Death Penalty and DNA Testing

The Supreme Court declined to revive Rodney Reed’s bid for DNA testing in his Texas death‑penalty case, leaving in place a 5th Circuit ruling for the second time in less than three years. Justice Sotomayor dissented, calling the refusal to allow testing of the webbed belt “inexplicable” — noting Texas prosecutors refused testing even after Reed offered to pay and warning the state may execute Reed without knowing whether his or Fennell’s DNA is on the alleged murder weapon — a refusal the state’s top criminal court has justified by narrowly interpreting the state DNA‑testing law to exclude potentially “contaminated” items despite having controlled the belt’s handling.