Federal
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November 07, 2025
Wyden, Warren Flag IRS CEO's Fiserv Tenure In Probe
Two Senate Finance Committee members said they are investigating Internal Revenue Service CEO Frank Bisignano's conduct in his previous position as Fiserv Inc.'s CEO, saying the financial setbacks the company has faced this year raise questions about his ability to serve as a key IRS official.
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November 07, 2025
Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, Cravath, Paul Weiss
In this week's Taxation With Representation, consumer products giant Kimberly-Clark acquires Tylenol maker Kenvue, shale producers SM Energy and Civitas Resources announce a merger, and power management company Eaton buys Boyd Corp.'s thermal business.
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November 06, 2025
Goldstein Loses Bid To Trim Tax Charges Before Trial
A Maryland federal judge Thursday handed SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein a series of losses on pre-trial motions aimed at trimming the 22 federal tax charges he'll face at trial next year, ruling that many of the motions involved factual disputes fit for trial and keeping the government's case intact.
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November 06, 2025
Tax Court OKs Disallowance Of Unverified Litigation Fees
The IRS correctly determined that a woman who'd been at odds with her various attorneys — having filed breach of contract suits against two separate legal teams — inadequately justified her claimed $28,000 deduction for legal expenses, the U.S. Tax Court said Thursday.
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November 06, 2025
Whistleblower Entitled To Award For $31M Tip, DC Circ. Told
The U.S. Tax Court wrongly denied a whistleblower award to a woman who said she helped the Internal Revenue Service assess more than $31 million in corporate income, her supporter told the D.C. Circuit, saying the court allowed the agency to omit relevant information it was required to provide.
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November 06, 2025
IRS Microcaptive Reporting Rules Suit Can Move Forward
A global tax services provider can move forward with its suit against the IRS to vacate tax reporting rules for microcaptive insurance companies, a Texas federal court said, finding the company had a stake in the challenge and a right to bring the case.
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November 06, 2025
No $22M Break For Real Estate Partnership, 6th Circ. Affirms
An Ohio real estate partnership cannot claim a $22 million charitable tax deduction on a 2016 preservation easement, the Sixth Circuit found, affirming the U.S. Tax Court and Internal Revenue Service's conclusions that the partnership grossly misstated the value of the donated historic building.
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November 06, 2025
Tax Court Says IRS Took Too Long To Ax Easement Deduction
The Internal Revenue Service failed to timely disallow a charitable deduction related to a company's conservation easement donation, the U.S. Tax Court said, throwing out a partnership adjustment by the agency.
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November 06, 2025
2nd Circ. Orders New Look At Trump's Hush Money Case
In a published opinion, the Second Circuit on Thursday ordered a federal district judge to take a fresh look at President Donald Trump's attempt to move his New York hush money conviction to federal court, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 presidential immunity ruling as grounds for reconsidering the case.
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November 05, 2025
Judge Questions Transfer Of Eaton's $14B Foreign Asset
A U.S. Tax Court judge questioned a former Eaton Corp. official Wednesday about the company's decision to restructure the ownership of a valuable foreign subsidiary when it inverted in 2012, noting that the move placed a $14 billion asset out of the U.S. company's reach.
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November 05, 2025
IRS Direct File Will Not Be Offered In 2026, States Confirm
State revenue agencies confirmed Wednesday that the Internal Revenue Service has informed them that its free online tax preparation tool, Direct File, will not be offered for the 2026 filing season and potentially other years.
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November 05, 2025
IRS Layoffs Include Over 500 Exam Employees, Docs Show
The federal workers laid off during the government shutdown include more than 500 people in the exam and collections section of the IRS responsible for enforcing tax laws, a federal employee told a California federal court in a lawsuit over the firings.
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November 05, 2025
Docs Show IRS Improperly Shared Data With ICE, Groups Say
Documents submitted by the U.S. government to a D.C. federal court show the IRS violated taxpayer privacy laws by sharing individuals' addresses with ICE despite its requests lacking required information and by accepting an unreasonable explanation about why the information was requested, several groups said.
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November 05, 2025
Ex-Mashpee Tribal Leader Gets 3.5 Years For Casino Bribes
The former chair of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe on Wednesday was sentenced to a 42-month prison term for orchestrating a bribery scheme tied to the tribe's $1 billion casino project, as a Massachusetts federal judge chastised him for characterizing his yearslong conduct as "mistakes."
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November 05, 2025
Fed. Circ. Skeptical Of Family Trusts' Tax Fraud Case
The Federal Circuit seemed skeptical Wednesday of an $80 million tax challenge by a group of family trusts that claimed they were unfairly stuck with tax liabilities after being duped into selling assets to a fraudster who then engaged in abusive tax shelter transactions behind their backs.
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November 05, 2025
Justices Skeptical About Trump's Emergency Tariff Authority
Several U.S. Supreme Court justices asked the government to defend why well-established judicial doctrines shouldn't limit President Donald Trump's tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act during oral arguments Wednesday, casting doubt on whether they believe the law provides that kind of authority.
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November 05, 2025
IRS Provides Penalty Relief For 2025 Tips, OT Reporting
The Internal Revenue Service will treat the 2025 tax year as a transition period for enforcement and administration of the information reporting requirements for the new deductions for tips and overtime, according to guidance released Wednesday.
