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Federal

  • May 19, 2025

    Goldstein Assails 'Radical' DOJ Case, Probe Of 'Sexual Habits'

    In his most forceful attack on tax evasion charges that have roiled the U.S. Supreme Court bar, indicted appellate icon Thomas C. Goldstein is accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of embracing "breathtaking" legal theories and revealing prurient information about him "to bias the grand jury."

  • May 19, 2025

    Vanguard $40M Deal Rejected In Investors' Tax Fight

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Monday rejected a $40 million proposed settlement between Vanguard and investors, blocking the investors' attorneys from netting $13 million in fees and embracing the objections of one investor who called out the deal — meant to compensate for surprise tax bills — as worthless. 

  • May 19, 2025

    Feds Say Unions' Downsizing Suit Should Be Tossed

    The Trump administration urged a federal judge in D.C. to toss a lawsuit challenging three federal downsizing initiatives, arguing that the claims brought by labor unions representing federal employees belong before the agency charged with adjudicating such disputes.

  • May 19, 2025

    Full Tax Court Sends 'Seriously Delinquent' Debt Case To Trial

    The U.S. Tax Court decided Monday for the first time that its review of a challenge to an IRS certification of tax debt as "seriously delinquent" is not limited to the agency's administrative record, saying a trial is needed in a man's case to determine the facts.

  • May 19, 2025

    $2M Trust Inheritance Is Includable In Estate, Tax Court Says

    A $2 million distribution from a Kentucky man's estate to his widow is includable in his estate as a terminable interest, but a $300,000 distribution qualifies for a marital deduction and is not considered a terminable interest, the U.S. Tax Court said Monday.

  • May 19, 2025

    Tax Court Axes Deductions For Pakistani Gas Station Losses

    An Ohio couple couldn't provide any compelling evidence that they should be allowed to take over $127,000 in business deductions they said were tied to a gas refilling station they opened in Pakistan, the U.S. Tax Court ruled Monday.

  • May 19, 2025

    Taxpayer Data Increasingly At Risk From DOGE, Court Told

    A group of unions and advocacy organizations trying to block the White House's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing confidential taxpayer data told a D.C. federal court they fear the data is already being shared with federal agencies beyond the IRS.

  • May 19, 2025

    Cheesesteak Shop Owner's Sentence For Tax Scheme Vacated

    A Philadelphia cheesesteak shop owner sentenced to almost two years in prison for a conspiracy to pay employees under the table could get a lighter sentence after the Third Circuit ruled he was wrongly given extra time for swaying workers who were actually in on the tax scheme.

  • May 19, 2025

    US Budget Would Hike Taxes On Foreign Firms, Individuals

    Foreign firms and individuals from countries with "unfair" fiscal policies such as digital services taxes, diverted profits taxes and the global minimum tax's backstop would pay higher U.S. taxes under the spending bill approved by the House Budget Committee.

  • May 19, 2025

    11th Circ. Affirms Estate Can't Deduct $3M Paid To Stepkids

    The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of tax deductions that a corporate attorney's estate claimed for distributing $3 million to his stepchildren, saying the payments were not financial obligations the attorney had owed at the time of his death.

  • May 19, 2025

    GAO Calls For Greater Oversight Of Energy Tax Expenditures

    The Internal Revenue Service needs to have greater scrutiny over the implementation of 21 Inflation Reduction Act energy tax provisions aimed at supporting greenhouse gas emissions and other climate goals, including evaluation and fraud prevention, the Government Accountability Office said Monday.

  • May 19, 2025

    Avenatti Rips 'Draconian' Bid To Add 13 Years To Sentence

    Former high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti asked a California federal judge to reject the government's request to tack on more than 13 years to his prison term, saying such a "draconian" result would conflict with a Ninth Circuit ruling wiping out a previous sentence in the fraud case.

  • May 19, 2025

    7 Taxpayer Advocacy Panel Meetings Set For June

    Seven Taxpayer Advocacy Panel committees will meet in June to discuss possible customer service improvements, the Internal Revenue Service said in notices Monday.

  • May 16, 2025

    Trump Calls On Justices To Stay Block Of Gov't Restructuring

    President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to pause a California federal judge's order temporarily halting agencies from implementing an executive order to plan reorganizations and reductions in force, claiming the lower court's decision has caused confusion and wasted taxpayer dollars.

  • May 16, 2025

    Korean-Language News Co. Cuts $4.3M Deal In Tax Case

    A Korean-language news publication reached a settlement with the U.S. government that will let it pay $4.3 million to resolve an agreed-upon tax judgment of $9.1 million plus interest, according to a stipulated order entered in California federal court.

  • May 16, 2025

    Congress Hitting Back After Int'l Tax Talks, US Official Says

    The House Ways and Means Committee's tax bill includes retaliatory measures against certain foreign taxes because lawmakers were dissatisfied with international administrative guidance they thought undermined their tax sovereignty, a U.S. Treasury Department official said Friday.

  • May 16, 2025

    Key House Panel Advances Budget With $3.8T Tax Overhaul

    The House Budget Committee voted late Sunday to approve the chamber's budget reconciliation package, including a $3.8 trillion tax bill that would renew and make permanent large parts of the GOP's 2017 tax overhaul law.

  • May 16, 2025

    The Tax Angle: Year-End Extenders, IRS Direct File

    From a look at the possibility of Congress passing a year-end budget and tax extenders bill to efforts to keep the IRS Direct File program afloat, here's a peek into a reporter's notebook on a few of the week's developing tax stories.

