Federal Judge Rules Inmates Are Eligible To Receive $1,200 Stimulus Checks
This week, a California judge ruled that inmates are eligible to receive the $1,200 stimulus checked provided by the federal government in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to CNBC, Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the government should not withhold those checks from people solely because they are incarcerated.
RELATED: Donald Trump Claims Second Stimulus Could Be Way Higher Than $1,200
Initially, the IRS distributed nearly 85,000 stimulus checks worth about $100 million to locked-up taxpayers back in April. However, the agency revised its guidance for the stimulus program in May, saying incarcerated people didn’t qualify for the money. A class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of affected prisoners, who argued that the $2.2 trillion CARES Act stimulus bill set out clear eligibility requirements for the checks that did not exclude incarcerated people, The New York Post notes. Judge Hamilton sided with them in a series of court rulings in recent weeks.
As the news site notes, the federal government has filed an appeal of Hamilton’s rulings. This now means that there’s a possibility incarcerated people could still be denied the money. However, the IRS website currently says the agency “cannot deny a payment to someone who is incarcerated if they meet the criteria.”
Press Play Below For More:
RELATED: Trump Halts COVID-19 Relief Talks Until After The Election