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. The Council ruled that the legislator failed to provide sufficient legal safeguards to balance the pursuit of offenders with the right to privacy, particularly regarding consultation of private company databases offering recreational genetic tests banned in France. The bill, finally adopted on July 9 after the controversial 'plea bargaining' measure was withdrawn, saw its main contested measures upheld, including the creation of departmental criminal courts (CCD) to judge crimes committed in a state of legal recidivism, reduced deadlines for lawyers' nullity requests, and extended pre-trial detentions. The Council also censured an article creating a status for judicial police psychologists. Darmanin welcomed the validation of the main measures, stating they would accelerate scheduling times and strengthen efficiency and proximity for victims.