James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

2,436 decisions
Mar 12 2026
5th Cir. 25-50336 Per Curiam

United States v. Kisindja

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Asha Kisindja's conviction for conspiring to transport illegal aliens resulting in death, applying a plain error standard due to her failure to object in the district court. The court held that the record demonstrated she understood the nature of the charge and that a sufficient factual basis existed for her guilty plea under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11.

Criminal Immigration (Criminal) Plain Error Review
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Mar 12 2026
5th Cir. 25-11128 Per Curiam

United States v. Hawkins

The Fifth Circuit granted the Federal Public Defender's motion to withdraw and dismissed the appeal due to an insufficiently developed record. The court found it could not fairly evaluate the defendant's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.

Anders Brief Criminal
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Mar 12 2026
5th Cir. 25-30327 Per Curiam

United States v. He

The Fifth Circuit affirmed a mandatory minimum sentence for a drug conspirator, ruling that joint occupancy of a residence where a firearm was found constitutes constructive possession. This finding rendered the defendant ineligible for the statutory safety valve that would have otherwise allowed the court to disregard the mandatory minimum.

Criminal Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Guidelines
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Mar 12 2026
4th Cir. 24-4220 Panel Decision

United States v. Jenkins

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a correction order to amend a previously filed opinion. The amendment addresses clerical errors regarding the spelling of a name within the document.

Criminal Other Criminal
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Mar 12 2026
3rd Cir. 2:22-cr-00135-002 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. NIKEEM LEACH-HILTON

The Third Circuit affirmed a 219-month prison sentence for federal carjacking and firearm charges, rejecting the appellant's challenges based on a binding appellate waiver. The court held that while an ineffective assistance of counsel claim was not barred by the waiver, it could not be adjudicated on direct appeal and must be pursued in a collateral proceeding.

Constitutional Guidelines Departure Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sentencing Guidelines
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Mar 12 2026
6th Cir. 25-5315 Published

United States v. Burrus

The Sixth Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of a defendant convicted of drug trafficking and firearm offenses. The court held that the defendant's appeal waiver barred his challenge to the denial of his motion to vacate his guilty plea.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Mar 11 2026
11th Cir. 1:24-cr-00011-AW-MAL-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. BRYAN JOSEPH BOWDEN

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 144-month prison sentence for drug trafficking and felon-in-possession offenses, rejecting the defendant's claim that the sentence was substantively unreasonable. The court held that the district court properly weighed the defendant's extensive history of domestic violence and drug recidivism under the abuse-of-discretion standard.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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