James Taylor

Correspondent

James Taylor

Capitol Hill correspondent, covers legislative and political stories.

Criminal Justice

Decisions covered by James Taylor

1,523 decisions
Mar 27 2026
10th Cir. 1:25-CV-01004-LTB-RTG Panel Decision

RAYMOND TODD SURFACE v. HOME MORTGAGE ALLIANCE, LLC; GUARANTEED RATE, INC.; HALLIDAY, WATKINS & MANN, P.C.; HONORABLE J. ERIC ELLIFF; HONORABLE PAUL D. LOPEZ; HONORABLE DAVID BL...

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se civil rights action filed by a homeowner challenging his state court foreclosure and eviction. The court held that the Rooker-Feldman doctrine barred the federal suit because the plaintiff effectively sought to overturn final state court judgments.

Criminal Robbery & Extortion
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Mar 27 2026
10th Cir. 4:08-CR-00022-GKF-1) Panel Decision

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. KIMBERLY CHANCELLOR

The Tenth Circuit denied Kimberly Chancellor's request for a certificate of appealability because he failed to show that reasonable jurists would find the district court's procedural ruling debatable. The court held that his Rule 60(b)(6) motion was substantively an unauthorized second or successive § 2255 claim, which the district court correctly dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - Federal Prisoner (28 USC 2255) Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254)
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Mar 27 2026
6th Cir. 25-3586 Published

LOGAN HOULE v. MARION, OHIO POLICE DEPARTMENT, et al

The Sixth Circuit reversed summary judgment for an officer in a Fourth Amendment excessive force case, finding a genuine dispute of material fact regarding the timing of a chokehold. The court held that whether the deadly force was applied before or after the plaintiff attempted to grab the officer's gun is a factual question for a jury to decide.

Criminal Qualified Immunity Robbery & Extortion Summary Judgment
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Mar 27 2026
1st Cir. 25-1131 Panel Decision

LUCIA URIZAR-MOTA; SERGIO REYES v. UNITED STATES

The First Circuit affirmed negligence findings and damages for medical expenses and pain but reversed the homemaker loss award and the loss-of-consortium award for family members. The court held that the family members failed to exhaust administrative remedies and that the district court applied an impermissible rigid rule rather than a case-specific inquiry for homemaker damages.

Compassionate Release Criminal
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Mar 27 2026
5th Cir. 25-30113 Per Curiam

United States v. Brown

The Fifth Circuit affirmed Elijah Brown's bank fraud sentence while vacating and remanding the restitution order for recalculation. The court rejected challenges to the vulnerable victim and role enhancement adjustments, finding the district court's application of the Sentencing Guidelines plausible and supported by the record.

Criminal Fraud Sentencing Guidelines Supervised Release
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Mar 27 2026
11th Cir. 1:23-cr-20185-CMA-2 Per Curiam

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ANGEL LUVI-RAMIREZ

The Eleventh Circuit granted the government's motion for summary affirmance, rejecting challenges to the defendants' convictions under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. The court held that the United States properly exercised jurisdiction over a vessel without nationality in international waters, even when located within another nation's exclusive economic zone.

Criminal Drug Trafficking
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Mar 27 2026
5th Cir. 25-40605 Per Curiam

United States v. Martinez-Meza

The Fifth Circuit granted the Federal Public Defender's motion to withdraw from representing the defendant after reviewing the record. The court dismissed the appeal, finding no nonfrivolous issues existed for appellate review.

Anders Brief Criminal
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