French Constitutional Council Strikes Down Genetic Genealogy Use in Darmanin Justice Reform
On July 23, 2026, the French Constitutional Council censured several measures of the criminal justice bill championed by Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, notably the use of genetic genealogy to solve investigations, particularly cold cases. The Council ruled the measure unconstitutional due to insufficient safeguards balancing offender pursuit and privacy rights, noting it violated France's ban on recreational genetic tests. However, the Council validated key contested measures including the creation of departmental criminal courts (CCD) to try recidivist crimes, reduced deadlines for lawyers' motions to dismiss, and extended pretrial detentions. Darmanin welcomed the validation, stating the measures would accelerate scheduling times and strengthen efficiency for victims. The bill was definitively adopted on July 9 after the withdrawal of its controversial plea bargaining provision.
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