A First Circuit panel appeared skeptical and questioned the Trump administration’s legal basis for obtaining taxpayer addresses from the IRS for immigration enforcement, Law360 reports. The government is appealing a February injunction that blocks the IRS from sharing the information with ICE and bars ICE from using data it has already received.
"All three judges on the panel appeared dubious of the government's claims that it is entitled to the records,” Law360 reported. The judges questioned whether the government could invoke an exception to taxpayer privacy protections by broadly asserting that people were under criminal investigation.
The case was brought by organizations that serve immigrant taxpayers, who say fears of data sharing have deterred people from seeking tax assistance. Keker, Van Nest & Peters represents the organizations alongside Asian Law Caucus and Greater Boston Legal Services. In February, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani found the organizations likely to succeed on their privacy claims and granted a preliminary injunction.
The Keker team on the case includes Leo Lam, Laurie Carr Mims, Sarah Salomon, Charlotte Kamai, Kelly Hernandez, and Melissa Cordial.
Read the full Law360 story here. (subscription required)
