James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

1,493 decisions
Feb 18 2025
9th Cir. 2:23-cv-02093- Published

JOHN DOE, an individual v. GRINDR INC.; GRINDR LLC

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit against Grindr, holding that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act bars state law tort claims against the app for injuries sustained by an underage user. The court further ruled that the plaintiff failed to plausibly allege Grindr was a knowing perpetrator or beneficiary of sex trafficking, precluding relief under the FOSTA statutory exception.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal
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Feb 13 2025
2nd Cir. 22-861 Panel Decision

United States v. Mangano

The Second Circuit reversed Edward Mangano's convictions for federal programs bribery, ruling the evidence insufficient to prove he was an agent of the Town of Oyster Bay. The court affirmed his convictions for honest services fraud and obstruction of justice, as well as his wife's convictions for those crimes and making false statements.

Criminal Fraud Supervised Release
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Feb 13 2025
2nd Cir. 22-937 Panel Decision

United States v. Mangano

The Second Circuit reversed Edward Mangano's federal programs bribery convictions, ruling that the evidence was insufficient to prove he was an agent of the Town of Oyster Bay. The court affirmed his honest services fraud and obstruction of justice convictions, holding that the jury instructions were proper and the evidence sufficient to support those charges.

Criminal Fraud
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Feb 10 2025
9th Cir. 3:19-cr-05000- Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. LAMAR ALLEN THOMPSON

The Ninth Circuit affirmed a 28-year federal sentence for child pornography production, ruling that a prior Washington child molestation conviction triggers a statutory ten-year mandatory minimum enhancement. The court also rejected an unpreserved argument that the district court erred by declining to recommend concurrent service with anticipated state sentences.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal Mandatory Minimum Supervised Release
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Feb 5 2025
2nd Cir. 23-634 Panel Decision

Xerox Corp. v. Local 14A, Rochester Reg'l Joint Bd.

The Second Circuit vacated a district court ruling that denied arbitration of a dispute over retiree benefits, holding that the collective bargaining agreement contained language reasonably susceptible to interpretation as vesting benefits beyond the contract's expiration. The court remanded the case to allow a trier of fact to resolve the ambiguity regarding the parties' intent, particularly in light of conflicting reservation-of-rights clauses.

Civil ERISA / Employee Benefits Labor
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Feb 3 2025
2nd Cir. 22-3076 Panel Decision

In re Shanda Games Ltd. Sec. Litig.

The Second Circuit vacated the dismissal of a securities fraud class action, holding that minority shareholders adequately alleged loss causation and that the scienter of conflicted directors is imputable to the company. The court ruled that the fraud-on-the-market presumption applies to shareholders who forfeited appraisal rights in a freeze-out merger, allowing the case to proceed to trial.

Criminal Embezzlement & Forgery
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Jan 13 2025
2nd Cir. 22-2884 Panel Decision

Mallet v. New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision

The Second Circuit reversed the dismissal of an inmate's Eighth Amendment claim, holding that the statute of limitations did not begin to run until he reasonably suspected he had prostate cancer, not when he was released from prison. The court remanded the case for further proceedings on the claims against two prison doctors while dismissing the claims against a third provider and state officials.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Qualified Immunity Statute of Limitations
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Jan 3 2025
2nd Cir. 22-1799 Panel Decision

United States v. Cuomo

The Second Circuit affirmed Guy Cuomo's convictions for computer fraud and identity theft, ruling that impersonating debtors to access state unemployment databases constituted unauthorized access under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The court also upheld his 45-month sentence, rejecting challenges to the evidence sufficiency and sentencing enhancements.

Criminal Sentencing Guidelines
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Dec 30 2024
9th Cir. 2:20-cr-00095- Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. LARRY SENG IN

The Ninth Circuit reversed a district court's suppression order, ruling that handcuffing a suspect during a traffic stop did not constitute an unlawful de facto arrest. The panel held that officers had a reasonable basis to fear for their safety given an unsecured firearm and the suspect's uncooperative demeanor.

Criminal Fifth Amendment - Self-Incrimination Firearms Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure
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