Professor Joh cited in Fourth Circuit search-and-seizure case

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit cited an article by Professor Elizabeth Joh in deciding that that Richmond, Va., police violated the rights of a felon caught with a handgun when he was stopped and searched in 2017.

Judge James A. Wynn Jr. cited Joh’s 2017 article “Feeding the Machine: Policing, Crime Data & Algorithms” (William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal) in concurring with Judge Henry Floyd’s majority opinion in United States v. Billy Curry, Jr. that stopping and searching Curry was not justified by the “exigent circumstances” exception to Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.

Professor Joh's scholarship focuses on criminal procedure and policing, with a special emphasis on DNA evidence, undercover policing, and new surveillance technologies. She is the recipient of King Hall’s 2017 Distinguished Teaching Award.