Supreme Court Rules For Accused in Crime Lab Case

The Associated Press reports:

The Supreme Court says that the lab analyst who testifies at a criminal trial must be the one who performed or witnessed the lab tests in question, the latest decision bolstering the constitutional requirement that defendants be able to confront witnesses against them.

In a 5-4 decision Thursday, the court ruled in favor of a New Mexico man convicted of drunken driving who objected when the lab analyst who testified about lab tests had no role in performing them.

The ruling reversed a New Mexico Supreme Court decision in the state’s favor.