James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

1,523 decisions
Apr 15 2026
6th Cir. 25-1223 2-1

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MORENO LEE JACKSON, II

The Sixth Circuit affirmed a 212-month sentence for a felon-in-possession conviction, ruling that the defendant waived any challenge to the statutory mandatory minimum by explicitly agreeing to it in his plea agreement. The court held that the defendant's clear admissions constituted a waiver of the right to appeal the procedural reasonableness of the sentence, precluding review under the plain error standard.

Criminal Immigration (Criminal) Mandatory Minimum
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Apr 15 2026
5th Cir. 25-10889 Per Curiam

United States v. Wilson

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Corey Wilson's convictions for possession of unregistered machineguns, ruling that the evidence was sufficient to prove he knew the devices possessed machinegun characteristics. The court also rejected his constitutional challenge, holding that the statutory definition of a machinegun was not unconstitutionally vague as applied to his knowingly engaged conduct.

Criminal Firearms Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure
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Apr 15 2026
9th Cir. 2:23-cr-00149-FLA-1 Unpublished

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. DAEKUN CHO

The Ninth Circuit affirmed Daekun Cho's convictions for extortion and carjacking, ruling that any evidentiary errors at trial were harmless given the overwhelming proof of guilt. The court also upheld the sentencing enhancement for victim vulnerability, finding that Cho targeted victims based on their immigration status and language barriers.

Criminal Robbery & Extortion
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Apr 15 2026
9th Cir. 3:23-cr-00202- 2-1

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. HIGINIO ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ-REYES

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to dismiss an illegal reentry charge, holding that a California rape conviction categorically matches the federal definition of rape as an aggravated felony. Because the state offense qualifies as an aggravated felony, the defendant could not satisfy the fundamental unfairness requirement necessary to collaterally attack his removal order.

Criminal Immigration (Criminal) Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 15 2026
9th Cir. 3:22-cv-01306-JR Published

SHERRY H. DETWILER v. MID-COLUMBIA MEDICAL CENTER; CHERI MCCALL, an individual; DOES, 1 through 50

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a Title VII religious accommodation claim because the plaintiff failed to plead a bona fide religious belief sufficiently distinct from secular medical concerns. The court held that general prayer and broad religious tenets, without a clear nexus to specific religious doctrine, cannot elevate personal medical judgments to the level of protected religious conviction.

Criminal Embezzlement & Forgery Summary Judgment
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Apr 15 2026
9th Cir. 3:22-cv-00193-SLG Unpublished

DION KIRK HUMPHREY v. FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION and UNITED STATES BUREAU OF ALCOHOL TOBACCO FIREARMS & EXPLOSIVES

The Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment upholding a federal firearm prohibition against a man convicted of a local misdemeanor domestic violence offense. The court rejected arguments that the law violated the Ex Post Facto Clause or the Second Amendment, ruling that the statute regulates conduct and applies to local convictions.

Criminal Firearms Summary Judgment
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Apr 15 2026
8th Cir. 25-3017 Panel Decision

United States of America v. Raheam D. McLean

The Eighth Circuit affirmed Raheam McLean's supervised release revocation sentence, finding no plain error in the district court's explanation or alleged Tapia violation due to a failure to preserve objections. The court modified the written judgment to remove an erroneous reference to a mandatory condition that did not match the oral pronouncement.

Criminal Supervised Release
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Apr 15 2026
7th Cir. 25-1904 Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. OMARI ANDREWS, JR

The Seventh Circuit affirmed Omari Andrews's conviction for possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, finding the evidence sufficient based on his own admission of four guns during a jail call. The court also upheld the district court's decision to admit fingerprint expert testimony, ruling that the defendant's late objection was untimely and that the expert's methodology was reliable.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Firearms
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Apr 15 2026
11th Cir. 4:23-cr-00086-RSB-CLR-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. SHELDON JASON BURCH

The Eleventh Circuit granted the Government's motion to dismiss Sheldon Jason Burch's appeal with prejudice, enforcing a waiver of his right to appeal his sentence. The court held that the waiver, entered into knowingly and voluntarily, bars all challenges to the sentence, including those based on difficult legal issues or blatant error.

Criminal Other Criminal
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