CA5: Respect Wikipedia's authority!

The Fifth Circuit takes a break its usual shenanigans and cites Wikipedia for a term of art:

The word “accrue” is an accounting term that means to record or calculate an item of income or expense that has not yet been paid. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accrual (accessed: March 23, 2007).

Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Commissioner, No. 06-60276, n. 1 (5th Cir. 4/10/07)

Tnx TaxProfBlog.  I think this is the most egregious use of Wikipedia to date by a Court of Appeals.  I am not even sure that this definition is completely correct within the meaning of the Tax Code, but I am not going to get into a “revert war.”  Most of the time, they are used to explain pithy slogans. Most uses of Wikipedia as a factual basis have been reversed.  This seems to be the first time that a term of art (in which real money for real litigants) is defined by reference to Wikipedia.  (For a list of characteristics of Wikipedia contributors, go here.)

 

Finally, I need to put something in perspective:

Trent Lott (United States Senator that kept his job): When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems over the years, either

Don Imus (radio personality that lost his job):  Blah blah blah, basketball, hair, hos.