James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

1,523 decisions
Apr 2 2026
11th Cir. 8:04-cr-00327-VMC-NHA-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. EFRAIN RODRIGUEZ-CANDELARIA

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a compassionate release motion, ruling that a defendant's extensive criminal history and the need for public safety outweighed his rehabilitation efforts. The court held that the district court did not abuse its discretion when it found the statutory sentencing factors favored maintaining the original sentence.

Compassionate Release Criminal Drug Trafficking Supervised Release
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Apr 2 2026
1st Cir. 25-1203, 25-1259, 25-1327 Panel Decision

United States v. Ponzo

The First Circuit affirmed the sentences and forfeiture orders of the Ponzo brothers, who orchestrated a massive bribery scheme involving the Mass Save energy program. The court rejected arguments regarding sentencing miscalculations and the constitutionality of the multi-million dollar forfeiture, upholding the penalties as reasonable and supported by the evidence.

Criminal Forfeiture / Penalty Fraud Sentencing Guidelines
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Apr 2 2026
5th Cir. 25-50371 Per Curiam

United States v. Galvan-Martinez

The Fifth Circuit affirmed the denial of Jorge Galvan-Martinez's motion to suppress evidence, ruling that a Border Patrol agent had reasonable suspicion to stop his vehicle. The court held that the totality of circumstances, including proximity to the border and recent illegal activity, supported the stop under established legal standards.

Criminal Immigration (Criminal)
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Apr 2 2026
11th Cir. 7:23-cv-00114-WLS-ALS Per Curiam

PAUL GEORGE BETTENCOURT v. UNIT MANAGER DELISHA BRYANT Individual and Official Capacity

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of an inmate's Eighth Amendment claim because he failed to exhaust administrative remedies under the Prison Litigation Reform Act. The court held that the prison's grievance process remained available to the plaintiff despite his inability to use writing utensils and a limit on pending grievances.

Civil Rights - PLRA / Prisoner Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Robbery & Extortion
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Apr 2 2026
5th Cir. 25-10995 Per Curiam

United States v. Lattier

The Fifth Circuit granted the Federal Public Defender's motion to withdraw from representing Justin Lattier on appeal. The court dismissed the appeal after determining that no nonfrivolous issues for review existed.

Anders Brief Criminal
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Apr 2 2026
6th Cir. 25-5465 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. MARIO DELAINE

The Sixth Circuit affirmed Mario Delaine's fifteen-year mandatory minimum sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act, holding that his prior convictions qualified as violent felonies. The court clarified that state-law offenses satisfy the federal definition when they require intentional force, regardless of whether the defendant intended to cause specific injury.

Criminal Firearms
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Apr 1 2026
10th Cir. 5:24-CV-00743-J Panel Decision

DERRICK DEWAYNE PARKER v. JUDGE PERRY HUDSON; BENJAMIN HARTMAN; TIARA MCMINN; PHILLIP MARTIN; ELIAS RIVERA; TANNER FERRELL; JUSTIN HATCHER; TYLER HEAD; JERMAINE MCCULLUM; CHARLE...

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Derrick Dewayne Parker's civil rights lawsuit, ruling that his claims challenging his criminal conviction were barred because the conviction remained valid. The court further held that judges and prosecutors were protected by absolute immunity, and other allegations failed to state a plausible constitutional violation.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Drug Trafficking Sixth Amendment - Speedy Trial
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Apr 1 2026
5th Cir. 24-60277 Per Curiam

United States of America Plaintiff— v. Toshemie Wilson Defendant—

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Toshemie Wilson's conviction for sexually exploiting children, rejecting arguments that a lay witness improperly offered expert testimony and that the evidence was insufficient. The court held that Agent Blythe's testimony regarding device origins and data extraction fell within permissible lay knowledge under Federal Rule of Evidence 701.

Criminal Supervised Release
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Apr 1 2026
11th Cir. 8:18-cr-00064-SDM-TGW-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JOSHUA WILLIAMS

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the revocation of Joshua Williams's supervised release, ruling that the district court properly admitted hearsay evidence and that the record contained sufficient proof of the alleged violations. The court held that the defense's failure to object to the evidence waived the right to challenge the admission under the *Frazier* balancing test.

Criminal Firearms Supervised Release
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Apr 1 2026
11th Cir. 2:24-cr-00005-LGW-BWC-1 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ANDRE J. TWITTY

The Eleventh Circuit dismissed the defendant's appeal sua sponte because the district court's order denying his motion to dismiss was not a final judgment. The court held that the ruling did not qualify for the collateral order doctrine since the issue could be effectively challenged after sentencing.

Criminal Other Criminal
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