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Supreme Court reverses Sotomayor case

June 29, 2009

The Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race.

The case has received special attention because Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was part of an appellate panel that issued the ruling that was today overturned.

Legal experts say the 5-to-4 High Court ruling could alter employment practices across the country and make it harder to prove discrimination.

Sotomayor on taxes: Capitol Hill is obviously paying close attention to all of Sotomayor's prior rulings, not just the high-profile ones.

Those in the tax world, however, don't have a lot to examine.

"Sotomayor has not written extensively in the area of taxation," notes the Congressional Research Service (CRS), "and it is not possible to draw conclusions about her judicial philosophy from the tax cases in which she has been involved."

That difficulty notwithstanding, CRS has released Judge Sonia Sotomayor: Analysis of Selected Opinions, which includes a section on her tax-relevant rulings.

I know all you fellow tax geeks will want to examine the CRS analysis carefully at your own pace, so I won't spoil that thrill by repeating its contents here. Enjoy!

And we'll have to wait and see if any tax-related questions come up during Sotomayor's confirmation hearings later this summer.

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TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

Comments
  • For american people this is great judgement.

  • I have to say, I’m glad this was reversed. I feel if you are going to give a test, then you go with the top scorers. If they are all white oh well. If they are all minorities, then all minorities get the spots. It seems to be blatent reverse discrimination that has been allowed to go on for years. It needs to be a level playing field, not tilted in one way or the other. None of this 25% of promotions have to be minoroty (even if they didn’t do well on the test). Why give them the spots for free. They need to earn it like anyone else would have to. They can get study guides and put in time like any other person who is trying to improve themselves. Nobody should get a job based on race. It needs to be the most qualifed candidate regardless of race, sex or any other factor. If you hire or promote by a test, then the top scorers get the positions right down from the top.

  • I really appreciate you taking the time to look at the issue. Thanks for the detail I really appreciate your work.
    LLCB

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