The enormous potential of DNA fingerprinting Summary; This article explores the effects that DNA fingerprinting has had on courts and legal institutions. Judge Joseph Harris states that this is the “greatest advance in the pursuit of truth since the advent of cross-examination (Gest, 1988).” And I tend to agree with Judge Joseph's statement, but with the invention and implementation of DNA profiling and technology came numerous problems. This article will explore: how DNA evidence was introduced into the lower courts, the effects of DNA evidence on the jury system, and the future of DNA evidence in the lower courts. Any new technology introduced into the scientific community is usually greeted with great skepticism. . Billings says: “The use of fingerprinting for identification purposes was developed at the beginning of this century and has gained widespread acceptance. After its introduction, it was 20 years before the technique was widely studied and validated, at least enough to gain general judicial acceptance (2)." Initially, DNA-like fingerprinting was not widely ruled out in either the forensic or scientific communities. The Frye standard, however, has been used to effectively introduce "new" scientific evidence such as DNA evidence into lower courts. Baird states that “Frye was a 1923 Washington DC case that did not allow the admissibility of polygraph (lie detector) evidence (62).” The Frye standard states: It is difficult to define exactly when a scientific principle or discovery crosses the boundary between the experimental and demonstrable phases. Somewhere in this twilight zone the evidentiary forces of the principle must be recognized and while the courts will go a long way in ad… half of the document… is apparently here to say so. Works CitedBillings, Paul R. DNA in Evidence: Genetic Identification and Criminal Justice. California: Cold Spring Laboratory Press, 1992.Cornelius, Ronda. “Searching for DNA evidence delays evidence.” “Missouri DNA Evidence Gaining More Acceptance.” USA Today August 1995 15. Easteal, McCleod, and Reed. DNA profiling: principles, pitfalls and potential. Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1991.Gest, Ted. “DNA 'fingerprinting' is facing a serious legal challenge from defense lawyers and civil libertarians.” US News & World Report 31 October 1988. Kolata, Gina. “DNA testing provides the key to the cell doors of some wrongfully convicted prisoners.” The New York Times, August 5, 1994: A20.Saltus, Richard. “DNA Fingerprinting: It's a Possibility of Probability.” The Boston Globe August 22 1994: 25.