CHIEF JUSTICE ABRAHAMSON: I will call to order
the eighth meeting of the National Commission on the Future
of DNA Evidence. We welcome everybody to Washington, D.C.,
and thank you for spending a Sunday afternoon, your leisure
time, at the Commission, and then spending tomorrow, which
for many of us is a state or national holiday, but it is one
of the times we managed to get many people together. Thank
you for coming.
MR. CROW: Madam Chairman, may I interrupt with an
announcement?
CHIEF JUSTICE ABRAHAMSON: I can't stop you,
Dr. Crow.
MR. CROW: I have with me here a full-page
newspaper story in which our leader has been named news
maker of the year by the Association of Wisconsin
Newspapers. All of them, I think, are represented here. It
cited her intellectual prowess, her willingness to do her
homework, and status as a scholar of international acclaim.
CHIEF JUSTICE ABRAHAMSON: All true.
[Laughter and applause.]
CHIEF JUSTICE ABRAHAMSON: Thanks, Jim.
Now I have been introduced. So we will start with
Chris.
MR. ASPLEN: Chris Asplen, executive director of
the Commission.
MR. CLARKE: George Clarke, deputy district
attorney, San Diego County.
MS. TURMAN: Kathryn Turman, director, Office for
Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice.
CHIEF JUSTICE ABRAHAMSON: My PR man.
MR. CROW: I've been introduced.
CHIEF JUSTICE ABRAHAMSON: That's not going to do, Jim.
MR. CROW: I'm professor emeritus at the
University of Wisconsin.
MR. FERRARA: Paul Ferrara, director of Virginia
Division of Forensic Science.
MR. SMITH: Michael Smith, professor at the
University of Wisconsin Law School.
MR. SCHECK: Barry Scheck, commissioner of
Forensic Science Commission, New York State.
DR. DAVIS: Joseph Davis, professor emeritus,
University of Miami and former medical examiner of Dade
21 County.
22 MR. GAINER: Terry Gainer, assistant chief of
23 police, Washington, D.C.
24 MR. REINSTEIN: Ron Reinstein, associate presiding
25 judge, Superior Court of Arizona.
1 MR. THOMA: Jeff Thoma, public defender for
2 Mendocino County, California.
3 MR. HILLARD: Terry Hillard, superintendent,
4 Chicago Police Department.
5 MR. GAHN: Norman Gahn, assistant district
6 attorney, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.
7 MS. BASHINSKI: Jan Bashinski, chief, Bureau of
8 Forensic Services, California Department of Justice.
9 CHIEF JUSTICE ABRAHAMSON: Jim told you about me,
10 but others on the Commission have made the news. We will
11 have one of the more recent New Yorker magazine stories
12 about DNA that features Barry Scheck.
13 Were you pleased with the article?
14 MR. SCHECK: No.
15 [Laughter.]
16 CHIEF JUSTICE ABRAHAMSON: That's standard. If
17 you just get mentioned in the New Yorker it's good enough.
18 You will get equal time later to discuss that.
19 I don't know how many of you saw Front Line. I
20 did not. It was an hour program on DNA and various cases.
21 We are going to try and get a copy and maybe at the next
22 meeting, if it's allowable under the copyright laws, show it
23 to those of you who have not seen it.
24 Before we proceed to Christopher Asplen's update
25 on the Commission, I do want to introduce special guests
1 that we have with us who will be on tomorrow's program.
2 They are from the United Kingdom and somewhat jet lagged but
3 doing very well. We have Howard Matthews, who is head of
4 operations, and Angela Flower, who is case review manager.
5 Chris and Lisa spent some time in London and met up with
6 them. They are going to talk to us tomorrow at noon. Thank
7 you for coming.
8 Chris.

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