James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

2,423 decisions
Jan 16 2026
1st Cir. 23-1922 Panel Decision

Clemente Properties, Inc. v. Pierluisi-Urrutia

The First Circuit vacated the dismissal of trademark claims against individual Puerto Rico officials while affirming the dismissal of claims against the Commonwealth itself. The court held that license plates and registration tags constitute goods or services under the Lanham Act, rejecting the lower court's conclusion that government issuance precludes commercial use.

Criminal Qualified Immunity Robbery & Extortion
Read summary →
Jan 16 2026
1st Cir. 24-1746 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES v. ONIC MALDONADO-VELAZQUEZ

The First Circuit affirmed a ninety-six-month sentence for possessing machine guns and being a felon in possession of firearms, rejecting the defendant's claim that the district court failed to adequately explain an upward variance. The court held that the district court provided a plausible rationale based on the severity of the offenses, the defendant's criminal history, and the specific circumstances of the arrest.

Criminal Firearms Sentencing Guidelines Supervised Release
Read summary →
Jan 14 2026
U.S. Sup. Ct. 24-5774 5-4

BARRETT v. UNITED STATES

The Supreme Court held that Congress did not clearly authorize cumulative convictions under both 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i) and § 924(j) for a single act. The Court reversed the Second Circuit, ruling that a single fatal violation yields only one conviction despite the provisions satisfying the Blockburger test for separate offenses.

Criminal Firearms
Read summary →
Jan 14 2026
1st Cir. 24-2076 Panel Decision

United States v. Christian Del-Valle-Camacho

The First Circuit affirmed a sixty-month prison sentence for a felon in possession of a firearm and escape from a re-entry program. The court held that the district judge provided sufficient justification for a nineteen-month upward variance based on the defendant's possession of a modified machine gun, high-capacity magazines, and a large quantity of ammunition.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Sentencing Guidelines
Read summary →
Jan 14 2026
1st Cir. 24-2077 Panel Decision

United States v. Christian Del-Valle-Camacho

The First Circuit affirmed a sixty-month prison sentence for a felon in possession of a firearm and escape from a re-entry program, rejecting the defendant's claim that the district court failed to justify a nineteen-month upward variance. The appellate court held that the district judge provided sufficient reasoning by highlighting the defendant's possession of a modified machine gun, high-capacity magazines, and a large quantity of ammunition.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Sentencing Guidelines
Read summary →
Jan 9 2026
U.S. Sup. Ct. 24-5438 5-4

Bowe v. United States

The Supreme Court held that the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act does not bar federal prisoners from seeking certiorari review of a court of appeals' denial of authorization for a second or successive § 2255 motion. The Court further ruled that the statutory bar on 'do-over' claims in § 2244(b)(1) applies only to state prisoners, not federal prisoners.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254)
Read summary →
Jan 7 2026
1st Cir. 24-1881 Panel Decision

United States v. Mello

The First Circuit affirmed Marcus Mello's 181-month sentence for drug trafficking and firearm possession, rejecting his challenges to the drug quantity calculation and sentencing enhancements. The court held that the district court reasonably relied on WhatsApp messages and seized samples to estimate drug weight and properly denied acceptance of responsibility due to Mello's failure to appear for trial.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
Read summary →
Jan 7 2026
1st Cir. 24-1882 Panel Decision

United States v. Marcus Mello

The First Circuit affirmed Marcus Mello's 181-month sentence for drug trafficking and firearm possession, rejecting his challenges to the drug quantity calculation and sentencing enhancements. The court held that the district court reasonably varied below the Guidelines range while accounting for Mello's history and the severity of his conduct.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
Read summary →
Jan 7 2026
11th Cir. 1:21-cr-00385-ELR-JSA-5 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ABDOULAYE BARRY

The Eleventh Circuit vacated Abdoulaye Barry's sentence because the district court failed to make individualized findings regarding the scope of his jointly undertaken criminal activity before holding him accountable for his codefendants' losses. The court remanded the case for resentencing to correct the loss calculation and a clerical error in the criminal judgment.

Criminal Embezzlement & Forgery Fraud Sentencing Guidelines
Read summary →
Jan 5 2026
11th Cir. 8:22-cr-00042-SCB-CPT-1 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JY'QUALE SAMARI GRABLE

The Eleventh Circuit held that the Hobbs Act requires force or threatened force to be used before or during the taking of property to constitute robbery. Because the defendant used force only after the property was stolen and carried away, the court set aside his Hobbs Act robbery conviction.

Criminal Firearms
Read summary →