ACLJ Wins Significant Victory in Case Against IRS
The American Center for Law and Justice won a major victory against the Internal Revenue Service when an appeals court ruled the organization has yet to prove it's ended discriminatory practices against conservative groups seeking tax exempt statuses.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously reversed a 2014 lower district court ruling that previously dismissed the lawsuit originally filed against the agency in 2013.
The federal court found that the IRS committed some "unconstitutional acts against at least a portion of the plaintiffs," including numerous conservative, Tea Party, and pro-life groups.
Certain organizations were on "Be-On-The-Lookout" or "BOLO" lists where applications for tax-exempt status "were subjected to extended delay" and "were not receiving the same processing as those of other organizations," CNN reported.
The IRS announced they had suspended the "BOLO" lists but the federal court stated that the agency's use of the word "suspend" indicated that it was not a permanent change.
The court added that even if the IRS did stop its discriminating practices, it was "absurd" to suggest the unlawful activity by the IRS has stopped "when two of the appellant-plaintiffs' applications remain pending."
"We will continue pursuing justice for our clients," the ACLJ wrote on its website. "No American should be targeted for their beliefs. We will not stop fighting to ensure that the targeting ends, that justice is served, and that the Obama administration's IRS is held accountable for its illegal and unconstitutional actions."
