forensic-evidence

64 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25A850 Jeffrey Dale Busby v. Mississippi Mississippi 2026-01-28 Application confrontation-clause constitutional-error expert-testimony forensic-evidence smith-v-arizona technical-reviewer Question not identified.
25A707 Edward C. Brown v. United States Seventh Circuit 2025-12-17 Application child-pornography forensic-evidence knowingly-possessed metadata probation-violation supervised-release Whether the discovery of 75 thumbnail child pornography images in an inaccessible cache folder on an unreported cell phone constitutes knowing possess…
25-5267 Antonio B. Nascimento-Depina v. Massachusetts Massachusetts 2025-08-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review confrontation-clause due-process forensic-evidence harmless-error jury-determination Whether a state supreme court's harmless-error analysis violates Sixth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment protections by improperly substituting appel…
25-5131 Lucio Roy Atkinson v. Texas Texas 2025-07-16 Denied Relisted (2)IFP constitutional-rights drug-testing due-process forensic-evidence habeas-corpus pro-se-litigation Whether the State of Texas can 'dry lab' test results to obtain a drug conviction without identifying the source of library spectra and whether this v…
25-5004 Delano Hale v. Bill Cool, Warden Sixth Circuit 2025-07-01 Denied IFP capital-murder criminal-defense forensic-evidence ineffective-assistance strategic-decision strickland-standard In a capital murder case, does defense counsel perform deficiently when they choose not to consult forensic experts without investigation, despite exp…
24-6084 Christopher Roalson v. Jon Noble, Warden Seventh Circuit 2024-12-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process due-process-clause evidence-preservation forensic-evidence Whether a state's forensic evidence preservation statute that allows destruction of evidence after a specified time period is consistent with a crimin…
24-5509 James Rashad Clay v. Roy Odum, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2024-09-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP chain-of-custody constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process forensic-evidence witness-testimony Whether the November hair/shotgun residue report under Division of Forensic Sciences Case was properly handled and admitted as evidence
24-5508 Jason J. Dominick v. Tina Walker, Superintendent, State Correctional Institution at Fayette Third Circuit 2024-09-10 Denied Relisted (2)IFP blood-pattern-analysis forensic-evidence ineffective-assistance prejudice-analysis strickland-standard trial-counsel Whether the lower courts applied an erroneous standard for determining prejudice under Strickland v. Washington when assessing the impact of trial cou…
23-7150 Elana Gordon v. Massachusetts Massachusetts 2024-04-05 GVR Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (4)IFP confrontation-clause criminal-procedure criminal-trial expert-testimony expert-witness forensic-evidence forensic-testimony right-to-counsel sixth-amendment trial-counsel Whether the Confrontation Clause permits the prosecution to present testimony by a substitute forensic expert conveying testimonial statements of a no…
23-6610 Wendell C. Helfrick v. Russell L. Rabb, III, Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney of Culpeper County Fourth Circuit 2024-01-29 Denied IFP cases-and-controversies civil-procedure civil-rights constitutional-claims due-process forensic-evidence fourteenth-amendment habeas-corpus prisoner-rights standing state-court-review Does the state's deprivation of an individual's right to due process violate the established guarantees protected by the Fourteenth Amendment?
23-6356 Mohammad Sharifi v. Alabama Alabama 2023-12-27 Denied Relisted (2)IFP actual-innocent armed-evidence constitutional-search criminal-procedure direct-evidence due-process evidence-admissibility forensic-evidence fourth-amendment police-misconduct reasonable-doubt trial-judge Question not identified
23-6232 Charles C. McCrory v. Alabama Alabama 2023-12-13 Denied Relisted (7)IFP bite-mark bite-mark-analysis conflicted-judge due-process expert-testimony forensic-evidence judicial-recusal recanted-testimony scientific-developments scientific-reliability Whether due process prohibits a conviction based on forensic evidence later shown to be unreliable
23-5611 David Stephen Middleton v. William Gittere, Warden Nevada 2023-09-19 Denied IFP actual-innocence due-process forensic-evidence habeas-corpus newly-discovered-evidence post-conviction state-court-procedure state-courts In a post-conviction proceeding, was Mr. Middleton's right to due process violated when the Nevada state courts failed to consider exculpatory evidenc…
23-5549 Hope White v. Kentucky Kentucky 2023-09-08 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP actual-innocence dna-testing due-process forensic-evidence fourteenth-amendment post-conviction post-conviction-dna-testing procedural-due-process state-created-right Does barring a petitioner's access to biological and forensic evidence that can be submitted for DNA testing to prove innocence—when a state-created r…
23A134 William Glenn Rogers v. Tony Mays, Warden Sixth Circuit 2023-08-15 Presumed Complete capital-habeas death-penalty forensic-evidence ineffective-assistance-of-counsel prejudice-prong strickland-standard Whether a state court unreasonably applies Strickland v. Washington when it imposes a prejudice standard requiring a defendant to 'eliminate or comple…
22-7774 Duane E. Armstrong v. Ricky D. Dixon, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2023-06-13 Denied IFP burden-of-proof constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process evidence expert-testimony fingerprint-analysis forensic-evidence trial-procedure Does the court's need a second analyst to testifies, to the first analyst opinion containing veracious of petitioner's finger print?
