Opinion ID: 1462522
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Fifth Amendment Self-Incrimination

Text: In Count IV of his complaint, Wilson alleges the state's collection and retention of his DNA sample constitutes a violation of this Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. He maintains that DNA is testimonial because it could reveal personal information and therefore come within the ambit of the Fifth Amendment. The district court rejected the claim, citing numerous federal court decisions holding that DNA samples are not testimonial in nature. On appeal, Wilson has failed to identify a single contrary authority. Most recently, the Ninth Circuit confirmed the unanimous view: The extraction of DNA doesn't implicate the privilege against self-incrimination because DNA samples are `physical' evidence, not `testimonial' evidence. United States v. Zimmerman, 514 F.3d 851, 853 (9th Cir.2007) (citing Schmerber v. California, 384 U.S. 757, 765, 86 S.Ct. 1826, 16 L.Ed.2d 908 (1966) (holding that blood test evidence, although an incriminating product of compulsion, [is] neither [testimony nor evidence relating to some communicative act or writing and is therefore not protected by the Fifth Amendment)). See also Bean, 214 Fed.Appx. at 571 (same); Hook, 471 F.3d at 773 (same); Boling, 101 F.3d at 1340 (same). These rulings recognize that a DNA sample is analogous to a photograph or fingerprint, another form of physical evidence identifying an individual that falls outside the scope of Fifth Amendment protection. Again, Wilson gives us no reason to depart from these precedents, which we find to be persuasive. We therefore uphold the district court's judgment as to Count IV.