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November 04, 2025
Malawi Asks Judge To Undo Halt Of Gem Export Tax Probe
Malawi asked a Washington federal judge to reconsider his recent decision to bar the country from pursuing discovery against a gemstone company that it alleges partnered with a mining outfit to dodge billions of dollars in taxes and export royalties.
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November 04, 2025
Former Eaton CFO Says Bond Investors Needed Reassurance
Eaton Corp.'s former chief financial officer chronicled on Tuesday the company's efforts to finance its 2012 acquisition of Ireland-based Cooper Industries, describing an atmosphere of leery bond investors after the Great Recession of 2008, on the second day of the company's U.S. Tax Court trial.
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November 04, 2025
Tax Court Blocks Ariz. Salesman's Business Deductions
The U.S. Tax Court on Tuesday rejected a series of business deductions claimed by an Arizona man working in outside sales and affirmed penalties against him for substantially understating his taxes.
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November 04, 2025
3M Ruling Highlights Loper Bright's Reach In Axing Tax Regs
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gutted deference to agencies took center stage in the Eighth Circuit's recent decision that backed 3M's challenge to transfer pricing rules, signaling the strict statutory analysis that courts may now apply to tax regulations.
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November 04, 2025
Ga. Biz Asks Tax Court To Block IRS Easement Changes
A Georgia company asked the U.S. Tax Court to reverse the Internal Revenue Service's adjustments to a claimed noncash charitable contribution for a $61 million conservation easement donation and rule that the company's filing was accurate, according to a petition released Tuesday.
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November 04, 2025
Developer Seeks To Restore Nixed $29M Easement Deduction
The Internal Revenue Service failed to explain its rejection of a $29 million charitable tax deduction claim for an Alabama-based developer's 2016 conservation easement donation to a regional water district, the developer told the U.S. Tax Court as it challenged the decision.
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November 04, 2025
Tax Court Affirms Rejection Of Co.'s Settlement Offer
The Internal Revenue Service did not abuse its discretion in rejecting an offer from a small business to settle its tax debt, the U.S. Tax Court said Tuesday, finding that the company never submitted financial documents the agency needed to accept the deal.
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November 04, 2025
Shutdown Leaves Tax Pros Few Options To Find Clients Relief
The IRS has been beset by worsening delays in addressing taxpayers' cases, driven by widespread furloughs and a wave of retirements, and the ongoing government shutdown has compounded the issue by bringing federal district courts to a halt, leaving tax practitioners few options to seek relief for clients.
Expert Analysis
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Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital
Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.
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How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition
Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.
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Tariffs And FCA Create Perfect Storm For Importers
The Trump administration's aggressive tariff policies pose a high risk to certain importation practices that are particularly likely to trigger False Claims Act enforcement, say attorneys at Jeffer Mangels.
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US Reassessment Of OECD Tax Deal Is Right Move
The wholesale U.S. reevaluation of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's global tax deal ordered by President Donald Trump is a positive step that could ultimately create a more durable international tax system, says Anne Gordon at the National Foreign Trade Council.
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Measuring And Mitigating Harm From Discriminatory Taxes
In response to new tariffs and other recent "America First Trade Policy" pronouncements, corporations should assess and take steps to minimize their potential exposure to discriminatory and reciprocal tax measures that are likely to come, say economists at Charles River Associates.
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Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Leadership To BigLaw
The move from government service to private practice can feel like changing one’s identity, but as someone who has left the U.S. Department of Justice twice, I’ve learned that a successful transition requires patience, effort and the realization that the rewards of practicing law don’t come from one particular position, says Richard Donoghue at Pillsbury.
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How The CRE Industry Is Adapting To Tariff Uncertainty
Amid uncertainty about pending tariffs and their potential ripple effects, including higher material costs, supply chain delays and tighter margins, commercial real estate industry players are focusing on strategic planning and risk mitigation, says Daniel Diaz Leyva at Day Pitney.
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Law Firm Executive Orders Create A Legal Ethics Minefield
Recent executive orders targeting BigLaw firms create ethical dilemmas — and raise the specter of civil or criminal liability — for the government attorneys tasked with implementing them and for the law firms that choose to make agreements with the administration, say attorneys at Buchalter.
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Trade Policy Shifts Raise Hurdles For Gov't And Cos. Alike
The persistent tension between the Trump administration's fast-moving and aggressive trade policies and the compliance-heavy nature of the trade industry creates implementation challenges for both the business community and the government, says Sara Schoenfeld at Kamerman.
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Firms Must Embrace Alternative Billing Models Or Fall Behind
As artificial intelligence tools eliminate inefficiencies and the Big Four accounting firms enter the legal market, law firms that pivot from the entrenched billable hour model to outcomes-based pricing will see a distinct competitive advantage, says attorney William Brewer.
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How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of On-Camera Presence
As attorneys are increasingly presented with on-camera opportunities, they can adapt their traditional legal skills for video contexts — such as virtual client meetings, marketing content or media interviews — by understanding the medium and making intentional adjustments, says Kerry Barrett.
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Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw
Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.
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Justices' False Statement Ruling Curbs Half-Truth Liability
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Thompson v. U.S. decision clarified that a federal statute used to prosecute false statements made to bank regulators only criminalizes outright falsehoods, narrowing prosecutors’ reach and providing defense counsel a stronger basis to challenge indictments of merely misleading statements, says Tamara de Silva at De Silva Law Offices.