22-885 South Carolina v. Angela D. Brewer South Carolina 2023-03-15 Denied confrontation-clause crawford-v-washington criminal-procedure expert-testimony forensic-evidence forensic-pathology melendez-diaz-v-massachusetts ohio-v-clark sixth-amendment testimonial-evidence testimonial-statements Whether lab results requested not by law enforcement but by a forensic pathologist to assist in making a routine cause of death determination are test…
22-6152 Carlos Edward Kennedy v. Carla Jones Eleventh Circuit 2022-11-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion civil-procedure continuance discretion forensic-evidence pro-se Did the trial court abuse its discretion in denying Kenner's motion for continuance when Kenner, while acting pro se, requested only an additional 3 m…
22-5588 John Wakefield v. New York New York 2022-09-15 Denied Relisted (2)IFP artificial-intelligence confrontation-clause due-process expert-testimony forensic-evidence probabilistic-genotyping sixth-amendment source-code Does the Confrontation Clause require disclosure of AI software source code?
22-5330 Demetrius J. Wade v. Harold W. Clarke, Director, Virginia Department of Corrections Fourth Circuit 2022-08-10 Rehearing Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP 14th-amendment 5th-amendment criminal-procedure due-process evidence-tampering fifth-amendment forensic-evidence fourteenth-amendment habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel Was petitioner's 5th and 14th Amendment rights violated when police tampered with evidence and removed bullet fragments recovered from the victim at h…
21-7982 In Re Mo Savoy Hicks 2022-05-27 Denied IFP actual-innocence deceptive-testimony excited-testimony excited-utterance forensic-evidence forensic-exposition fourth-amendment legal-relief miscarriage-of-justice perjury Does the novel issue, Forensic Exposition, demonstrate deceptive testimony and establish actual innocence?
21-7610 Terry Smith v. Florida, et al. Florida 2022-04-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP autopsy autopsy-testimony confrontation-clause due-process evidence forensic-evidence hearsay medical-examiner sixth-amendment testimony Does Florida's practice of allowing a medical examiner to testify to an autopsy he/she did not perform violate the Confrontation Clause?
21-7492 In Re Jonathan Manwell 2022-03-29 Denied IFP appellate-review confrontation constitutional-rights counsel-of-choice criminal-procedure discovery due-process effective-assistance-of-counsel forensic-evidence impartial-tribunal Does petitioner have a constitutional right to located and confirmed exculpatory forensic evidence, transcripts, and documents necessary for a meaning…
21-7109 Jamie Mills v. John Q. Hamm, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2022-02-14 Denied IFP certificate-of-appealability confrontation-clause crawford-v-washington due-process forensic-evidence habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel prejudice whether-trial-counsel-was-ineffective-for-failing-to-object-to-forensic-dna-evidence
21-7037 Robert Breest v. New Hampshire New Hampshire 2022-02-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure dismissal dna-testing expert-testimony favorable-evidence forensic-evidence habeas-corpus new-hampshire retrial statutory-interpretation Whether the DNA tests were favorable under New Hampshire RSA 651-D-2, VI (b) and warrant dismissal of the charge
21-6700 Tremaine Rashon Wray v. Dennis Bush, Warden Fourth Circuit 2021-12-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-procedure constitutional-rights due-process effective-assistance-of-counsel expert-witness forensic-evidence fourteenth-amendment ineffective-assistance-of-counsel post-conviction-review sixth-amendment whether Petitioner was denied his Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel and Fourteenth Amendment Due Process right to a fair trial
21-6612 Brian Cavitt v. Massachusetts Massachusetts 2021-12-15 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP appellate-review constitutional-rights criminal-procedure dna-integrity due-process fair-trial forensic-evidence misleading-jury perjury quality-assurance trial-procedure Where an incomplete DNA profile allegedly from a knife handle is falsely or scientifically concluded to be a 'match' to a victim's complete DNA profil…
21-5976 Jude Joseph David Lovchik v. Virginia Virginia 2021-10-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-split criminal-investigation criminal-procedure dna-evidence dna-testing expectation-of-privacy forensic-evidence fourth-amendment search-and-seizure search-warrant Whether the police were required to obtain a search warrant before submitting trash items to a forensic lab to extract DNA and create a DNA profile fo…
