DNA evidence

October 1, 2026

Why Attend? The Professional and Organizational Value of Law Library Conferences in the Age of AI

Introduction

Professional conferences have long occupied an important place in the continuing education and development of law librarians and legal information professionals. They provide opportunities to learn about emerging technologies, exchange ideas, establish professional relationships, and consider developments affecting the future of the profession. Yet these benefits raise a question that has become increasingly important in an era of constrained budgets and rapidly evolving technology: How can the value of conference participation be demonstrated not only to those who attend, but also to the institutions that employ them and pay the bills?

A September 29, 2026, article published on On Firmer Ground, titled “Why Attend? Reflections on the 2026 AALL Annual Conference and the PLLIP Summit”, provides a timely starting point for considering this question. The reflections in that article invite a broader examination of professional conferences as opportunities not merely for individual advancement but also for strengthening the institutions that employ legal information professionals. That distinction becomes especially important as artificial intelligence transforms legal research, information management, and organizational decision-making.

February 28, 2026

H.R. 2675, Protecting Our Courts from Foreign Manipulation Act

by David Badertscher

As ordered by the House Committee on the Judiciary on November 20, 2025.

Cost estimate by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) February 27, 2026:*

H.R. 2675 would make it unlawful for a foreign state or sovereign wealth fund to directly or indirectly fund a civil lawsuit in the United States in which it is not a named party. The changes would apply to both pending and future civil actions. The bill would increase disclosure and certification requirements on litigants in cases where foreign sponsors or entities have interests at stake. H.R. 2675 also would require the Attorney General to report annually to the Congress on activities involving foreign funding of third-party litigation.

October 12, 2024

Supreme Court to Hear Case That Could Expand the Use of DNA Evidence in Criminal Cases

by David Badertscher

“On Friday, October 4, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in Gutierrez v. Saenz, a case regarding death-sentenced Texas prisoner Ruben Gutierrez’s ability to sue the state for DNA testing in support of his innocence claim. The Court had issued a stay to Mr. Gutierrez on July 16, just twenty minutes before his scheduled execution. Mr. Gutierrez was convicted and sentenced to death in 1999 for the murder and robbery of an 85-year-old woman but has long maintained his innocence. Forensic evidence from inside the trailer where the killing occurred has never been tested for DNA, but the state has refused Mr. Gutierrez’s testing requests. The Court will now decide whether the Fifth Circuit was correct when it ruled that Mr. Gutierrez did not have standing to sue Texas over its refusal to give him access to DNA testing. The Court will likely hear Mr. Gutierrez’s case next spring.” Leah Roemer. Death Penalty Information Center October 9, 2024.

In his October 7, 2024 posting in VERDICT. Amherst professor Austin Sarat argues that the Gutierrez case could expand the use of DNA evidence in criminal cases and the Court “should allow Gutierrez to challenge Texas’s restrictions on post-conviction DNA testing, asserting that such limitations in death penalty cases across the country hinder the pursuit of justice and should be reconsidered”.

Click here to read Professor Sarat’s complete posting in VERDTCT: Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia.