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Articles by David Kim

Car Subscriptions: Another Means of Mass Surveillance by Law Enforcement

by David Kim

Police records obtained by WIRED reveal that the rise of internet-connected car features, spurred by automakers’ subscription models, is increasing drivers’ vulnerability to government surveillance. These documents expose how law enforcement agencies exploit the data generated by modern vehicles, often without public knowledge or meaningful legal oversight. ...

The Crushing Toll of Ohio’s Death Penalty: A Billion-Dollar Failure

by David Kim

Ohio’s death penalty system, which has consumed over a billion dollars, delivers neither justice nor closure, according to a damning report by Ohioans to Stop Executions. The system—marked by exorbitant costs, prolonged delays, and a troubling history of wrongful convictions—fails victims’ families, prison staff, and the wrongfully ...

SCOTUS Announces Knowingly or Intentionally Causing 
Bodily Injury or Death by ‘Omission’ Necessarily Involves 
‘Use’ of ‘Physical Force’ for Purposes of § 924(c)

The Supreme Court of the United States held that knowingly or intentionally causing bodily injury or death by failing to take action—that is, by omission—uses physical force for purposes of the elements clause of § 924(c).

Background

Salvatore Delligatti was an associate of the Genovese crime family in New York City. ...

Facial Recognition at the Border: CBP’s Push to Scan Every Car Passenger Sparks Privacy Concerns

by David Kim

At United States border crossings, Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) wants to photograph every vehicle occupant, from drivers to back-seat passengers, using real-time facial recognition to match images with travel documents. A recent federal notice details this plan, which is reportedly intended to enhance security but has ...

SCOTUS Announces Rejection of ‘Moment-of-Threat 
Doctrine’ Because It Improperly Narrows Required 
‘Totality of the Circumstances’ Analysis for Fourth 
Amendment Excessive-Force Claims

The Supreme Court of the United States held that courts may not apply the “moment-of-threat” doctrine when evaluating the reasonableness of police officers’ use of deadly force involving claims of excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment because the doctrine improperly narrows the requisite inquiry into the “totality of ...

Georgia Eliminates Legal Standard That Sent Intellectually Disabled Prisoners to Death Row

Georgia has joined a growing number of states that prohibit the execution of people with intellectual disabilities after Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill into law on May 12, 2025, establishing clearer legal protections for such defendants in capital cases.

Nearly Impossible Standard Eliminated

For decades, Georgia stood alone in ...

Warrantless Device Inspections Surge at the U.S. Border

by David Kim

Travelers entering the United States are facing intensifying scrutiny—not just of their luggage but of their smartphones, laptops, and other digital devices—as border agents increasingly conduct warrantless searches, sometimes copying personal data for further analysis. Civil liberties groups and legal experts argue these practices erode constitutional privacy ...

Cops’ Lie-Detecting Delusion: They Can’t Spot Lies Based on Nonverbal Cues or ‘Abnormal’ Behavior—Yet Keep Lying to Themselves (and Ruining Lives) That They Can

by David Kim

From the earliest forms of human communication, deception has been an inescapable part of social interaction. People lie—frequently and for countless reasons. Studies indicate that the average person tells at least two lies per day, and in a typical 10-minute conversation, 60% of individuals will deceive their ...

Nearly 150 Exonerations in 2024 Highlight Persistent Flaws in U.S. Criminal Justice System

by David Kim

In 2024, 147 prisoners were exonerated for crimes they did not commit, an alarming number that underscores both the resilience of those wrongfully convicted and the systemic failures that led to their imprisonment. The National Registry of Exonerations (“Registry”) documented these cases in its annual report, released ...

Convicted Double Murderer Executed by Firing Squad in South Carolina

by David Kim

Brad Sigmon, a 67-year-old convicted double murderer, became the first prisoner in the United States to be executed by firing squad in 15 years on Friday, March 7, 2025. Sigmon, who was sentenced to death for the 2001 killings of his ex-girlfriend’s parents, chose the method over ...

 

 

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