Seal of the U.S. Supreme CourtLast month we reported on a key Whistleblower/Civil Rights tax case that was filed with the Supreme Court by attorneys working with the National Whistleblower Center. See Whistleblowers Blog (December 13, 2007). The case is Murphy v. IRS, No. 07-802 (Supreme Court), and the principal issue is whether the IRS can tax as income plaintiffs’ court awards for non-physical compensatory damages, such as make whole awards for emotional distress and loss of reputation.

Since the petition for a writ of certiorari was filed on December 13, 2007, the Solicitor General has requested and received an extension of the time for the government to file a response to Ms. Murphy’s cert petition. A copy of the Solicitor General’s request is available here, and a copy of the order granting the request is here.

**Also, a brief update on the status of the case was reported in today’s Wall Street Journal.