Austin property tax reversal

NEW ORLEANS — The Fifth Circuit found a Texas federal court improperly abstained from ruling in a dispute between homeowners and the Texas capital, Austin, whose ordinance declaring the homeowners’ lakefront properties are within the city’s full-purpose taxation jurisdiction even though the city provides fewer services in the area. The lower court emphasized conflicts of law, but the homeowners raise a federal equal protection claim that does not depend on any disputed questions of Texas law.Read the ruling here.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads