James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

1,506 decisions
Feb 24 2026
8th Cir. 25-2788 Panel Decision

United States of America v. Joe L. Franklin

The Eighth Circuit affirmed the revocation of Joe Franklin's supervised release and the imposition of a 36-month prison sentence, finding no plain procedural error in the district court's sentencing analysis. The court further held that the special condition requiring substance abuse treatment did not constitute an impermissible delegation of judicial authority.

Criminal Plain Error Review Supervised Release
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Feb 24 2026
3rd Cir. 24-2824 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. OMOYOMA OKORO

The Third Circuit affirmed Omoyoma Okoro's fraud convictions, rejecting his claims regarding the denial of remote testimony from a co-conspirator and the sufficiency of the evidence. The court held that the defense failed to comply with the District Court's specific conditions for remote testimony and found the jury verdict supported by substantial evidence.

Criminal Fraud Sentencing Guidelines Sixth Amendment - Speedy Trial
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Feb 24 2026
7th Cir. 24-1894 Panel Decision

JOHN A. HAWKINS v. MARK SEVIER

The Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial of a habeas petition challenging the deprivation of nearly 19 years of good time credits for a violent attack on a correctional officer. The court held that the administrative record contained sufficient evidence to support the finding of serious bodily injury and that the sanction was not grossly disproportionate under the Eighth Amendment.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254)
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Feb 23 2026
7th Cir. 25-1395 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. THOMAS LINDSTROM and RYAN BUILDING GROUP, INC Third-Party Citation Respondent-Appellee APPEAL OF DAVID VENKUS Restitution Judgment Creditor

The Seventh Circuit reversed a district court's denial of a motion to enforce a criminal restitution judgment against a third-party employer, finding that material questions of fact exist regarding the nature of a severance payment. The court held that an evidentiary hearing is necessary to determine if the employer's calculation of stock options and offsetting debts constituted a prohibited transfer of assets.

Criminal Fraud
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Feb 23 2026
1st Cir. 22-1055 Panel Decision

ANTHONY M. SHEA v. UNITED STATES

The First Circuit affirmed the District Court's denial of Anthony Shea's request to vacate his federal firearms convictions, ruling that instructional errors regarding predicate crimes were harmless. The court also upheld the resentencing of Shea based on the erroneous application of the career offender guideline, which the government conceded no longer applied.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sentencing Guidelines
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Feb 20 2026
1st Cir. 24-1520 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CHANG GOO YOON

The First Circuit affirmed Chang Goo Yoon's conviction for health care fraud, rejecting his challenges to evidentiary rulings regarding prior insurance investigations and sentencing enhancements. The court held that evidence of Yoon's knowledge of past investigations was probative of his specific intent and that the district court properly calculated intended loss and applied sentencing enhancements.

Criminal Fraud Sentencing Guidelines
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Feb 20 2026
4th Cir. 21-4562 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MALIK ELI DAVIS, a/k/a Charles Prince Davis, a/k/a Black

The Fourth Circuit vacated the sentence of a defendant convicted of drug trafficking and firearm possession due to a 'Rogers error' involving ambiguous supervised release conditions. The court held that the district court failed to clearly incorporate the correct standing order, creating a material discrepancy between the oral pronouncement and the written judgment.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Feb 20 2026
11th Cir. 1:21-cr-20374-RKA-1 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JOAN MANUEL ESTADELLA

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the convictions of Joan Manuel Estadella for felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The court rejected challenges to the denial of a motion to suppress, the admission of evidence, and the sentencing calculation based on drug purity.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Sentencing Guidelines
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Feb 20 2026
7th Cir. 24-1788 Panel Decision

United States v. Demus

The Seventh Circuit affirmed the defendants' Hobbs Act robbery convictions, ruling that robbing customers at a convenience store disrupted interstate commerce by forcing the business to close. The court also rejected a claim of jury confusion regarding the specific victim, finding the argument was waived because it was not raised at the trial level.

Criminal Robbery & Extortion
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Feb 20 2026
7th Cir. 24-2388 Panel Decision

United States v. Demus

The Seventh Circuit affirmed convictions for Hobbs Act robbery and brandishing a firearm, ruling that the robbery of customers at a convenience store satisfied the interstate commerce nexus. The court also rejected a claim of jury confusion, finding that the defendants failed to present a separate legal theory to the jury regarding the robbery of a customer outside the store.

Criminal Robbery & Extortion
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