Frye and Daubert as well as Federal Rules of Evidence 702 and 501, and weighs their potential impact on genetic information admissibility in the federal courts
  By Alicemarie H. Stotler

• Instructing Juries in Genomic Evidence Cases
  Provides a pattern jury instruction and a corollary checklist for use in genetic cases
  By Rosalyn B. Bell

The Judges' Journal (ISSN 0047-2972) is published quarterly by ABA Publishing for the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association.

Single copies of this issue may be obtained for $6.50. Discounts available on bulk purchases. To purchase, contact:
ABA Service Center
541 N. Fairbanks Ct.
Chicago, IL 60611
800/285-2221 or 312/988-5522.

Return to Human Genome Project Information

Please send questions or comments to martinsa@ornl.gov