In a significant move highlighting a judicial error, the Governor of Mississippi has granted clemency to a second brother who was serving a prison term deemed illegal under state law.
Brothers Receive Sentences Far Exceeding Legal Limit
Governor Tate Reeves announced on Wednesday 31 December 2025 that he was granting clemency to Maurice Taylor. This decision comes just weeks after the governor granted clemency to Maurice's brother, Marcus Taylor, in a strikingly similar case. Both men had accepted plea bargains and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell a Schedule III substance back in February 2015.
At the time of their conviction, Mississippi law stated the maximum penalty for this crime was five years in prison. Despite this, the sentences handed down were dramatically longer. Maurice Taylor received a 20-year sentence, with five years suspended, while Marcus Taylor was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
A Governor's Intervention for Justice
In his announcement, Governor Reeves explicitly acknowledged the injustice. “Like his brother, Maurice Taylor received a sentence more than three times longer than allowed under Mississippi law,” Reeves wrote. He added a powerful statement on the broader principle: “When justice is denied to even one Mississippian, it is denied to us all.”
The path to clemency for the brothers involved complex legal proceedings. The Mississippi Court of Appeals ruled in May that Marcus Taylor’s sentence was illegal. However, the court initially did not commute his sentence because he had missed the deadline to apply for post-conviction relief. After rehearing the case in November, the court reversed its position and ordered his release.
Release Ordered Within Five Days
For Maurice Taylor, the clemency process moved swiftly after his post-conviction counsel contacted the governor's office for the first time a few weeks ago, providing the necessary legal documents. Governor Reeves' order mandates that Maurice Taylor must be released within five days.
These two brothers are notable as the only individuals to have received clemency from Governor Tate Reeves during his tenure. The cases underscore critical issues within the state's legal system regarding sentencing integrity and the mechanisms for correcting profound errors, even years after a conviction.