21-5932 Michael R. Burns v. United States First Circuit 2021-10-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP chain-of-custody civil-rights dna-fabrication due-process evidence-substitution evidence-tampering fabrication forensic-evidence forensic-integrity laboratory-procedure substitution Whether the DNA and fingerprint evidence was fabricated by substituting the gloves examined for fingerprints with different gloves examined for DNA, r…
21-5756 Gettus Leroy Mintz v. Arizona Arizona 2021-09-22 Denied IFP civil-rights confrontation-clause criminal-procedure dna-testing due-process equal-protection false-testimony forensic-evidence grand-jury sixth-amendment witness-testimony Whether the State of Arizona violated the Petitioners' 5th and 14th Amendment rights to due process and equal protection when it used false testimony …
21-5301 Justin Lane Foust v. United States Tenth Circuit 2021-08-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP daubert daubert-standard expert-testimony federal-rules-of-evidence forensic-evidence general-acceptance handwriting-analysis handwriting-comparison judicial-reliability kumho-tire scientific-methodology Can the admissibility of expert testimony about the supposed author of a forged writing be upheld on a record that shows little (if anything) more tha…
20-8151 Marcus D. Williams v. California California 2021-05-26 Denied IFP confrontation-clause constitutional-evidence criminal-procedure due-process evidence-admissibility forensic-evidence forensic-testing hearsay hearsay-evidence testimonial-statement testimonial-statements What degree of formality is necessary before hearsay statements contained within a forensic testing report which connect an accused to the testing res…
20-7914 Danny Ray Williams v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-05-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP 4th-amendment cell-phone cell-phone-search consent consent-search custodial-interrogation digital-privacy forensic-evidence forensic-search fourth-amendment search-and-seizure Whether an officer must expressly state that he is seeking consent for a forensic, not just a manual, search of a cell phone
20-7774 Kevin Johnson v. Texas Texas 2021-04-16 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review civil-rights confrontation-clause criminal-procedure double-standard due-process evidentiary-standard expert-testimony forensic-evidence ineffective-assistance post-conviction Whether the court of appeal erred in allowing the use of statements of unaddressed witnesses as basis for expert opinions and presenting their finding…
20-7679 Troy Allen Lucas, aka Troy Madron v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-04-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP federal-rule-of-evidence-807 fifth-amendment forensic-evidence inconsistencies sixth-amendment third-party-guilt Whether the Fifth and Sixth Amendments prohibit a federal court from denying, under Federal Rule of Evidence 807, the admission of testimony provided …
20-6799 Kosoul Chanthakoummane v. Texas Texas 2021-01-08 Denied IFP bitemark-identification criminal-procedure dna-analysis dna-evidence due-process expert-testimony eyewitness-identification eyewitness-testimony forensic-evidence scientific-evidence trial-fairness Is Petitioner's conviction the product of a fundamentally unfair trial that was prejudiced by the admissibility of flawed forensic scientific evidence…
20-6496 Michael Alford v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2020-12-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-pornography criminal-procedure due-process evidentiary-hearing expert-services expert-witness forensic-evidence ineffective-assistance-of-counsel legal-assistance motion-of-innocence pro-se-litigant right-to-counsel Whether the court erred in refusing to order legal assistance and forensic software expert assistance to obtain and submit factual evidence
20-630 Benjamin Scott Brewer v. Tennessee Tennessee 2020-11-10 Denied Response Waived brady-v-maryland brady-violation criminal-procedure due-process evidence-tampering exculpatory-evidence forensic-evidence material-evidence state-misconduct Whether this Court's ruling in Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963) and its progeny entitle a defendant to the knowledge, before trial, that a state …
19-8607 Derrick Thompson v. Patrick Griffin, Superintendent, Sullivan Correctional Facility Second Circuit 2020-06-04 Denied Relisted (2)IFP confrontation-clause fair-trial forensic-analysis forensic-evidence ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel right-to-fair-trial sixth-amendment speedy-trial testimonial-evidence testimonial-statements Does the Confrontation Clause permit the introduction of testimonial identification statements of a non-testifying forensic analyst?
