Welcome to Court Watch #105. We’ll get to our newsletter’s main gig of a weekly roundup for the federal court dockets shortly but first, let’s talk about side hustles.

Nowadays, it seems like everyone seems to have one. This week, the folks at CNBC say the next four in-demand side gigs for 2025 are going to be template graphic designer, AI content creator, podcast assistant, and short-term rental manager. Seems random. Having looked at ISIS graphic designers, reported on the creepy side of AI, started and canceled a podcast all in one day, and unmasked a massive Airbnb scam in 2024, we probably wouldn’t recommend any of those occupations. (editor’s note: we also wouldn’t recommend ‘newsletter writer’ if you want to stay in the black.)

But there are some more conventional jobs with a new online twist that may do the trick. For example, JustAnswer bills itself as a place to get “real help from real experts,” be it a lawyer, doctor, veterinarian, or any number of other credentialed individuals. For a set cost, you can ping them with a question. Think of it as a fancy version of Fiverr. We’d note that homework tutors make more money on the site than doctors which tracks if you’ve ever tried to help an elementary aged student with Common Core math. 

The problem with side gigs is they still involve payments. And those monetary transactions require paying taxes. Which brings us to our lede story about the IRS going after the ‘gig economy.’ 

The Tax Man Cometh.

The Justice Department and the IRS want answers from JustAnswer about who earned more than 5,000 dollars on its site from 2017 to 2020. The case may signal that the IRS is looking to crack down on the country’s gig economy, which includes platforms like DoorDash, Etsy, Uber, Airbnb, and JustAnswer.

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