Federal
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April 21, 2025
Churches Say Nonprofit Politics Ban Violates Speech Rights
A group of churches and Christian advocacy groups asked a Texas federal court Monday to find that a provision of the Internal Revenue Code that prevents tax-exempt nonprofits from endorsing political candidates is unconstitutional because it violates their free speech rights.
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April 21, 2025
Harvard Sues Trump Admin Over $2B Funding Freeze
Harvard University on Monday hit the Trump administration with a suit in Massachusetts federal court, escalating a high-profile battle after the government slashed more than $2 billion in funding amid allegations the elite school has failed to properly address antisemitism on its campus.
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April 21, 2025
Justices Pass On Fla. Man's Taking Claims From Tax Sale
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a man's claims that a Florida county's foreclosure sale of his home for an amount equal to his back taxes, interest and penalties without paying him a surplus resulted in an unconstitutional taking of property.
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April 21, 2025
US, Italy Say Tech Cos. Must Not Face Discriminatory Taxes
Italy and the U.S. agree that discrimination tech companies face in the form of digital services taxes must end in order to enable investments from those companies, according to a joint statement by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Donald Trump.
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April 21, 2025
US Asks 4th Circ. To Pause Review Of Corp. Transparency Act
The U.S. government urged the Fourth Circuit to pause a challenge brought by community associations against an information disclosure law aimed at small businesses, arguing that the U.S. Treasury Department's newly narrowed rules could moot the claims.
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April 21, 2025
Unions Score Block On Orders To Fire Probationary Workers
A California federal judge blocked the Office of Personnel Management from ordering federal agencies to fire probationary employees and stopped several agencies from heeding its directives, but he declined to order them to rehire the workers they've already let go.
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April 21, 2025
Former Ohio Atty Gets Prison Over Unpaid Payroll Taxes
A former Ohio attorney who admitted that he failed to pay $750,000 in payroll taxes while managing his wife's dental practice has been sentenced to six months in prison after telling a federal judge that he did not intend to steal from the government, according to an order signed Monday.
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April 21, 2025
Eateries Owner Gets 3 Years For Tax, COVID Fraud
A restaurant owner who committed tax crimes and illegally collected more than $1.7 million in pandemic relief money was sentenced to more than three years in prison by a California federal judge, a fraction of the sentence urged by prosecutors who pointed to millions in cash hidden in his bedroom.
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April 21, 2025
Ex-Atty Can't Duck Depo In $1.8M FBAR Case, NY Judge Says
A retired attorney cannot avoid testifying about the mental state of a former client whose estate faces $1.8 million in penalties for an undisclosed Swiss bank account, a New York federal court ruled, holding that the information is not privileged.
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April 21, 2025
Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin
The Internal Revenue Service's latest weekly bulletin, dated Monday, included its joint call with the U.S. Treasury Department for recommendations for its 2025-26 priority guidance plan.
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April 19, 2025
Up Next At High Court: Preventive Healthcare, LGBTQ Books
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in five cases this week, including disputes over the constitutionality of a task force that sets preventive healthcare coverage requirements, a school district's introduction of LGBTQ-themed storybooks and whether parties can establish standing based on harms affecting third parties.
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April 18, 2025
Ex-Mass. Transit Worker Gets 6 Years For Fraud, Tax Evasion
A former assistant chief engineer for the Boston commuter rail system was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for crimes including failing to withhold and pay federal taxes on income from two illegal schemes, prosecutors said Friday.
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April 18, 2025
Trump Ousts New IRS Acting Chief Days After Appointment
The White House said Friday that President Donald Trump will appoint the U.S. Treasury Department's deputy secretary to be the acting IRS commissioner to replace a former special agent who was appointed to the role days before.
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April 18, 2025
Swiss-Italian Man Seeks To Block IRS Getting Data From Apple
A Swiss-Italian man is seeking to quash an IRS summons on Apple Inc. to produce records linked to his account as part of a probe into his Swiss income tax liabilities, according to a petition filed in California federal court.
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April 18, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Davis Polk, Simpson Thacher
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Global Payments Inc. buys Worldpay from GTCR and FIS, Intel Corp. sells a stake in its Altera business to Silver Lake, KKR acquires OSTTRA from S&P Global and CME Group, and Canada's Capital Power Corp. nabs two U.S. natural gas power plants.
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April 18, 2025
IRS Outlines Plan To Advance Whistleblower Program
The Internal Revenue Service released an operating plan for its whistleblower program Friday, saying it aims to enhance the claim submission process, safeguard whistleblower information and keep whistleblowers informed on the status of their claims.