  • May 16, 2025

    Truck Co. Asks 6th Circ. To Rethink Excise Tax Reversal

    A company seeking $268 million in excise tax exemptions for its refurbished tractors asked the Sixth Circuit to reconsider its decision that the tractors might not qualify because they may have previously been sold to tax-exempt buyers, saying the appeals court mistakenly considered unrelated laws.

  • May 16, 2025

    11th Circ. Rejects Tax Debt Protest Over Judge's Expired Term

    The IRS can move forward in collecting a decades-old tax debt from a former attorney despite his claim that a judge in an underlying proceeding lacked authority because his term had expired before the proceedings ended, the Eleventh Circuit said.

  • May 16, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Blakes, Davies, Goodmans

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Charter Communications Inc. merges with Cox Communications, Hub International Ltd. boosts its valuation after securing an investment, Pan American Silver Corp. acquires Mag Silver Corp. and Robinhood buys WonderFi.

  • May 16, 2025

    IRS Lowers Estate Tax Closing Letter Fee To $56

    The fee for taxpayers to request a letter that confirms the IRS has received and finished examining an estate tax return will be lowered to $56 from $67, according to a pair of regulations released Friday.

  • May 16, 2025

    Holland & Knight Welcomes Tax Partner in Philadelphia

    A new partner has joined Holland & Knight LLP's Philadelphia office and will help lead its state and local tax team, the firm announced.

  • May 16, 2025

    Weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin

    The Internal Revenue Service's weekly bulletin, issued Friday, featured inflation-adjusted amounts for health savings accounts for 2026, as well as the maximum amount that may be made available for excepted benefit health reimbursement arrangements.

  • May 15, 2025

    Ga. Atty Gets 16 Months For Role In $1.3B Tax Shelter Scheme

    A Georgia attorney has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison and slammed with an $8 million bill after pleading guilty to helping orchestrate a $1.3 billion tax scheme involving fraudulent conservation easements.

Expert Analysis

  • Making The Opportunity Zones Program Great At Last

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    As the opportunity zone program approaches its expiration, the Republican-led government could take specific steps to extend and improve the program, address its structural flaws, encourage broader participation and enable it to live up to its promised outcomes, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • We Must Allow Judges To Use Their Independent Judgment

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    As two recent cases show, the ability of judges to access their independent judgment crucially enables courts to exercise the discretion needed to reach the right outcome based on the unique facts within the law, says John Siffert at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Preparing For Tariffs On Canadian Power In The Northeast

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    The on-again, off-again risk of import and export tariffs on energy transactions between the U.S. and Canada may have repercussions for U.S. energy stakeholders in the ISO New England and New York Independent System Operator electricity markets — but there are options that could help reduce cost impacts, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.

  • Making The Case For Rest In The Legal Profession

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    For too long, a culture of overwork has plagued the legal profession, but research shows that attorneys need rest to perform optimally and sustainably, so legal organizations and individuals must implement strategies that allow for restoration, says Marissa Alert at MDA Wellness, Carol Ross-Burnett at CRB Global, and Denise Robinson at The Still Center.

  • Mitigating Tariff Risks For Healthcare In US And Canada

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    Healthcare stakeholders should take steps to evaluate the impact of cross-border tariffs, as the historically strong ties between Canada and the U.S. demonstrate the potential for real disruption and harm to the healthcare industry in both countries, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • 4 Ways Women Attorneys Can Build A Legal Legacy

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    This Women’s History Month, women attorneys should consider what small, day-to-day actions they can take to help leave a lasting impact for future generations, even if it means mentoring one person or taking 10 minutes to make a plan, says Jackie Prester, a former shareholder at Baker Donelson.

  • A Judge's Pointers For Adding Spice To Dry Legal Writing

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    U.S. District Judge Fred Biery shares a few key lessons about how to go against the grain of the legal writing tradition by adding color to bland judicial opinions, such as by telling a human story and injecting literary devices where possible.

  • Why NY May Want To Reconsider Its LLC Transparency Law

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    Against the backdrop of the myriad challenges to the federal Corporate Transparency Act, it may be prudent for New York to reconsider its adoption of the LLC Transparency Act, since it's unclear whether the Empire State's "baby-CTA" statute is still necessary or was passed prematurely, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • IRS Scrutiny May Underlie Move Away From NIL Collectives

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    The University of Colorado's January announcement that it was severing its partnership with a name, image and likeness collective is part of universities' recent push to move NIL activities in-house, seemingly motivated by tax implications and increased scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • 7 Tips For Associates To Thrive In Hybrid Work Environments

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    As the vast majority of law firms have embraced some type of hybrid work policy, associates should consider a few strategies to get the most out of both their in-person and remote workdays, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • IRS Should Revise Overbroad Microcaptive Regs

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    Rather than seeking to curtail use of congressionally sanctioned microcaptive insurance programs by imposing burdensome disclosure obligations, the Internal Revenue Service should revisit its recently finalized regulations and implement rules tailored to address areas of specific abuse, say attorneys at Zerbe Miller.

  • Terraform Case May Be Bellwether For Crypto Enforcement

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    The prosecution of crypto company Terraform Labs and its CEO, Do Kwon, offers a unique test of the line between lawful and unlawful conduct in digital transactions, and the Trump administration’s posture toward the case will provide clues about its cryptocurrency enforcement agenda in the years to come, say attorneys at Brooks Pierce.

  • How Law Firms Can Counteract The Loneliness Epidemic

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    The legal industry is facing an urgent epidemic of loneliness, affecting lawyer well-being, productivity, retention and profitability, and law firm leaders should take concrete steps to encourage the development of genuine workplace connections, says Michelle Gomez at Littler and Gwen Mellor Romans at Herald Talent.

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