19-8407 Mauro Ramirez v. Florida Florida 2020-05-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure dna-testing due-process equal-protection evidence fair-trial forensic-evidence scientific-reliability Whether the State must establish the reliability and accuracy of the lab instrumentation used for electrophoresis and other preliminary DNA analyses b…
19-8314 Reginald Ward v. Scott Crow, Director, Oklahoma Department of Corrections Tenth Circuit 2020-04-21 Denied IFP actual-innocence circumstantial-evidence constitutional-provisions constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process forensic-evidence jurisdiction self-defense statutory-interpretation Whether a defendant is actually innocent when the socks clearly show he acted within his wants, and whether the defendant's exercise of his rights to …
19-8077 Arnold Anderson v. Gilberto Valenzuela, et al. Ninth Circuit 2020-03-23 Denied IFP criminal-procedure digital-privacy forensic-evidence fourth-amendment property-rights search-and-seizure Whether the Fourth Amendment prohibits the warrantless seizure of a person's property for the purpose of conducting a forensic search of the property'…
19-1065 Teresa Ann Johnson v. Alaska Alaska 2020-02-28 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) confrontation-clause criminal-procedure expert-testimony forensic-evidence lab-report sixth-amendment surrogate-expert testimonial-evidence Whether the Confrontation Clause prohibits the prosecution from introducing into evidence at trial a certified lab report reflecting statements of non…
19-6837 Anzara Brown v. Dana Metzger, Warden, et al. Third Circuit 2019-12-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP brady-v-maryland chain-of-custody civil-rights confidential-informant constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process evidence-disclosure exculpatory-evidence forensic-evidence medical-examiners witness-testimony Whether the state of Delaware can withhold exculpatory evidence relating to the state's office of medical examiners officials, denying true evidence f…
19-6429 William Jovian Davis v. Clark E. Ducart, Warden Ninth Circuit 2019-11-01 Denied Response RequestedRelisted (7)IFP aedpa certificate-of-appealability evidentiary-hearing forensic-evidence habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel ninth-circuit-review pro-se strickland-standard strickland-v-washington Did the Ninth Circuit's unreasoned denial so clearly misapply Buck's modest standard as to call for summary reversal?
19-6179 Jesus Felix-Heras v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-10-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP computer-forensics confrontation-clause criminal-procedure database-search evidence-admissibility expert-testimony fingerprint-analysis forensic-evidence search-algorithm sixth-amendment Whether admission of the results of a search of computer fingerprint database, which the record shows to be identical to fingerprint analysis done by …
19-5997 Robert Williams, Jr. v. Massachusetts Massachusetts 2019-09-19 Denied IFP actual-innocence capital-murder cause-of-death constitutional-rights death-certificate due-process forensic-evidence judicial-review newly-discovered-evidence skull-injury stab-wound x-ray Whether the cause of death affected the jury's judgment in a capital murder case
19-5895 Lavar Eady v. Massachusetts Massachusetts 2019-09-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP chemical-composition confrontation-clause criminal-procedure due-process evidence expert-testimony forensic-evidence lab-testing substitute-analyst testimonial-hearsay truth-of-the-matter Whether the Confrontation Clause prohibits a substitute state analyst from testifying at trial as to the composition of a seized substance obtained as…
19-5640 In Re Larry Swearingen 2019-08-20 Denied IFP 28-usc-2244 death-penalty due-process false-testimony forensic-evidence habeas-corpus habeas-corpus-petition innocence innocence-standard schlup-v-delo scientific-evidence scientific-testimony successive-petition What is the scope of the evidence for a court's assessment of innocence under 28 U.S.C. § 2244(b)(2)(B)(i)?
18-9745 Marion Wilson, Jr. v. Georgia Georgia 2019-06-20 Denied IFP capital-case capital-punishment dna-testing due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection forensic-evidence procedural-issues procedural-safeguards Whether the state court's refusal to provide a hearing mandated by Georgia's DNA statute denied due process
18-9428 Robert L. Jenkins v. Pelicia E. Hall, Commissioner, Mississippi Department of Corrections, et al. Fifth Circuit 2019-05-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-jurisdiction bullcoming-v-new-mexico civil-rights confrontation-clause constitutional-rights crawford-v-washington criminal-procedure due-process evidence-law forensic-evidence judicial-review melendez-diaz-v-massachusetts testimonial-statements Whether the testimonial statements of witnesses about forensic testing may be admitted only where the declarant is unavailable, and only where the def…
18-8972 Wardell Nelson Joiner, Jr. v. John Sutton, Warden Ninth Circuit 2019-04-23 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP actual-innocence constitutional-error due-process evidentiary-hearing fair-trial false-evidence forensic-evidence habeas-corpus schlup-standard schlup-v-delo time-of-death wrongful-conviction Did the courts below err in applying Schlup v. Delo to hold that Petitioner's compelling new evidence was insufficient to establish reasonable doubt?
