As previously reported on Conduit Street, the Maryland Court of Appeals struck down a State law requiring the collection of DNA from those arrested for (but not convicted of) certain felonies.  The State has appealed the Court of Appeals decision to the United States Supreme Court.  A September 17 Baltimore Sun blog post discusses a request by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to the Supreme Court to uphold the State’s DNA collection law.

The lawmakers, led by Montgomery County Del. Sam Arora (D), said the law is a critical tool for law enforcement, has helped put rapists and other criminals behind bars and should be reinstated. Eighteen others signed on to the amicus brief. Attorney General Doug Gansler has also asked the court to uphold the state law.  …

There is reason to believe the U.S. Supreme Court is receptive to the lawmakers’ point of view. In late July, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. called DNA collection “a valuable tool for investigating unsolved crimes” and said there was a “fair prospect” that the high court would overturn Maryland’s Court of Appeals.