James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

2,517 decisions
Apr 15 2026
9th Cir. 3:22-cv-00193-SLG Unpublished

Dion Kirk Humphrey v. Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives

The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that prohibited Dion Kirk Humphrey from possessing firearms due to a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction. The court rejected Humphrey's constitutional challenges regarding the ex post facto clause, Second Amendment rights, and due process.

Criminal Firearms Summary Judgment
Read summary →
Apr 15 2026
8th Cir. 25-3017 Panel Decision

United States of America v. Raheam D. McLean

The Eighth Circuit affirmed Raheam McLean's supervised release revocation sentence, finding no plain error in the district court's explanation or alleged Tapia violation due to a failure to preserve objections. The court modified the written judgment to remove an erroneous reference to a mandatory condition that did not match the oral pronouncement.

Criminal Supervised Release
Read summary →
Apr 15 2026
7th Cir. 25-1904 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. OMARI ANDREWS, JR

The Seventh Circuit affirmed Omari Andrews's conviction for possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, finding the evidence sufficient based on his own admission of four guns during a jail call. The court also upheld the district court's decision to admit fingerprint expert testimony, ruling that the defendant's late objection was untimely and that the expert's methodology was reliable.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Firearms
Read summary →
Apr 15 2026
11th Cir. 1:24-cr-20151-RAR-3 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. STEVE HENRY

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of safety-valve relief to a defendant convicted of drug trafficking, holding that his possession of firearms was in connection with the offense. The court found that a pattern of mixed drug and firearm sales from the same location facilitated the drug enterprise, precluding relief under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f).

Criminal Firearms Sentencing Guidelines
Read summary →
Apr 15 2026
8th Cir. 25-1215 Panel Decision

United States of America v. Paul Antonio Deon Parrow

The Eighth Circuit vacates Paul Parrow's conviction for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances due to a district court's erroneous exclusion of evidence regarding a co-owner's drug history. The court affirmed the conspiracy conviction, finding the evidentiary error harmless for that count, but ordered a new trial on the possession charge where the excluded evidence was critical to the defense.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
Read summary →
Apr 15 2026
10th Cir. 1:19-CR-00114-JNP-1) Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. THOMAS FAIRBANKS

The Tenth Circuit affirmed Thomas Fairbanks's securities fraud convictions, ruling that the district court properly denied his motion to sever the counts and that sufficient evidence supported the verdict. The court found the joint trial did not prejudice the defendant and that the evidence established a unified fraudulent scheme against multiple victims.

Criminal Fraud
Read summary →