Genes and Justice – Life Sciences Division Staff Member Serves as Guest Editor for Legal Journal (January 2000)

Denise Casey, staff member in Toxicology and Risk Analysis Section of Life Sciences Division, served as the guest editor for a genetics-themed issue of the journal Judicature, a publication of the American Judicature Society (AJS) whose members include judges, lawyers, legal scholars, administrators and other associated with the U.S. court system. The invitation followed a talk given by Ms. Casey on the Human Genome Project and its expected impact, presented at the annual AJS meeting in Hilton Head in March 1999. In addition to developing a roster of articles to introduce legal professionals to the new genetics and some challenges these may present for the courts, Ms. Casey also contributed an article providing a foundation in the basics of DNA science and some current and expected applications. Other articles discuss behavioral genetics and the courts, DNA databanking and criminal justice, intellectual property considerations, and preparing juries and judges for increasingly complex cases. The DOE Human Genome Program provided funds to send copies of this issue to an additional 8000 federal and state trial judges, as part of its continuing efforts to educate and alert the judiciary to the expected onslaught of genetics-related cases. The entire contents of the issue, published in December, will soon be available on the legal page of the Human Genome Project Information web site (www.ornl.gov/hgmis). (Funding: DOE-OBER, Project contact: Denise Casey, 574-0597, caseydk@ornl.gov)