Professor Joh Publishes Op-ed on Genetic Privacy Case Granted Review by California Supreme Court

Professor Elizabeth Joh published an op-ed in the March 4 edition of the Daily Journal on People v. Buza, the California Supreme Court case regarding a state law that mandates collection of DNA samples from felony arrestees. The law represents "a dangerous intrusion on our genetic privacy," Joh writes.

Every state requires the collection of DNA samples from convicted felons, but extending the process to include arrestees would mean that genetic data also would be collected from those who were either not charged with a crime or not convicted. This would be much more invasive than collecting fingerprints, Joh writes, because DNA includes so much personal information. Some states have a "safety valve" requiring the automatic expungement of arrestees' DNA samples in the absence of a conviction, but the California law has no such provision. Joh urges the Supreme Court to uphold the Court of Appeal decision that found the law in violation of the California Constitution.

Professor Joh's scholarship focuses on criminal procedure and policing, with a special emphasis on DNA evidence, undercover policing, and new surveillance technologies.