James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

2,517 decisions
Apr 17 2026
United States Court… 25-5099 Panel Decision

JANE DOE v. TODD BLANCHE

The D.C. Circuit vacated preliminary injunctions blocking the transfer of transgender women inmates to men's facilities, ruling that the district court failed to make necessary individualized findings of fact. The court held that while the Eighth Amendment claim was not barred by jurisdictional or exhaustion statutes, the plaintiffs did not demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits without specific evidence of their unique vulnerabilities.

Civil Rights - PLRA / Prisoner Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Sex Offenses
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Apr 17 2026
1st Cir. 23-1883 Unpublished

T.H. GLENNON CO., INC v. DEBRA MONDAY

The First Circuit reversed the dismissal of claims against Debra Monday but affirmed the dismissal of claims against other defendants. The court found the district court lacked authority to dismiss claims against the Massachusetts resident while upholding dismissals against out-of-state defendants for lack of personal jurisdiction.

Criminal Fraud
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Apr 17 2026
11th Cir. 6:21-cr-00015-CEM-LHP-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. SHAWN MICHAEL CHALIFOUX

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court order allowing the involuntary administration of antipsychotic medication to a defendant found incompetent to stand trial. The court held that the government met its burden under the Sell standard by showing that medication was medically appropriate and necessary to restore the defendant's competency.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 17 2026
11th Cir. 5:24-cr-00103-TPB-PRL-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. RICKEY LEE MILLER, JR

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 180-month sentence for attempted coercion of a minor, ruling that the district court did not commit plain error by failing to expressly recite the Sentencing Guideline range. The court held that judges retain discretion to weigh statutory factors and are not required to explicitly discuss each factor or the specific guideline calculation on the record.

Criminal Plain Error Review Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 17 2026
11th Cir. 9:22-cr-80054-DMM-1 Unpublished

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JASON EDWARD LOPEZ

The Eleventh Circuit vacated Jason Edward Lopez's sentence because the district court miscalculated his advisory guideline range by applying only a one-level acceptance-of-responsibility reduction when he was entitled to two. The court held that this miscalculation was reversible error rather than harmless because the district court failed to clearly state it would have imposed the same sentence regardless of the error.

Criminal Fraud Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 17 2026
11th Cir. 1:23-cr-00233-ECM-JTA-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. EIBE SCOTT

The Eleventh Circuit summarily affirmed Eibe Scott's conviction for felon-in-possession, rejecting his Second Amendment challenges as foreclosed by binding precedent. The court held that its prior decision in United States v. Rozier remains controlling law despite recent Supreme Court rulings.

Criminal Firearms
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Apr 17 2026
6th Cir. 25-1190 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MATTHEW JOSEPH SHEEHAN

The Sixth Circuit affirmed the denial of Matthew Sheehan's motion to suppress evidence, ruling that police possessed reasonable suspicion to stop his vehicle based on corroborated informant tips and cell-site data. The court held that the totality of the circumstances supported the inference that Sheehan was engaged in an ongoing drug trafficking operation.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Supervised Release
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