State & Local
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May 13, 2025
Pot Dispensary Asks Mo. High Court To Block County Taxes
In incorporated areas of Missouri counties, a municipality's imposition of a 3% sales tax on adult-use cannabis supersedes a county's ability to impose its own additional tax, a dispensary told the Missouri Supreme Court during oral arguments Tuesday.
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May 13, 2025
Ala. Will Lower State Sales And Use Tax Rate On Groceries
Alabama will lower the state sales and use tax rate on groceries from 3% to 2% starting next fiscal year under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 13, 2025
Ariz. County Will Ask Voters To Extend Local Jail Tax 20 Years
Maricopa County, Arizona, will ask voters to extend the existing 0.2% jail facilities excise tax for 20 years with the approval of a countywide ballot measure under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 13, 2025
La. April Revenues Drop $169M From Last Year
Louisiana general revenue collection in April trailed last year by $169 million, according to a report by the state Department of Revenue.
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May 13, 2025
Idaho Revenues Through April Down $55M From Forecasts
Idaho's general fund revenue collection from July through April trailed estimates by $55 million, the state Division of Financial Management reported.
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May 13, 2025
Minn. Revenue Tops Forecast By $391M In April
Minnesota general fund revenue in April exceeded an estimate by $391 million, the state Department of Management and Budget reported.
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May 13, 2025
Ore. Panel OKs State Tax Court's Standing For Associations
Oregon associations and other organizations, in addition to aggrieved individuals and businesses, could seek relief in the state tax court under legislation approved by a Senate panel.
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May 13, 2025
Ala. To Exempt Menstrual Products, Diapers From Sales Tax
Alabama will exempt menstrual products, maternity clothing, diapers and baby supplies from state sales and use tax under a bill signed by the governor.
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May 12, 2025
Feds Say Tribal Tariff Dispute Must Stay In US Trade Court
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is fighting Montana tribal members' attempt to stop the transfer of their lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's Canada tariff orders from federal court to the U.S. Court of International Trade, saying the CIT has exclusive jurisdiction over the case.
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May 12, 2025
Texas Voters To Decide On Prohibiting Tax On Capital Gains
Texas voters will decide if the state should create a constitutional amendment barring taxes on individuals' realized or unrealized capital gains under a resolution approved by state lawmakers.
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May 12, 2025
Gunster Tax Ace Jumps To Spencer Fane In Tampa
Spencer Fane LLP announced Monday that it has bolstered its tax, trusts and estates practice group in Tampa with the addition of a former Gunster shareholder.
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May 12, 2025
Ga. General Fund Receipts Through April Up $312M
Georgia's total general fund receipts from July through April beat last year's total for the same period by $312 million, according to a report from the governor's office released Monday.
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May 12, 2025
GOP Floats $30,000 SALT Cap, Renewed R&D Credit
House Ways and Means Republicans proposed a $30,000 state and local tax deduction cap and a renewed research and development credit in updated legislation to extend their 2017 tax overhaul law, which the committee plans to consider Tuesday.
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May 12, 2025
Biz Groups Back Bill To Expand FDII Tax Benefits
A coalition of business lobbying groups has thrown its weight behind proposed legislation that would expand tax breaks for domestically held intellectual property, saying the changes would build on the goals of the 2017 federal tax overhaul.
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May 12, 2025
Ind. Revenue Through April Falls $51M Short Of Estimate
Indiana's general fund revenue from July through April underperformed an estimate by $51 million, according to a report by the state Budget Agency.
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May 12, 2025
Calif. Total Receipts Through April Beat Forecasts By $5.6B
California's total receipts from July through April outpaced forecasts by $5.6 billion, according to a report by the State Controller's Office.
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May 12, 2025
Arizona Creates Process To Identify Unclaimed Digital Assets
Arizona established a process and criteria for determining if digital assets may be deemed abandoned property that must be delivered to the state as part of a bill signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs.
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May 09, 2025
Ariz. Cities Required To Give Notice For Local Tax Ordinances
Arizona municipalities that propose an ordinance to adopt or repeal a provision of the state's code for the administration of local transaction privilege taxes must notify businesses before the proposed ordinance is approved or rejected, under a bill signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs.
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May 09, 2025
PL 86-272 Expansion May Face Rocky Path Through Congress
The fate of an element of a House budget reconciliation bill that would broaden state income tax protections for businesses may rest with the Senate parliamentarian's view on whether the provision passes muster under reconciliation rules.
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May 09, 2025
Tariffs And Tax Breaks Offer Risky Lifeline To US Film Industry
President Donald Trump's call for a 100% tariff on films made outside the U.S. has potential to improve a struggling domestic industry if it is considered in conjunction with new federal tax incentives to restore production, but the idea hasn't yet gathered support in Congress, according to lawyers who spoke to Law360.
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May 09, 2025
GOP Unveils Plan To Cement 2017 Tax Cuts, Expand Biz Relief
House Republicans plan to meet Tuesday to deliberate a sweeping extension of their 2017 tax overhaul that would lock in low individual rates and deduction limits, expand child care and estate tax breaks, and make permanent tax incentives for small pass-through businesses and U.S. multinational corporations.
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May 09, 2025
Tax Exemption Case May Bring Sweeping Impact, Attys Say
A U.S. Supreme Court case considering a religious exemption to unemployment taxes sought by a charity could have implications across a broad swath of organizations, tax practitioners said Friday.
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May 09, 2025
Souter's Clerks Remember Him As Humble, Kind And Caring
Former clerks of retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter are heartbroken over the death of a man many of them remember more for his conscientiousness, humility, kindness and disdain for the spotlight than for his undeniable brilliance as a jurist.
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May 09, 2025
Hiker And 'Raconteur': Atty Recalls 50-Year Bond With Souter
Behind a towering legal legacy was a man who loved to hike mountains, could recall details of things he read decades ago and was always there for those he cared about, a New Hampshire attorney said as he reflected on a lifelong friendship with U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
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May 09, 2025
A Look At David Souter's Most Significant Opinions
The retired Justice David Souter defied simple definition, viewed as a staunch conservative until he co-wrote an opinion upholding abortion rights in 1992. He did not hew to partisan lines, but reshaped the civil litigation landscape and took an unexpected stand in an extraordinarily close presidential election.
Expert Analysis
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step
From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Shake-Ups For Courts In Different Fields: SALT In Review
From the end of Chevron deference in the courts to the planned sale of the NBA's reigning champion, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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Kentucky Tax Talk: Appeals Court Revisits Leases' Tax Effects
With better facts and greater emphasis on the Kentucky Constitution, Walgreen Co. may succeed in its latest Kentucky Court of Appeals challenge to a tax assessor's method of valuing leaseholds on real property for purposes of determining ad valorem tax, say Mark Sommer and Elizabeth Ethington at Frost Brown Todd.
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Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity
The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.
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Reading Between The Lines Of Justices' Moore Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Moore v. U.S. decision, that the Internal Revenue Code Section 965 did not violate the 16th Amendment, was narrowly tailored to minimally disrupt existing tax regimes, but the justices' various opinions leave the door open to future tax challenges and provide clues for what the battles may look like, say Caroline Ngo and Le Chen at McDermott.
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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Another Crack In The Shield: SALT In Review
From the latest assault on a federal shield against taxing out-of-state businesses to an update on beer taxes, RSM's David Brunori offers his thoughts on noteworthy state and local tax news.
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States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice
The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.