James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

2,483 decisions
Mar 17 2026
11th Cir. 4:17-cr-00029-MW-MAF-1 Per Curiam

United States v. Walker

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the revocation of Elliot Walker's supervised release and his 36-month sentence, holding that circumstantial evidence was sufficient to prove he possessed fentanyl with intent to distribute. The court further ruled that any potential error in admitting hearsay testimony was harmless and that the district court did not plainly err by failing to exclude retributive factors from its sentencing reasoning.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Supervised Release
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Mar 17 2026
4th Cir. 25-2478 Per Curiam

In re MELDAMION ANTOINE HUGULEY

The Fourth Circuit denied Meldamion Antoine Huguley's petition for a writ of mandamus seeking to vacate his federal firearms conviction. The court held that mandamus is an extraordinary remedy unavailable when adequate appellate or collateral review channels exist, particularly after the underlying § 2255 motion was dismissed as unauthorized and successive.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255)
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Mar 17 2026
9th Cir. 24-2180 Unanimous

United States of America ex rel. ADVENTIST HEALTH SYSTEM OF WEST v. ABBVIE INC.

The Ninth Circuit reversed the dismissal of a qui tam action alleging drug manufacturers violated the False Claims Act by inflating prices under the Section 340B Program. The court held that while the Supreme Court barred direct private suits to enforce Section 340B, the False Claims Act provides an independent cause of action for fraud against the government that is not precluded by that limitation.

Civil Consumer Protection
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Mar 17 2026
8th Cir. 24-2912 Panel Decision

Untitled Opinion

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has issued an opinion in this criminal appeal. Judgment has been entered in accordance with the court's decision.

Criminal Other Criminal
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Mar 17 2026
1st Cir. 24-1311 Unpublished

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MARK ANTHONY FIGUEROA

The First Circuit affirmed Mark Anthony Figueroa's money laundering conspiracy conviction, ruling that the district court's admission of a cooperating witness's kidnapping testimony and law enforcement overview testimony did not constitute reversible error. The court held that any evidentiary mistakes were harmless given the overwhelming independent evidence linking the defendant to drug trafficking proceeds.

Criminal Money Laundering
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Mar 17 2026
4th Cir. 24-6736 Per Curiam

Keith A. Arrick, Sr. v. United States of America

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court dismissal of a Federal Tort Claims Act action. The appellate court declined to consider claims regarding failure to treat and state medical liability statutes because the appellant failed to preserve them for appeal.

Civil Other Civil
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Mar 17 2026
5th Cir. 24-30154 Per Curiam

United States v. Hawthorne

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Gabriel Hawthorne's conviction and sentence for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, finding the evidence sufficient to support the verdict. The court also rejected Hawthorne's motion for a new trial and found no error in the district court's sentencing explanation.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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