18-8728 Joseph Christen Thoresen v. Minnesota Minnesota 2019-04-08 Denied IFP corroborating-testimony credibility credibility-of-witnesses criminal-procedure criminal-procedure-due-process-jury-instructions-d criminal-procedure-jury-instructions drug-addiction due-process forensic-evidence jury-instruction jury-instructions methamphetamine prejudicial-evidence prejudicial-information witness-credibility Whether the court below erroneously held, in conflict with the decisions of two circuits, that a special jury instruction was not warranted when consi…
18-8379 John Anthony Dobbs v. Texas Texas 2019-03-11 Denied IFP civil-rights confrontation-clause constitutional-interpretation crawford-standard crawford-v-washington due-process evidence forensic-evidence medical-examination medical-forensic medical-forensic-purpose sane-nurse sane-nurse-examination testimonial-statement testimonial-statements Whether statements obtained during a 'sane nurse' examination have become 'testimonial' for purposes of the Confrontation Clause under Crawford v. Was…
18-8228 Daryl Bocook v. Gary Mohr, Warden Ohio 2019-03-01 Denied IFP civil-rights constitutional-interpretation due-process federal-courts federal-jurisdiction federal-precedent forensic-evidence habeas-corpus jurisdiction jurisdictional-conflict legal-principles precedent-conflict standing state-court-dismissal supreme-court-review Whether the state courts' sua sponte dismissal of the petition is in direct conflict with other precedents on standing legal issues as well as federal…
18-8111 Rossahn Black v. United States Sixth Circuit 2019-02-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP bullcoming confrontation confrontation-clause evidence-admissibility expert-witness forensic-evidence forensic-testimony melendez-diaz melendez-diaz-precedent ninth-circuit-interpretation sixth-amendment testimony Whether this Court's decision in Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts and Bullcoming v. New Mexico created a bright line rule excluding the testimony of an …
18-7424 William Felix Vail v. Louisiana Louisiana 2019-01-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP burden-of-proof circumstantial-evidence civil-code criminal-evidence doctrine-of-chances due-process forensic-evidence physical-proof presumption-of-innocence presumptive-evidence reasonable-doubt Did the State offer sufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?
18-7010 Jermaine Mitchell v. United States First Circuit 2018-12-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP confrontation-clause expert-testimony expert-witness forensic-evidence lab-reports law-enforcement-testimony lay-testimony narcotics narcotics-testimony scientific-evidence sixth-amendment testimonial-evidence Whether law enforcement (lay) testimonies about the narcotics character of certain substances may be shined with the expert testimonial gloss of unpro…
18-6954 Steven Scott Wells v. California California 2018-12-07 Denied Response WaivedIFP confrontation-clause criminal-procedure due-process evidentiary-standards expert-testimony fingerprint-analysis fingerprint-evidence forensic-evidence judicial-review scientific-methodology Does a fingerprint expert's testimony that two fingerprints 'match' have any evidentiary value if the expert provides no explanation for that conclusi…
18-6079 Rowan Brooks v. Scott Frauenheim, Warden Ninth Circuit 2018-09-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP certificate-of-appealability constitutional-claims due-process evidence-fabrication fabricated-evidence forensic-evidence habeas-corpus judicial-review ninth-circuit ninth-circuit-review state-court-proceedings Where the state court disposed of Brooks' constitutional claims by relying on 'evidence' that indisputably did not exist and the district court affirm…
18-6070 Carlos Cornwell v. Tennessee Tennessee 2018-09-21 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP bracy-v-gramley expert-testimony forensic-evidence hinton-v-alabama ineffective-assistance judicial-bias judicial-misconduct strickland-standard strickland-v-washington structural-error Whether trial counsel provided ineffective assistance in a case dependent on forensic evidence
18A1345 Marion Wilson, Jr. v. Georgia Georgia Presumed Complete clemency constitutional-rights death-penalty dna-testing execution-stay forensic-evidence Whether a death row inmate has a constitutional right to forensic DNA testing of critical evidence that could potentially demonstrate his ineligibilit…
24A349 Robert Leslie Roberson III v. Texas Texas Denied actual-innocence capital-punishment changed-science due-process forensic-evidence shaken-baby-syndrome Whether a state court's refusal to review new scientific evidence challenging a capital conviction based on now-discredited forensic theories violates…
25A335 In Re Blaine Milam Denied actual-innocence death-penalty eighth-amendment forensic-evidence intellectual-disability junk-science Whether the Eighth Amendment prohibits the execution of a potentially innocent defendant based on now-discredited forensic evidence and testimony