Category Archives: AARO

AARO To File Amicus Brief To Support Argument That FBAR Penalties May Violate 8th Amendment Prohibition On Excessive Fines

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The AARO brief is for the benefit of ALL Americans abroad. Please support AARO by completing their survey!

Call for Member Input – FBAR Case (Amicus Brief)

AARO to file an amicus brief with the 9th Circuit Court

AARO is working with a major U.S. law firm on an amicus brief (“friend of the court” brief), which it plans to file in May 2026, in the case United States of America v. Tuncay Saydam. Mr. Saydam was assessed penalties, now exceeding $500,000 with interest, for not having filed FBAR reports during the years 2013-2017 for his overseas bank accounts. Our amicus brief will support Mr. Saydam’s argument that these penalties are unconstitutional under the 8th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the imposition of excessive fines.

Your answers to the questions below will help AARO describe in our amicus brief the difficulty for ordinary Americans to navigate the complexity and burden of compliance with the FBAR and other financial reporting requirements.

Here is the link:

https://aaro.org/issues/fbar/call-for-member-input-fbar-case-amicus-brief

John Richardson – Follow me on X.com/ExpatriationLaw

AARO White Paper Explains Why The Voting Rights Of Americans Abroad Are Under Attack

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Introduction – what truly defines an American voter?

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No constitutional right to vote

The U.S. constitution does not give U.S. citizens a constitutional right to vote. Rules for and eligibility to vote are granted (or not) on a state by state basis. The voting “rights” of Americans abroad has been the subject of significant advocacy over the years. In January of 2024 I wrote an extensive post detailing the history of AARO’s advocacy in lobbying for voting rights for Americans abroad.

Then – 1975 – AARO was a trailblazer in securing expat voting opportunities

The Unknown Ambassadors: A Saga Of Citizenship – Phyllis Michaux

Now – 2026 – AARO is a trailblazer in protecting expat voting rights

Approximately 50 years later, the taxation of Americans abroad has increased in scope and become more punitive. Almost 50 years later, a number of proposed U.S. laws would clearly diminish the voting rights of Americans abroad. To put it simply, this is absolutely, positively:

Taxation without representation!

AARO continues to take the lead

Once again, AARO is taking the lead in educating the public and advocating for the voting “rights” of Americans abroad. In early February AARO published:

State of Play on Voting by Americans Abroad Our Battle to Keep the Vote Continues

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