RaquinMercer Law Offices
“The Defense Never Rests.”

RaquinMercer LLC In The News

Isabelle raquin
Isabelle Raquin Headshot

The Daily Record Announces 2022 Leaders in Law

TDR News – April 8th, 2022

In 2014, Isabelle Raquin began working with the Montgomery County Adult Drug Court Program, a voluntary treatment program designed to reduced recidivism for adult offenders suffering from drug and alcohol dependence. Three years later, Raquin started her private practice, RaquinMercer LLC, and the Drug Court program asked her to continue working with the program in an attorney liaison position…

Read Now
Isabelle raquin
LCI News logo

Isabelle Raquin interviewed by France TF1 National News

TFI News – January 2021

Isabelle Raquin interviewed by France TF1 News about former President Trump’s legal entanglements

Watch Now
RaquinMercer LLC
LCI News logo

Steve Mercer interviewed by Judge Alexander Williams, Jr.

Perspectives On Justice – January 2021

Steve Mercer interviewed by Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. on Post Conviction – Expungement, Pardons, Commuting Sentences.

Watch Now
Washingtonian Gratitude
RaquinMercer LLC

Special Announcement

RaquinMercer LLC – December 2020

RaquinMercer is pleased to announce its newest association: the Honorable Gary E. Bair, recently retired from the Circuit Court for Montgomery County Maryland, is joining RaquinMercer as Of Counsel.

Read More
Washingtonian Gratitude
Washingtonian logo

Washingtonian : Washington DC’s Top Lawyers.

Washingtonian Magazine – December 2020

Isabelle Raquin is featured in the Washingtonian Magazine’s top criminal defense lawyers for 2020. Every other year, the Washingtonian Magazine endeavors to compile a list of the best legal talent in the Washington, D.C. region. This year, RaquinMercer’s Isabelle Raquin joins the list of prominent Washington and Maryland lawyers. She is truly a top choice for your criminal defense representation in Maryland.

Read More
Isabelle raquin
LCI News logo

Isabelle’s appearances on French national media

LCI News – November 2020

Isabelle Discusses Election Results on French National Media

Watch Now
Photo of man swabbing his cheek for DNA
DC Bar

Ethics and Privacy Risks in DNA Familial Searches

DC Bar Magazine – October 2018

“To Catch A Criminal   Amateur genealogists use popular genealogy websites such as MyHeritage, 23andMe, and Ancestry to sleuth out familial DNA matches, unearthing connections to long-lost…”

Read More
science of sleuthing
Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson

DNA & Crime Fighting: Science of Sleuthing

Full Measure News – October 21, 2018“When a notorious serial killer was arrested earlier this year thanks to the DNA of a relative… it opened the door to a sea change in crime fighting…”

Watch Now
Photo of Steve Mercer on NBC News
NBC

Why Private DNA Databanks are the Next Big Privacy Battleground

NBC News: Think – May 22, 2018

“Your DNA is the Next Big Privacy Battleground Are we on the verge of another Cambridge Analytica-type meltdown? Lawyer Stephen Mercer thinks so…”

Watch Now
Image of paper dna
KUOW.ORG 94.9

Signing up for 23andMe? You Might be Exposing Your Family to the FBI

KUOW.ORG 94.9 – May 3, 2018

“The Golden State Killer’s arrest last week brought closure to victims and community members affected by a ten year spree of rapes and murder. The trail went cold in 1986…”

Listen Now
Dna test tubes
On Point

A DNA Database Helped Find A Suspected Serial Killer. How Is Your Privacy Affected?

WBUR On Point – May 3, 2018

“More than a million Americans are sharing their DNA with ancestry websites. That helped the cops find the Golden State Killer. Good police work, but troubling implications for privacy…”

Listen Now
Baltimore to Pay Largest Settlement in City History
propublica

Baltimore to Pay Largest Settlement in City History

Pro Publica – May 2, 2018

“Owens’ steadfastness “paid a large dividend here,” Mercer said. “He was willing to go to trial and risk it all and only settled when there was a number that speaks loudly to his…”

Read More
Baltimore to Pay Largest Settlement in City History
propublica

DNA Familial Searching

Vox: Today, Explained – May 1, 2018

“Sean Rameswaram talks with Steve Mercer about the DNA familial searching in the Golden State Killer case opening Pandora’s box.”

