Series of articles about the intersections of forensic science, surveillance technology, AI, and the criminal legal system with the goal of developing clearer ways of seeing the systems underneath them: what gets collected, how evidence is transformed, what gets preserved, where scientific and technical limits lie, and what happens to constitutional rights when those systems …
Resources
Webinar: Primer – Cell Phone Location Evidence in Call Detail Records
Live webinar presented by Anthony Monaghan, JD and Eric GrabskiDec. 3, 2026, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated Cell phone location evidence is frequently used to place a defendant at or near a particular location, so understanding what those records actually establish is critical to effectively challenging the evidence. The session will explain how law …
Webinar: Primer – Cell Phone Location Evidence in Call Detail RecordsRead More
Webinar: Primer – Forensic Evidence in Sex Offense Cases
Live webinar presented by Jason St. Aubin, JDNov. 5, 2026, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated Forensic evidence can play a powerful role in sex offense prosecutions and evaluating the forensic science evidence is essential to effective representation. This practical primer will introduce defense attorneys and team members to the forensic evidence commonly encountered in …
Webinar: Primer – Forensic Evidence in Sex Offense CasesRead More
Webinar: Primer – Forensic Evidence in DWI Cases
Live webinar presented by Barbara Bathke, JD and Ivana Brown, JDOct. 1, 2026, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated Forensic evidence can be the centerpiece of a DWI prosecution—but understanding what the laboratory results actually mean is critical to effectively challenging that evidence. This practical primer will introduce defense attorneys to the forensic science commonly …
Chatrie and What Happens Next
LOCATION: LIVE Webinar via ZoomDATE: Thursday, September 10, 2026COST: FREE, Registration RequiredTIME: 2:00 pm ETCLE CREDIT: not available The Supreme Court held in Chatrie that the government’s use of a “geofence warrant” to obtain Google location history was a Fourth Amendment Search, and that people have a privacy interest in their cell phone location history–even when it’s stored by a third …
HelixCross
Forensic DNA Expert Cross-Examination Training – open-access software available for state’s experts to practice being cross-examined by defense attorneys using AI.
State of Connecticut v. Sellars (2026)
Case involving hearing of an admissibility challenge to GSR evidence where the defense argued that the evolution of the standards established and defined by ASTM International showed the methodology employed by the analyst was no longer well established or aligned with the latest developments in those international standards. Appellate Court held that trial court erred …
What the Flock? How ALPR Surveillance Works, How It’s Abused, and How to Challenge It
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026 Time: 3:00–4:30 p.m. ET Location: Online | No CLE credit Offered at no cost by NACDL to their members and non-members Automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) are tracking vehicles across the country—collecting location data, creating detailed records of people’s movements, and increasingly becoming part of criminal investigations. But how does …
What the Flock? How ALPR Surveillance Works, How It’s Abused, and How to Challenge ItRead More
Roadside Intelligence: Emerging Drug Trends & Impaired Driving
Free to attend webinar series offered by Center for Forensic Science Research and Education Drug-impaired driving continues to challenge law enforcement as the drug landscape becomes increasingly complex. Unlike alcohol impairment, the effects of drugs, and particularly combinations of drugs, can vary considerably, making roadside detection and investigation more difficult. Evolving patterns of drug use …
Roadside Intelligence: Emerging Drug Trends & Impaired DrivingRead More
In Re Four Applications for Search Warrants Seeking Information Associated With Particular Cellular Towers a/k/a Tower-Dump Warrants (2026)
Federal court in Mississippi held that cell phone “tower dumps” are per se unconstitutional general warrants.
Parity in Practice: The Defender’s Duty to Ethically Use AI
NACDL white paper finding that competent, ethical use of AI is now part of a defender’s professional duty. The paper provides roadmap for how to verify AI output, protect client confidentiality, vet vendors, and build an office policy. It includes a model policy for defender offices or firms.
Parity in Practice: The Defender’s Duty to Ethically Use AIRead More
National Litigation Support Blog for Federal/Community Defenders and CJA Practitioners
The NLS Blog has many posts that are useful to criminal practitioners covering various topics related to digital evidence. Recent posts include a post-Chatrie primer for suppression litigation and new information about cellular area searches. Defenders can subscribe to the blog to receive an email each time a new article is posted.
National Litigation Support Blog for Federal/Community Defenders and CJA PractitionersRead More
Reading School Records
Live webinar presented by Heather CoxAug 6, 2026, 12:30pm90 min of CLE credit anticipated School records often contain valuable information that can help explain a client’s behavior, development, educational needs, and life circumstances—but only if attorneys know where to look. As part of our neurodiversity webinar series, this program will provide criminal defense attorneys with …
ACLU Surveillance Discovery Project
This project has compiled model motions that criminal defense attorneys can adapt and use to request information about law enforcement’s use of digital surveillance technologies, ranging from facial recognition to license plate readers to other forms of location tracking tech.
United States v. Chatrie, _ U.S. _ (June 29, 2026)
Held that a geofence warrant is a search. SOG post about the case is here. Link to opinion here. A NACDL Practice Advisory for defense counsel following the Chatrie decision is available here.