Texas Judicial

Branch

Texas Forensic Science Commission

DNA Reporting and Testimony Group 

In May 2025, the Commission convened a working group to develop additional guidance and resources for DNA analysts related to reporting and testimony. The group includes representatives from numerous FSC-accredited laboratories both within Texas and across the country. 

The first document, Recommendations for DNA Reporting Concepts, was adopted by the Commission on October 24, 2025. Note that content within the document is intended to be conceptual, rather than language to be adopted verbatim. The concepts attempt to encapsulate the principles of interpretation considering the hierarchy of propositions, but laboratories will adopt more specific language aligned with the principles as they see fit.  

Additional discussion is currently underway regarding whether—and how—to help address source level propositions and concepts relating to testimony that considers DNA-TPPR in a responsible and consistent way across Texas laboratories. 

 

The following openly accessible publications may assist laboratories in drafting their own reporting limitations/caveats: 

  1. Hicks, T.; Buckleton, J.; Castella, V.; Evett, I.; Jackson, G. A Logical Framework for Forensic DNA Interpretation. Genes 2022, 13, 957. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13060957 
  2. ENFSI Best Practice Manual for Human Forensic Biology and DNA Profiling (2022) https://enfsi.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/ENFSI-DNA-BPM-03.pdf 
  3. Taylor, M. , Romsos, E. , Ballantyne, K. , Moore Boswell, D. and Busey, T. (2024), Forensic DNA Interpretation and Human Factors: Improving the Practice Through a Systems Approach, NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8503 [See Appendix 5.1 Example Caveats and Limitations to Include in a Report] 
  4. Human Forensic DNA Reporting Appendix Exemplar, OSAC Technical Guidance Document 0009 (2025) https://www.nist.gov/adlp/spo/organization-scientific-area-committees-forensic-science/human-forensic-dna-reporting 

 

For questions regarding the DNA Reporting and Testimony Working Group, please contact: Jarrah.Kennedy@fsc.texas.gov