Listen Now
Baltimore to Pay Largest Settlement in City History
propublica

Golden State Killer Case

FOX5 DC – April 27, 2018

“The Golden State Killer Case Raises Privacy Concerns About DNA Submitted to Genealogy Websites Steve Mercer interviewed by FOX5 DC. WASHINGTON… “

Watch Now
Baltimore to Pay Largest Settlement in City History
propublica

In Hunt For Golden State Killer, Investigators Uploaded His DNA To Genealogy Site

NPR: The Two-Way – April 27, 2018

“As they sought a breakthrough in the cold case of the man known as the Golden State Killer…”

Read More
 Use of DNA in Serial Killer Probe Sparks Privacy Concerns
Winston-salem journal

Use of DNA in Serial Killer Probe Sparks Privacy Concerns

Winston-Salem Journal – April 27, 2018

“SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Investigators who used a genealogical website to find the ex-policeman they believe is a shadowy serial killer and rapist who terrified…”

Read More
 When the Only Way to Go Free is to Plead Guilty
propublica

When the Only Way to Go Free is to Plead Guilty

Vox & Pro Publica – February 21,2018

“A Baltimore case shows just how far prosecutors will go to keep a win on the books. In 1987, police detectives — who’d later be made famous by David Simon, creator of The Wire…”

Watch Now
 When the Only Way to Go Free is to Plead Guilty
The-Atlantic

The Case of James Owens of Baltimore, MD

The Atlantic – September 7, 2017

“Having been convicted really defines who you are—it becomes itself a prison,” Mercer said. “Once out, with a conviction still on your shoulders, having maintained your innocence…”

Read More
A Not So Perfect Match
60minutes

A Not So Perfect Match

CBS: 60 Minutes – March 23, 2007

“…Stephen Mercer disagrees. “Of course they’re gonna come up with analogies that seem to do away with any sense of wrongdoing or any sense of violation of privacy…”

Watch Now
 Stop and Spit : VICE News Tonight on HBO
VICE News

Stop and Spit : VICE News Tonight on HBO

HBO: Vice News – November 18, 2016

Featured on HBO’s VICE News, Steve Mercer was featured as Antonia Hylton visits one police department where collecting genetic information has become routine.

Watch Now
 Scrooge Comes to Prince George’s County
the-washington-post

Scrooge Comes to Prince George’s County

The Washington Post – December 25, 2015

“Juvenile courts have become real-life Scrooges to young adults trying to turn their lives around after troubled childhoods. The courts are imposing unnecessary…”

Read More
Family DNA Searches Seen as Crime-Solving Tool, and Intrusion on Rights
The new-york-times

Family DNA Searches Seen as Crime-Solving Tool, and Intrusion on Rights

New York Times – January 27,2017

“The leads have dried up in the killing of a young woman in Queens during a jog last summer. Tips about potential suspects have gone nowhere…”

Read More
 The Freedom Plea: How Prosecutors Deny Exonerations by Dangling the Prison Keys
propublica

The Freedom Plea: How Prosecutors Deny Exonerations by Dangling the Prison Keys

Pro Publica – September 7,2017

“Baltimore men, yet prosecutors would only let them go if they agreed to controversial plea deals. Despite new evidence undermining the…”

Read More
 FBI Notifies Crime Labs of Errors Used in DNA Match Calculations Since 1999
the-washington-post

FBI Notifies Crime Labs of Errors Used in DNA Match Calculations Since 1999

The Washington Post – May 29,2015

“The FBI has notified crime labs across the country that it has discovered errors in data used by forensic scientists in thousands of cases to calculate the chances that DNA…”

Read More
The “Grim Sleeper” is Winning Over Skeptics
los-angeles-times

The “Grim Sleeper” is Winning Over Skeptics

Los Angeles Times – October 25, 2015

“The Controversial DNA Search that helped nab the “Grim Sleeper.” He roamed the streets of Sacramento for six years, raping women as they walked to work or headed home…”

Read More
 Pros & Cons of High-Tech DNA Forensics
Scientific-american

Pros & Cons of High-Tech DNA Forensics

Scientific American – March 1, 2013

“A new technique that searches DNA databases has generated controversy because it can draw innocent people into criminal investigations. A number of law enforcement…”

Read More
 Forensic Genealogy
azcentral

Forensic Genealogy

AZCentral – September 15, 2016

“How Forensic Genealogy Led to an Arrest in the Phoenix ‘Canal Killer’ Case The man accused in Phoenix’s “Canal Killer” case may have his ancestors to blame for his 2015 arrest…”

Read More
The “Grim Sleeper” is Winning Over Skeptics
TheTakeaway

Policing DNA, Digital Government, “Super Gang” Trial

The Takeaway – September 15, 2016

“The Controversial DNA Search that helped nab the “Grim Sleeper.” He roamed the streets of Sacramento for six years, raping women as they walked to work or headed home from…”

Listen Now
 Familial DNA Testing
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly

Familial DNA Testing

PBS: R&E – May 16, 2008

“The practice of “familial searching” is causing a conflict between solving crimes and protecting privacy. Police can now take DNA from a crime scene and compare it to millions of DNA…”

Watch Now