Tea Party Lawsuit Against IRS Tossed

The lawsuit filed against the IRS by a Tea Party group alleging that the agency unfairly targeted conservative groups was tossed by a federal court on Thursday. "Unless an actual, ongoing controversy exists in this case, this court is without power to decide it," U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton ruled, dismissing one lawsuit brought by True the Vote, a conservative vote-monitoring organization. True the Vote was looking for monetary damages as well as a ban on the IRS ever targeting a conservative group again. The judge noted in his ruling that the lawsuits were dismissed on procedural grounds, not on merit. The court's opinion should not be interpreted as an assessment of the propriety of the alleged conduct by the defendants,” he wrote.