James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

1,506 decisions
Mar 16 2026
9th Cir. 3:21-cv-05137-JD Unpublished

SUSAN CAROL PLICHCIK v. SAFECO INSURANCE; SAFECO INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA; SAFECO INSURANCE COMPANY OF ILLINOIS; GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA

The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in an insurance coverage dispute, ruling that the plaintiff failed to file her claims within the policy's one-year limitations period. Under California law, the court held that this limitations period begins to run only upon a formal denial of coverage by the insurer.

Civil Insurance Statute of Limitations Summary Judgment
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Mar 16 2026
8th Cir. 25-2819 Panel Decision

United States of America v. Calvin Milo Alvarez

The Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's revocation of supervised release and the imposition of a 14-month prison sentence. The court rejected the appellant's claim that the sentence was substantively unreasonable, finding no abuse of discretion in the lower court's application of sentencing factors.

Criminal Supervised Release
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Mar 16 2026
11th Cir. 8:23-cr-00222-VMC-TGW-1 Per Curiam

United States v. Carrillo

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed an 84-month prison sentence for a defendant convicted of dogfighting conspiracy and felon-in-possession of a firearm. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion in imposing an upward variance based on the extreme cruelty of the offense and the defendant's history of fatal drug distribution.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Mar 16 2026
5th Cir. 25-10990 Per Curiam

United States v. Leonard

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Desmonte Dwayne Leonard's conviction for felon-in-possession of a firearm, ruling that his facial Second Amendment challenge is foreclosed by binding precedent. The court granted the government's motion for summary affirmance, citing United States v. Diaz as controlling authority.

Constitutional Criminal Firearms
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Mar 16 2026
11th Cir. 6:24-cr-00136-PGB-RMN-1 Per Curiam

United States v. Cobb

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Joshua Cobb's convictions for drug and firearm offenses, rejecting his claim that the district court erred by failing to inquire into a conflict of interest. The court held that a defendant must demonstrate an actual conflict that negatively affected counsel's performance to warrant reversal.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254)
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Mar 16 2026
9th Cir. 3:17-cr-02201-CAB-1 Unpublished

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. HUGO SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a defendant's motion for compassionate release, ruling that the district court's reliance on sentencing factors outweighed any potential error in assessing extraordinary circumstances. The court held that the seriousness of the offense and the nature of the drugs involved provided an independent, valid basis to deny relief.

Compassionate Release Criminal
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