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April 17, 2025
IRS Plans To End Partnership Basis-Shifting Regs
The Internal Revenue Service said Thursday it plans to revoke partnership basis-shifting regulations, which were finalized in early January to compel businesses engaged in such potentially abusive tax avoidance strategies to report them under the threat of penalty.
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April 17, 2025
Tax Court Upholds IRS Collection Actions Against Couple
The U.S. Tax Court upheld Thursday the Internal Revenue Service's proposed collection actions against a couple, saying that an agency settlement officer did not abuse her discretion in sustaining a lien.
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April 17, 2025
Man's Deportation Looms After Tax Evasion Plea Stands
A Connecticut federal judge denied a man's attempt to vacate his guilty plea for tax evasion, despite accepting that his lawyers had misled him into believing that if he received no prison time he could avoid mandatory detention and likely deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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April 17, 2025
Harvard Says No Grounds For IRS To Deny Tax-Exempt Status
Harvard University said Thursday that there is no legal basis to rescind its tax-exempt status amid an investigation by President Donald Trump's administration into whether the university has violated the terms of that status.
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April 17, 2025
Tax Court Denies Horse Breeders' Claimed Losses
A Louisiana couple who bred, boarded and trained horses were correctly denied $867,000 in loss deductions over six years, the U.S. Tax Court said Thursday, because their activities weren't done for profit.
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April 17, 2025
Judge Refuses To Recuse Himself In Ga. Defamation Case
A Georgia federal judge on Thursday refused to disqualify himself from presiding over a defamation case arising from a family dispute related to a tax preparation business, while also rejecting a bid to transfer the matter to a federal court in California.
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April 16, 2025
Tax Court Says Hedge Fund Basket Options Abused Tax Perks
A Connecticut-based hedge fund has engaged in a complex stock-selling strategy using option contracts that the Internal Revenue Service had determined to be an abusive scheme to avoid paying high taxes on the capital gains, the U.S. Tax Court said Wednesday.
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April 16, 2025
Plans To Shelve IRS Direct File Draw Democrats' Ire
The Trump administration's decision to shutter the Internal Revenue Service's Direct File pilot program was criticized heavily by congressional Democrats, who argued on Wednesday that the program was remarkably successful.
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April 16, 2025
Union Denied More Time In Feds' Bid To Bless CBA Rebuke
A Kentucky federal judge has refused to delay an approaching hearing on the U.S. Department of the Treasury's bid to nullify its workers' union contracts, despite a union's assertion that it's been given little time to prepare for a consequential case and that it has yet to be served.
Expert Analysis
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What Higher Education Can Expect From A 2nd Trump Admin
The election of Donald Trump for a second presidential term has far-reaching ramifications for colleges and universities — come January, institutions can expect a crackdown on DEI, increased scrutiny of campus protests, a rollback of the Biden administration's Title IX rules and more, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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Expect Surging Oil And Gas Industry Under New Trump Admin
Throughout his recent campaign, President-elect Donald Trump promised increased oil and natural gas production and reduced reliance on renewables — and his administration will likely bring more oil and gas dealmaking, faster federal permitting and attempts to roll back incentives for green energy, say attorneys at Sidley.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.
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Cos. Should Inventory Issues To Prep For New Congress
As the legislative and oversight agendas of the 119th Congress come into sharper focus, corporate counsel should assess and plan for areas of potential oversight risk — from tax policy changes to supply chain integrity — even as much uncertainty remains, say attorneys at WilmerHale.
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Conservation Easement Cases Weave Web Of Uncertainty
Much of the IRS and Justice Department’s recent success in prosecuting syndicated conservation easement cases can be attributed to the government’s focus on the so-called PropCo ratio, which could indicate treacherous waters ahead for participants and their advisers, even under the incoming Trump administration, say attorneys at Polsinelli.
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So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?
Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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Legislation Most Likely To Pass In Lame Duck Session
As Congress begins its five-week post-election lame duck session, attorneys at Greenberg Traurig break down the legislative priorities and which proposals can be expected to pass.
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What Trump's 2nd Presidency Could Mean For Crypto Sector
Trump's second term will bring a fundamental shift from the Biden administration's approach to crypto-asset regulation and banking supervision, with the most significant changes likely taking effect in the first two quarters of 2025 and broader policy shifts emerging over the next year, say attorneys at Cahill.
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Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being
As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.
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Takeaways From The IRS' Crypto Doc Summons Win
A recent First Circuit decision holding that taxpayers do not have a Fourth Amendment reasonable expectation of privacy in cryptocurrency transaction records should prompt both taxpayers and exchanges to take stock of past transactions and future plans, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources
Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.