James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

1,523 decisions
Apr 10 2026
6th Cir. 25-1537 Published

United States ex rel. Lynn v. City of Detroit

The Sixth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for the City of Detroit, ruling that annual Certifications and Assurances are forward-looking promises rather than specific factual assertions. Consequently, these general pledges to comply with federal law cannot support liability under the False Claims Act even if the City later violated the underlying regulations.

Civil Forfeiture / Penalty Fraud Summary Judgment
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Apr 10 2026
5th Cir. 25-50723 Per Curiam

United States v. Caldwell

The Fifth Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw after an independent review found no nonfrivolous issues for appeal. The court dismissed the appeal, leaving the district court's judgment in effect.

Anders Brief Criminal
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Apr 10 2026
5th Cir. 25-50590 Per Curiam

United States v. Vecera

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Dante Delray Vecera's conviction and sentence for possessing a firearm as a felon, rejecting all constitutional challenges to the statute. The court held that Vecera's facial, as-applied, and Commerce Clause arguments were foreclosed by binding precedent.

Criminal Firearms
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Apr 10 2026
5th Cir. 25-10738 Per Curiam

United States v. Ferrell, Jr.

The Fifth Circuit granted the Federal Public Defender's motion to withdraw from representing Bennie Ferrell, Jr., after determining the appeal presented no nonfrivolous issues. The court dismissed the appeal without addressing the merits of the underlying criminal conviction.

Anders Brief Criminal
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Apr 10 2026
5th Cir. 24-10760 Panel Decision

McNutt v. U.S. Dep't of Justice

The Fifth Circuit held that the federal prohibition on home distilling of consumable spirits violates the Constitution's Taxing and Necessary and Proper Clauses. However, the court reversed the district court's broad injunction, remanding the case for a narrower remedy that strikes only the unconstitutional provisions while preserving the statutory framework.

Criminal Tax (Criminal)
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Apr 10 2026
Fed. Cir. 26-1228 Panel Decision

Rahman Kamal Rogers v. United States

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed the appeal because the appellant failed to pay the required docketing fee within the statutory deadline. This dismissal was based on a lack of prosecution rather than a review of the underlying legal arguments.

Civil Other Civil
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Apr 10 2026
11th Cir. 6:23-cr-00207-CEM-LHP-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CHARLES BERNARD LONG

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Charles Long's sentence for possession of child pornography, ruling that while the district court erred by relying on outdated commentary to count videos, Long failed to prove the error affected his substantial rights. The court held that applying the correct one-frame-one-image rule would likely increase, rather than decrease, the total image count, meaning no prejudice existed.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 10 2026
4th Cir. 24-7141 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. EDWARD MOORE, JR

The Fourth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability and dismissed Edward Moore, Jr.'s appeal from his § 2255 denial because he failed to make a substantial showing that reasonable jurists could find the district court's assessment debatable or wrong. The court independently reviewed the record and found no constitutional error warranting further review, leaving the district court's denial of relief in place.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255)
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Apr 10 2026
11th Cir. 1:22-cr-20438-RNS-4 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. YANDREY NEGRIN ROJAS

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 97-month prison sentence for migrant smuggling, ruling that the district court did not violate the Sixth Amendment by considering acquitted conduct to apply sentencing enhancements. The court held that under binding precedent, acquitted conduct may be used at sentencing if proven by a preponderance of the evidence.

Criminal Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 10 2026
11th Cir. 6:23-cr-00207-CEM-LHP-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CHARLES BERNARD LONG

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 78-month sentence for child pornography possession, ruling that a sentencing error regarding video image counts did not affect the defendant's substantial rights. Although the district court incorrectly applied a rule counting each video as 75 images, the correct legal standard would likely have resulted in an even higher image count.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal Sentencing Guidelines
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