WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is ending an Obama-era partnership with independent scientists that aimed to improve the reliability of forensic science.
Sessions said Monday that the Justice Department will not renew the National Commission on Forensic Science, a panel of judges, defense attorneys and law enforcement officials that advises the attorney general on the use of scientific evidence in the criminal justice process.
The department will instead appoint an adviser on forensic science and conduct a broad assessment of the equipment and personnel needs of overloaded crime labs.
The Obama administration formed the commission in 2013 to address longstanding concerns about the quality of forensic evidence in court cases. It will expire this month.
