James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

2,500 decisions
Apr 13 2026
10th Cir. 2:23-CR-00002-SWS-1) Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. RONNELL LEE ROBERTSON

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the denial of a federal prisoner's motion for compassionate release, ruling that challenges to sentencing guideline calculations must be brought via habeas corpus rather than compassionate release proceedings. The court held that the defendant's argument effectively attacked the validity of his plea agreement and sentence, which falls outside the scope of 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A).

Compassionate Release Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 13 2026
5th Cir. 25-30377 Per Curiam

United States v. Rodgers

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the conviction of Demario Montrell Rodgers for possession of a firearm as a felon. The court held that law enforcement officers possessed reasonable suspicion to conduct an investigatory stop based on the totality of the circumstances.

Criminal Firearms
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Apr 13 2026
5th Cir. 25-30148 Per Curiam

United States v. Watts

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Xavion Watts's conviction and ten-year sentence for possession of a machinegun, finding no procedural or substantive error in the district court's sentencing decision. The court also rejected Watts's unpreserved constitutional challenges to the federal machinegun ban under the Second Amendment and Commerce Clause.

Criminal Firearms Guidelines Departure
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Apr 13 2026
5th Cir. 25-11068 Per Curiam

United States v. Coleman

The Fifth Circuit affirmed the revocation of Maurice Coleman's supervised release and his 18-month prison sentence. The court held that Coleman's constitutional challenge to 18 U.S.C. § 3583(g) is foreclosed by its prior decision in United States v. Garner.

Criminal Supervised Release
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Apr 13 2026
9th Cir. 2:23-cr-00024- Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. KOBY DON WILLIAMS

The Ninth Circuit affirmed Koby Don Williams's conviction for attempted online enticement of a minor but vacated his sentence due to a procedural error in applying a sentencing enhancement. The court held that the district court failed to make the specific factual findings required to support an obstruction of justice enhancement based on the defendant's trial testimony.

Criminal Obstruction of Justice Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 10 2026
4th Cir. 24-7141 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. EDWARD MOORE, JR

The Fourth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability and dismissed Edward Moore, Jr.'s appeal from his § 2255 denial because he failed to make a substantial showing that reasonable jurists could find the district court's assessment debatable or wrong. The court independently reviewed the record and found no constitutional error warranting further review, leaving the district court's denial of relief in place.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255)
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Apr 10 2026
11th Cir. 6:23-cr-00207-CEM-LHP-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CHARLES BERNARD LONG

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 78-month sentence for child pornography possession, ruling that a sentencing error regarding video image counts did not affect the defendant's substantial rights. Although the district court incorrectly applied a rule counting each video as 75 images, the correct legal standard would likely have resulted in an even higher image count.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 10 2026
11th Cir. 1:22-cr-20438-RNS-4 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. YANDREY NEGRIN ROJAS

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 97-month prison sentence for migrant smuggling, ruling that the district court did not violate the Sixth Amendment by considering acquitted conduct to apply sentencing enhancements. The court held that under binding precedent, acquitted conduct may be used at sentencing if proven by a preponderance of the evidence.

Criminal Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 10 2026
11th Cir. 6:23-cr-00207-CEM-LHP-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CHARLES BERNARD LONG

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Charles Long's 78-month sentence for child pornography possession, ruling that while the district court erred in applying a 75-image-per-video rule, the mistake did not affect Long's substantial rights. The court held that applying the correct one-frame-one-image standard would likely result in a significantly higher image count, meaning no reasonable probability exists that a lower sentence would have been imposed.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal Sentencing Guidelines
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