James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

2,423 decisions
Jul 8 2026
9th Cir. 3:23-cr-00056-SI-1 Unpublished

USA v. Taylor

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the conviction of a defendant charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm but vacated her sentence due to insufficient findings regarding an obstruction of justice enhancement. The court remanded the case for resentencing after determining the district court failed to make express findings on the willful intent element required for the enhancement.

Criminal Firearms Sentencing Guidelines
Read summary →
Jul 8 2026
5th Cir. 25-11234 Per Curiam

United States v. Rodriguez

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a motion by appointed counsel to withdraw from representing the defendant. The court dismissed the appeal after finding no nonfrivolous issues for review.

Anders Brief Criminal
Read summary →
Jul 8 2026
Fed. Cir. 26-148 Panel Decision

In re RANDY BRACKINS EL

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied a petition for a writ of mandamus filed by Randy Brackins El. The court held that the petitioner failed to demonstrate a clear and indisputable right to relief or the inadequacy of normal appeal processes.

Read summary →
Jul 8 2026
5th Cir. 25-30565 Per Curiam

United States v. Lee

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a conviction for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The court held that the district court did not clearly err in crediting police testimony regarding the traffic stop that led to the discovery of the firearm.

Criminal Firearms
Read summary →
Jul 8 2026
5th Cir. 25-40353 Per Curiam

United States v. Huerta-Garcia

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a motion by appointed counsel to withdraw from representing the defendant. The court dismissed the appeal after finding no nonfrivolous issues for appellate review.

Anders Brief Criminal
Read summary →
Jul 7 2026
10th Cir. 25-6108 Panel Decision

Harjo v. Drummond

The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability to a state prisoner challenging the timeliness of his federal habeas petition. The court held that the petitioner failed to demonstrate that reasonable jurists would debate the district court's procedural ruling that his claim was time-barred under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Statute of Limitations
Read summary →