Genetic Informants. Washington Post writer Ellen Nakashima reports on a new tool that is helping to identify suspects through a relative's DNA. The initial use of this tool was in the BTK murder case. Police in Kansas obtained a court order to collect a pap smear sample from Dennis Rader's daughter, which eventually lead to his arrest for the killings in 2005. The ACLU is mostly against this.

Update on Court denials of DP appeals
Updating our earlier post, the AP’s Michael Graczyk
reports, on the three DP cases denied by the Court this morning.

Giles v. California
Oral argument will be held in Giles tomorrow. An AP story by reporter Mark Sherman discusses the case. Giles was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the first-degree murder of Brenda Avie, based in part on the introduction of statements the victim made before she died. Giles argues that introducing the statements violated the Sixth Amendment. California Attorney General Jerry Brown wants the high court to uphold the conviction.

More DNA: The federal government plans to begin DNA testing of everyone arrested by a federal law enforcement agency, rather than only after conviction, as noted previously here. The John Birch Society is against it, and the ACLU agrees. "A Chicago study in 2005 found that 53 murders and rapes could have been prevented if a DNA sample had been collected upon arrest," according to the AP story.