James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

1,523 decisions
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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Apr 1 2026
6th Cir. 25-1629 Published

LATOYA AARON, as Legal Guardian of Derek Aaron an Incompetent Individual v. DARREN KING; EDWARD PAWLOWSKI; EUGENE FIELDER, Officers

The Sixth Circuit reversed the denial of qualified immunity for officers who used force to handcuff a large suspect actively resisting arrest for violent felonies. The court held that no clearly established law prohibited the officers' actions because the suspect's physical defiance created a unique factual context not covered by prior precedent.

Civil Rights - Section 1983 Criminal Fourth Amendment - Search & Seizure Qualified Immunity
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Apr 1 2026
6th Cir. 25-5391 Published

HON. DONNA GREENWELL DUTTON v. JIMMY SHAFFER

The Sixth Circuit held that the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission violated a sitting judge's First Amendment rights by attempting to enforce ethics rules against her campaign statements. The court reversed the lower court's denial of relief for two rules, finding the enforcement was not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling state interest.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal Summary Judgment
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Apr 1 2026
6th Cir. 25-5352 Published

HON. DONNA GREENWELL DUTTON v. JIMMY SHAFFER

The Sixth Circuit held that the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission violated a judge's First Amendment rights by attempting to enforce ethics rules against her campaign statements. The court reversed the lower court's denial of relief for two rules, ruling that the state's interest in judicial integrity did not justify suppressing speech that was readily capable of a true interpretation.

Child Sexual Abuse Material Criminal Summary Judgment
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Apr 1 2026
10th Cir. 2:21-CR-00878-KG-JFR-1) Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JOHN BENJAMIN THORNTON

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the revocation of John Benjamin Thornton's supervised release after he failed to report to his probation office in New Mexico as ordered. The court held that unverified gang threats do not excuse a defendant's non-compliance with mandatory reporting conditions when the probation officer has already investigated and rejected the allegations.

Criminal Supervised Release
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Apr 1 2026
9th Cir. 4:22-cr-01661-SHR-LCK-1 Unpublished

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. JORGE OLIVERIO MORAN-CAN

The Ninth Circuit affirmed Jorge Oliverio Moran-Can's conviction for assaulting a federal officer, rejecting his claims regarding jury selection, expert testimony, and prosecutorial misconduct. The court held that the defendant failed to prove the prosecutor's strike of a Latino juror was pretextual and that the district court correctly excluded unreliable expert testimony.

Criminal Other Criminal
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Mar 31 2026
9th Cir. 23-35483 Published

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. FRANCIS R. CASILDO

The Ninth Circuit reversed a district court's dismissal of a federal prisoner's habeas motion, excusing procedural default due to ineffective assistance of counsel. The panel held that the defendant's prior Nevada conviction was not a qualifying controlled substance offense under the Sentencing Guidelines, necessitating resentencing without the career offender enhancement.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Sentencing Guidelines
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