A Partial Victory? No New IRS Rules Before the 2014 Elections

The Washington Times has just reported a key development in the battle against IRS censorship. The IRS may be backing down:

The IRS said Wednesday its new proposal to crack down on tea party and other nonprofit groups won’t be ready before the November elections — even as House Republicans voted to halt the entire process for the next year, arguing the tax agency hasn’t even learned the lessons of its previous problems.

John Koskinen, the new IRS commissioner, said he’s not even sure there will be an eventual rule cracking down on political activity. The agency is trying to write one, but its initial suggestions have drawn tens of thousands of angry comments, and he said they have many other steps to do — including a public hearing and possibly another round of public comment — before they would impose new rules.

The Obama Administration, still recovering from its black eye over its thwarted plan to put FCC monitors in newsrooms, is now backtracking ever-so-slightly on its plan to use the IRS to crack down on free speech.

The partial victory also presents us with a test. One suspects the IRS has not so much had a change of heart as its delaying implementation until America’s attention is focused elsewhere.

But we’re maintaining our vigilance. The ACLJ has filed its own opposition to the new IRS regulations, we’re suing the IRS in federal court, and we’re mobilizing tens of thousands of our members to speak out.

In other words, if the IRS thinks time will cause us to lose our focus, it is sadly mistaken. The First Amendment is at stake.