Political Quotes

“Mr. President, from DNA to digital evidence, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges are becoming increasingly reliant on the collection and analysis of various forms of forensic evidence in a criminal investigation or prosecution. It is therefore all the more important that we strengthen our confidence in the criminal justice system, and the evidence it relies upon, by ensuring that forensic evidence and testimony is accurate, credible, and scientifically grounded. I am proud to introduce today the Criminal Justice and Forensic Science Reform Act. This legislation represents a comprehensive and commonsense approach toward guaranteeing the effectiveness and scientific integrity of forensic evidence used in criminal cases, and in ensuring that Americans can have faith in their criminal justice system. The bill is also bipartisan, and I am pleased that Senator Cornyn has agreed to be a cosponsor of this legislation. Over the course of the past 5 years, my staff and I have spent countless hours talking to prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement officers, judges, forensic practitioners, academic experts, and many, many others to learn as much as we could about what is happening in the forensic sciences and what needs to be done. As this effort has progressed, I have been disturbed to learn about still more cases in which innocent people may have been convicted, and perhaps even executed, in part due to faulty forensic evidence or the lack of valid forensic evidence.…”