A federal appeals court Friday strongly chastised the IRS, ruling that it did indeed unfairly target Tea Party groups, must prove that it has stopped, and accused the agency of using catch-22 principles against the affected organizations, the Washington Times reports.
Judge David Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected the IRS' position that it had voluntarily ceased targeting since some of the hundreds of conservative groups are still waiting for their approvals for tax-exempt status, the Times reported.
"The IRS is telling the applicants in these cases that 'we have been violating your rights and not properly processing your applications. You are entitled to have your applications processed. But if you ask for that processing by way of a lawsuit, then you can't have it,'" the Times quoted Sentelle's ruling. "We would advise the IRS: if you haven't ceased to violate the rights of the taxpayers, then there is no cessation. You have not carried your burden, be it heavy or light."
The Times reports that the appeals court kicked the case back to a lower court for further examination.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.