Anxiety Claims Questioned by Judge in New York DNA Case

Judges from New York’s highest court on Thursday were skeptical of arguments that fear of a potential police interaction gives relatives of convicted felons standing to sue the state over expanded use of a DNA database.

At issue is a regulation adopted by New York’s Division of Criminal Justice Services in 2017 that expanded to blood relatives searches of the state’s DNA Databank—a database that stores genetic information of New Yorkers who have been convicted of certain felonies. Under the regulation, law enforcement agencies could request a familial DNA search if they’ve determined there is no match or a partial ...