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Frye vs. United States
Created the test for whether scientific evidence is admissible in court. The test comes to if the evidence is generally accepted by people in the field of the evidence. https://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/evidence/evidence-keyed-to-fisher/lay-opinions-and-expert-testimony/frye-v-u-s/ -
First Time DNA Evidence Used in Court
Dr. Alec J. Jeffreys used DNA evidence for the first time, to exonerate a suspect who falsely confessed to rape. https://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/a-history-of-dna-in-criminal-justice-cases/ -
Combined DNA Index System
CODIS is a database of DNA evidence of offenders. As of 2021, it has assisted in 575,000 investigations. https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/dna-fingerprint-act-of-2005-expungement-policy/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet -
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals
Created the new Daubert test to replace the Frye test. The test has the judges research the science behind the evidence and come to their own conclusions. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/509/579/ -
The Innocence Protection Act
Allows inmates to submit DNA evidence if it is essential for their claim of innocence. DNA evidence doesn't just help convict people but exonerate them. https://innocenceproject.org/