James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

1,523 decisions
Apr 22 2026
10th Cir. 5:24-CR-00389-J-1) Panel Decision

United States v. Mays

The Tenth Circuit affirmed Brian Keith Mays's sentence, rejecting his claim that denying a sentencing reduction for acceptance of responsibility violated his Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial. The court held that the Sentencing Guidelines do not impermissibly penalize defendants for exercising trial rights when those defendants fail to demonstrate genuine remorse.

Criminal Firearms Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 22 2026
4th Cir. 24-4530 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. GREGORY LARGENT

The Fourth Circuit affirmed the revocation of Gregory Largent's supervised release and his 18-month prison sentence, rejecting his claim that the district court erred by modifying a contact condition without a separate hearing. The court held that Largent failed to demonstrate plain error, as he had counsel and an opportunity to present evidence during the proceeding.

Criminal Plain Error Review Sentencing Guidelines Supervised Release
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Apr 22 2026
4th Cir. 24-7215 Panel Decision

PATRICK NICHOLS v. N. BUMGARNER, Montgomery County Police Officer Defendant –

The Fourth Circuit vacated a district court dismissal of a pro se excessive force complaint, ruling that the lower court applied an overly strict pleading standard and failed to include a second officer as a defendant. The appellate court held that the plaintiff's allegations, accepted as true, sufficiently stated a plausible claim under the Fourth Amendment's reasonableness test.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Embezzlement & Forgery Qualified Immunity
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Apr 22 2026
4th Cir. 23-7116 Panel Decision

White v. Warden of Fed. Corr. Inst. - Cumberland

The Fourth Circuit denied a petition for panel rehearing in a First Step Act time credit dispute, upholding the original ruling that denied sentence credits. The majority rejected the petitioner's new claim of participation in psychological programming as inconsistent with his prior litigation positions and insufficient to meet statutory requirements.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255)
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Apr 21 2026
11th Cir. 1:18-cr-00126-MLB-RGV-1 Per Curiam

United States v. Hakim

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Saleem Naazir Hakim's tax convictions, ruling that admitting probation testimony did not violate his Fifth Amendment rights. The court found no plain error because Hakim failed to unambiguously invoke his privilege against self-incrimination and the government demonstrated its evidence derived from independent sources.

Criminal Supervised Release Tax (Criminal)
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Apr 21 2026
4th Cir. 18-4893 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. VINSON THOMPSON

The Fourth Circuit affirmed Vinson Thompson's Armed Career Criminal Act sentence because his challenge regarding the lack of a jury finding was procedurally barred by the plain error standard. The court concluded that while the district court erred by not advising Thompson of his right to a jury on the 'different occasions' element, the error did not affect his substantial rights given the overwhelming evidence of his criminal history.

Criminal Firearms Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 21 2026
11th Cir. 1:24-cr-20030-PCH-1 Per Curiam

United States v. Myking Dayquan Green

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Myking Dayquan Green's conviction for felon-in-possession, ruling that a firearm found in plain sight on the floorboard of a vehicle supported constructive possession. The court further held that the district court acted within its discretion to dismiss a juror who refused to follow instructions and failed to listen to the evidence.

Criminal Firearms
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