Posted on 08/29/2015 5:39:41 PM PDT by MarvinStinson
A federal judge Friday ordered the IRS to turn over records of any requests from the White House seeking taxpayers’ private information from the tax agency,
Judge Amy Berman Jackson said the IRS cannot refuse by citing taxpayer confidentiality laws.
“This court questions whether section 6103 should or would shield records that indicate confidential taxpayer information was misused, or that government officials made an improper attempt to access that information,” the judge wrote.
The ruling marks yet another federal judge who has ordered the Obama administration to be more transparent when responding to open-records records.
The State Department is facing a barrage of orders from federal judges demanding more cooperation in releasing former Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton’s emails.
Questions about potential White House meddling in taxpayers’ private information stretch back to the beginning of the Obama administration, when the White House chief economist described the tax structure of Koch Industries during a briefing with reporters.
His description was apparently incorrect, but it left some watchdog groups wondering if the White House had quietly sought information on conservatives, such as the Koch brothers.
Cause of Action sued in 2013 to get a look at whatever requests the White House, or other federal agencies, had made.
The IRS refused, saying even the existence of those requests would be protected by confidentiality laws and couldn’t be released, so there was no reason to make the search.
The judge said Friday, however, that the agency couldn’t use the privacy protection “to shield the very misconduct it was enacted to prohibit.”
“As we have said all along, this administration cannot misinterpret the law in order to potentially hide evidence of wrongdoing,” said Dan Epstein, executive director at Cause of Action. “No administration is above the law."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Are you kidding? He's in charge of the world's most powerful collection agency, with unlimited power to seize assets, throw you and me in jail, and run businesses to the ground at a whim, with no one to call him on it. He goes to testify in Congressional hearings - which are a joke - and he can go home, confident that nothing will ever happen to him.
What's not to be happy about?
Eric Holder won’t be held in contempt over ‘Fast and Furious’ documents, rules judge
Posted Oct 07, 2014
.
Eric Holder got some good news as he wraps up his six-year tenure as U.S. Attorney General.
On Monday, a federal judge refused to hold him in contempt of court for failing to turn over documents to House Republicans investigating Operation Fast and Furious, reports the Associated Press. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the District of Columbia denied the contempt order issued by House Republicans.
Holder had missed an Oct. 1 deadline imposed by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for certain “non-deliberative” documents while a motion he had filed on Sept. 2 for a stay was still pending. This prompted committee chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) to move, the next day, that Holder be found in contempt.
“The committee was well aware of the pendency of the motion to stay, so its filing of the contempt motion was entirely unnecessary,” wrote Jackson in her opinion (PDF).
Jackson based her ruling on the fact that Holder had moved for the indefinite stay of her previous order that Holder turn over these “non-deliberative documents”. Because he had moved for the stay, Jackson says she should have ruled on it before the Oct. 1 deadline, but simply didn’t get around to it.
It wasn’t all good news for Holder, though. Now that she had a chance to consider Holder’s motion, Jackson denied it and made clear that Holder will still have to turn over the documents and gave him until Nov. 3 to do so.
“Though the Court has the discretion to grant a stay in the interests of judicial economy and efficiency, pending appeal or otherwise, there is no pending appeal here and the Court has already ruled that defendant has no legal basis to withhold non-deliberative documents,” wrote Jackson in her ruling.
“We are pleased that the court rejected the committee’s latest stunt,” Justice Department spokesman Brian Fallon said. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee told according to Politico’s Under the Radar blog that he was “pleased that the Judge in the case has rejected the Department’s request to continue illegally withholding documents and its attempt to unnecessarily prolong the proceeding.”
If we are to ever restore the rule of law, rulings such as from this courageous judge must be supported.
Would you rather he told the plaintiffs to pound sand?
Acts of resistance should be applauded, not denigrated.
Thanks for the ping; post; thread. BUMP.
Federal Judge Slaps Down House Panel’s Contempt Motion Against Holder
By Mary Jacoby | October 6, 2014
http://www.mainjustice.com/2014/10/06/federal-judge-slaps-down-house-panels-contempt-motion-against-holder/
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson today denied a request by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to find Eric Holder in civil contempt of court, calling the GOP-led panel’s recent motion - which also suggested Holder might need to be personally fined and jailed for lack of cooperation – “entirely unnecessary.”
I believe these judges are laying the groundwork for impeachment and criminal charges against government employees.
Undoubtedly the republicans will employ "professional courtesy" in refusing to take any action against Obama or his administration.
Federal judge upholds NLRB union election rules
by Mark Gruenberg August 4 2015
http://peoplesworld.org/federal-judge-upholds-nlrb-union-election-rules/
WASHINGTON - A federal district judge in D.C. has upheld the National Labor Relations Board’s new union election rules.So has another in West Texas, dismissing a complaint from anti-union contractors.
In her July 30 decision, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson dismissed and denounced the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s case against the NLRB. Chamber allies included the National Association of Manufacturers, and the National Retail Federation - whose members employ millions of the most-exploited workers in the U.S.
AFL-CIO Counsel Lynn Rhinehart cheered the ruling. When the board issued the rules late last year federation President Richard Trumka applauded them.
So she has ruled FOR protecting Eric Holder
and FOR Obama’s crooked NLRB and the labor unions it acts for.
These Judges do nothing.
I applaud the judge for trying.
This concept of “Rule of Law” really means rule of whoever has the guns and the power to enforce the law, or choose not to.
Everything else is just Western feel good BS.
Maybe a closet Hillary supporter will sink the White Hut.
The White House will give the federal judge the finger and get away with it. Does anyone really think this staggeringly corrupt president will ever be held accountable?
Looks that way doesn’t it....Amazing that they truly believe they are not subject to the laws nor to the people.
I wrote here on 12/23/08:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2153351/posts
To: Republic of Texas
Naaaah! Welcome to New Kenya (Africa U.S.A.)
“Where the law of the jungle has replaced the Law of the Land.”
—
de Texas Fossil
37 posted on 12/23/2008, 3:13:26 PM by Texas Fossil
Unfortunately, the rat criminals are above the law in America.
Time to change the parameters.
The judges are about to be audited.
I hadn’t thought of that.
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