James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

1,608 decisions
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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Apr 15 2026
8th Cir. 25-1508 Panel Decision

United States of America v. Buay Kong Chuol

The Eighth Circuit affirmed the denial of a motion to dismiss a firearm possession charge, holding that a panel cannot overrule a prior panel's decision on the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3). The court rejected the defendant's request to reconsider settled Second Amendment precedent established in United States v. Veasley.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Firearms
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Apr 15 2026
11th Cir. 1:24-cr-20151-RAR-3 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. STEVE HENRY

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of safety-valve relief to a defendant convicted of drug trafficking, holding that his possession of firearms was in connection with the offense. The court found that a pattern of mixed drug and firearm sales from the same location facilitated the drug enterprise, precluding relief under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f).

Criminal Firearms Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 15 2026
8th Cir. 25-1215 Panel Decision

United States of America v. Paul Antonio Deon Parrow

The Eighth Circuit vacates Paul Parrow's conviction for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances due to a district court's erroneous exclusion of evidence regarding a co-owner's drug history. The court affirmed the conspiracy conviction, finding the evidentiary error harmless for that count, but ordered a new trial on the possession charge where the excluded evidence was critical to the defense.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Apr 15 2026
11th Cir. 8:23-cr-00366-VMC-LSG-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JERMAINE JEROME CAMPBELL

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Jermaine Campbell's 144-month sentence, rejecting his claim that the district court acted unreasonably by limiting its review of sentencing comparators to the Middle District of Florida. The court held that the geographic limitation did not preclude a proper assessment of sentencing disparities or render the sentence procedurally or substantively unreasonable.

Criminal Drug Trafficking Sentencing Guidelines Supervised Release
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Apr 15 2026
10th Cir. 1:19-CR-00114-JNP-1) Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. THOMAS FAIRBANKS

The Tenth Circuit affirmed Thomas Fairbanks's securities fraud convictions, ruling that the district court properly denied his motion to sever the counts and that sufficient evidence supported the verdict. The court found the joint trial did not prejudice the defendant and that the evidence established a unified fraudulent scheme against multiple victims.

Criminal Fraud
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Apr 14 2026
11th Cir. 8:24-cr-00372-SDM-NHA-3 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. DANIEL VEGA CABRERA

The Eleventh Circuit granted appointed counsel's motion to withdraw from representing Daniel Vega Cabrera after an independent review found no arguable issues of merit in the appeal. Consequently, the court affirmed Cabrera's convictions and sentences without holding oral argument.

Anders Brief Criminal
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Apr 14 2026
11th Cir. 5:22-cv-00109-MTT Published

Ricardo McClinton, Surviving Parents and Co-Administrators of the Estate of deceased Jamari McClinton, Doris Jones, Surviving Parents and Co-Administrators of the Estate of dece...

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed summary judgment, holding that prison officials are not liable under the Eighth Amendment without proof of subjective knowledge of a specific risk to an inmate. The court clarified that general awareness of gang violence is insufficient to establish deliberate indifference when officials lack actual awareness that their conduct caused a substantial risk of harm.

Criminal Eighth Amendment - Cruel & Unusual Prison Offenses Qualified Immunity
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