David Jean Kaloyanides

Both in professional and private life, Mr. Kaloyanides is a strong opponent to the death penalty, and works both in law practice and in non-law organizations to bring an end to this ultimate sanction for criminal conduct.

"The death penalty is the ultimate punishment, and the only punishment that cannot be corrected," Kaloyanides says.  "Recent experience has demonstrated that the government makes mistakes and too many people have been wrongly convicted.  There is no turning back after an execution."

"But more than that, the death penalty has shown not to serve any true penal interest other than retribution.  It does not act as a deterrent.  The United States is the only developed country in the world that still uses the death penalty.  As a society, our criminal justice system should be better than that.  It should be a system of punishment and rehabilitation, not vengeance."

Outside of the law, Mr. Kaloyanides is an avid martial arts student, studying the mixed martial arts system of Grand Master Shi Han Sensei Louis D. Casamassa's Red Dragon Karate.  Mr. Kaloyanides has attained the rank of Ni-Dan and studies under the tutelage of Go-Dan Sensei William Anderson.

"The foundational principle of the martial arts is peace.  There is an old saying that in karate that we must have 'mind like water'.  In life, as in our art form, we must have a mindset to respond to circumstances proportionally and decisively, as water responds to anything that interacts with it.  Undisturbed, water is placid.  Disturbed, it responds only as necessary and as efficiently to return to its peaceful state."

"My study and practice of the martial arts not much different that what I do as a criminal defense lawyer.  I stand up for those society would rather throw away.  But our Constitution protects the least in society against the over-reaching and too often excess of the government in seeking to take one's liberty."