Unlike in divorce cases, where children born during the marriage are presumed to be children of the Husband and Wife1, in paternity cases, paternity of the child has to be established by one of several means2. One way, in particular, DNA testing, creates a reliable basis for the alleged father to ensure paternity of the child in question.
In many paternity actions, the parents were together at the time when the child was conceived, and the father may have signed the paternity affidavit at the hospital. But, in those instances where paternity is uncertain and has not been established, DNA testing ... Read More
Tag: DNA
28
Sep2017
11
May2017
In large part, criminal defense cases have remained unchanged since America was founded. Technological developments merely brought television reporting into the courtroom and changed the format of recording trials, from steno to taping trials (reel-to-reel courtroom recordings). However, the way cases were charged and defended remained unchanged.
In 1986, advanced science made a big appearance in the criminal scene when DNA was used in England in a criminal prosecution. In the ensuing decades, DNA is reversing convictions from the 1960s and 1970s; and DNA results now are a routine part of criminal defense. Yet, not much else changed--until now: someone or -thing ... Read More
17
Mar2015
In some criminal cases involving firearms, there may be an open question as to whether a given person is in possession of a firearm or used such in a crime. These cases range from illegal possession of a firearm by a prohibited person (such as a felon) where there are multiple people near the firearm to linking it to a crime to murder cases. There are five key ways a prosecutor (or defense counsel) may link or challenge a gun to a person or crime.
The first is the oldest and most common technique—latent fingerprints. Latent fingerprints are those left on ... Read More