Keith David Barton v. Comm'r of Internal Revenue, 737 F.2d 822 (9th Cir. 1984). · Go Syfert
Keith David Barton v. Comm'r of Internal Revenue, 737 F.2d 822 (9th Cir. 1984). Cases Citing This Book View Copy Cite
8 citation events (7 in the last 25 years) across 4 distinct courts.
Cited for
At page 823 Limiting constitutional challenges to congressional enumerated powers7 citing casesIf the specific protections of the first amendment do not afford a basis for refusing to pay tax, then neither can the more novel claims raised by appellant under the ninth amendment.1 citing court put it this way · 6 listed here
  • Daniel Taylor Jenkins v. Comm'r of Internal Revenue Serv., 483 F.3d 90 (2d Cir. 2007).published 2 cites
    (If the specific protections of the first amendment do not afford a basis for refusing to pay tax, then neither can the more novel claims raised by appellant under the ninth amendment.)
  • (PS) Coelho v. Alvarado-Gil, No. 2:24-cv-02181 (E.D. Cal. June 4, 2025).
    (per 10 curiam)
  • Montana Caregivers Ass'n v. United States, 526 F. App'x 756 (9th Cir. 2013).unpublished 2 cites
    So long as Congress acts pursuant to an enumerated power, and does not exceed a “specific limitation” on that power, an “objection ... that the exercise of [that] power infringes upon rights served by the ninth and tenth amendments ... mus…
  • Montana Caregivers Ass'n v. United States, 841 F. Supp. 2d 1147 (D. Mont. 2012).published
    Barton v. CIR, 737 F.2d 822, 823 (9th Cir.1984).
  • Stubblefield v. Gonzales, 150 F. App'x 630 (9th Cir. 2005).unpublished
    Barton v. CIR, 737 F.2d 822, 823 (9th Cir.1984).
  • Frederick Jensen v. Janet Reno, Attorney Gen., 56 F.3d 71 (9th Cir. 1995).unpublished
    (even if right to conscientious objections to war were protected by the Constitution, taxpayer could not validate his claim for tax credit proportionate to percentage of national budget expended for defense based on that…)
At page 822 “objection . . . that the exercise of that power infringes upon rights served by the ninth and tenth amendments . . . must fail.”0 citing cases1 citing court quotes it · passage not found verbatim in the opinion (89%)
    Retrieving the full opinion text from the archive…
    Keith David BARTON, Petitioner-Appellant,
    v.
    COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent-Appellee
    82-7779.
    Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
    Jul 13, 1984.
    Published opinion
    737 F.2d 822
    1984 U.S. App. LEXIS 20553
    Keith David Barton, pro se., Glenn L. Archer, Michael L. Paup, Gilbert E. Andrews, Dept, of Justice, Kenneth W. Gideon, I.R.S., Washington, D.C., Emory L. Langdon, San Francisco, Cal., Harry Asch, I.R.S., Los Angeles, Cal., for respondent-appellee.
    Browning, Wallace, Poole.
    Cited by 7 opinions  |  Published
    PER CURIAM:

    Petitioner appeals from a Tax Court decision assessing a deficiency of $622 on his 1978 federal income taxes. On his return, petitioner claimed that amount “as a credit for conscientious objection to war,” corresponding to “a conservative estimate” of the proportion of the federal budget devoted to the military. Petitioner maintained before both the Tax Court and this court that the ninth amendment to the Constitution affords the right not to pay taxes for activities that conflict with the taxpayer’s considered moral values. The Tax Court did not question the sincerity of petitioner’s moral convictions.

    Assuming the existence of a right to conscientious objections to war protected by the ninth amendment of the United States Constitution, such a right would not justify appellant’s failure to pay the tax deficiency at issue in this case.

    “[W]hen objection is made that the exercise of a federal power infringes upon rights reserved by the ninth and tenth amendments, the inquiry must be directed toward the granted power under which the action of the Union was taken. If granted power is found, necessarily the objection of invasion of those rights, reserved by the ninth and tenth amendments, must fail.” United Public Workers v. Mitchell, 330 U.S. 75, 96, 67 S.Ct. 556, 567, 91 L.Ed. 754 (1947). Appellant’s objection is to an exercise of power granted by the Constitution. Article I, section eight of the Constitution specifically grants Congress the power to collect taxes and use the revenues for the national defense. Appellant has not demonstrated that Congress has exceeded any specific limitation on this authorization to collect taxes. The ninth amendment, therefore, does not validate his claim for a tax credit proportionate to the percentage of the. national budget expended for defense.

    Even rights specifically enumerated in the Constitution have been held not to provide a sufficient basis for refusing to. pay tax. In United States v. Lee, 455 U.S. 252, 260-61, 102 S.Ct. 1051, 1056-57, 71 L.Ed.2d 127 (1982), the Supreme Court rejected a similar claim based on the freedom of religion guaranteed by the first amendment. In doing so, the Court drew an analogy to an exemption from income tax proportionate to the percentage of the budget devot[*824] ed to military expenditures and determined that such an exemption based upon first amendment rights would undermine the tax system. Id. Appellant makes the same claim in this case but grounded upon rights asserted under the ninth amendment. If the specific protections of the first amendment do not afford a basis for refusing to pay tax, then neither can the more novel claims raised by appellant under the ninth amendment. See also Auten-rieth v. Cullen, 418 F.2d 586, 588-89 (9th Cir.1969).

    The decision of the Tax Court is AFFIRMED.