James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

2,423 decisions
Nov 12 2025
11th Cir. 2:23-cv-00733-SPC-KCD Published

Koletas v. United States of America

The Eleventh Circuit held that Transportation Security Officers qualify as investigative or law enforcement officers under the Federal Tort Claims Act, waiving sovereign immunity for intentional torts committed during airport security searches. This ruling reverses the district court's dismissal, allowing the plaintiff's claims of battery and false imprisonment to proceed against the United States.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Nov 10 2025
11th Cir. 3:21-cv-00329-MCR-ZCB Published

Watson v. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of most tort and contract claims against Saudi Arabia but reversed the dismissal of claims alleging gross negligence in hiring and vetting a terrorist trainee. The court held that the Kingdom's affirmative acts in sending Mohammed Al-Shamrani to the United States were sufficient to overcome sovereign immunity under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act.

Criminal Violent Crimes
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Nov 6 2025
11th Cir. 8:22-cr-00208-VMC-AAS-1 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JEROME MILLER, JR

The Eleventh Circuit vacated a defendant's sentence because his prior Florida cocaine delivery convictions did not qualify as serious drug offenses under the Armed Career Criminal Act. The court held that the state law at the time of the offenses was broader than federal law due to the inclusion of ioflupane, creating a categorical mismatch.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Nov 5 2025
11th Cir. 1:21-cr-20052-DPG-1 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ANTHONY BERNARD CARTER

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Anthony Carter's sex trafficking convictions, rejecting claims that a minor victim's statements to police were testimonial hearsay. The court also found that jury instruction errors regarding the indictment did not constitute plain error and that the evidence was sufficient to support the transportation charges.

Criminal Supervised Release
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Nov 4 2025
11th Cir. 6:20-cv-00025-RBD-DCI Published

Aguirre-Jarquin v. Seminole County

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of qualified immunity to a latent print examiner who allegedly fabricated forensic evidence, but reversed the denial of immunity for investigators who failed to pursue alternative suspects. The court held that fabricating a positive print match violates clearly established due process rights, while no such right existed to an investigation that eliminates all doubts about a suspect.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Qualified Immunity
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Oct 17 2025
11th Cir. 1:22-cr-20137-JEM-1 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. EDUARDO ULISES MARTINEZ

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Eduardo Martinez's convictions for smuggling ivory and obstructing justice, rejecting arguments that antique exceptions excused his failure to declare the goods. The court upheld a 51-month sentence, ruling that an art dealer's own listing prices provided a reliable basis for valuing unsold ivory statues under the Sentencing Guidelines.

Criminal Environmental & Wildlife Sentencing Guidelines
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Sep 8 2025
9th Cir. 2:21-cv-00241- Published

Jones v. City of North Las Vegas

The Ninth Circuit reversed the district court's grant of qualified immunity to police officers who entered a residential backyard without a warrant after losing track of a fleeing suspect for eighteen minutes. The court held that the continuity of the hot pursuit exception was broken, rendering the warrantless search unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Qualified Immunity Robbery & Extortion
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Jun 24 2025
9th Cir. 23-55617 Published

HECTOR MANUEL CERVANTES- TORRES v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a writ of error coram nobis for a petitioner convicted of possessing a firearm as an alien unlawfully present. The court held that the failure to give a Rehaif instruction was not fundamental error because the evidence of the petitioner's knowledge of his status was overwhelming.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Sentencing Guidelines
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