A federal judge in California blocked a state law that requires candidates for president to disclose income tax returns before their names can appear on the state’s primary ballot.
The ruling is a win for President Donald Trump, who is resisting efforts to turn over his tax returns in a battle largely playing out in the courts.
US District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. of the Eastern District of California on Tuesday wrote “while this Court understands and empathizes with the motivations that prompted California” to pass the law, “the Act’s provisions likely violate the Constitution and the laws of the United States.” England noted that it is not the court’s role “to decide whether a tax return disclosure requirement is good policy or makes political sense.”
The judge said the law would set a dangerous precedent and become a slippery slope for other kinds of disclosures. He also said it presents a “troubling minefield ” that would permit a state to make its own demands.
And of course California will try to appeal.
The Latest: California to Appeal Trump Tax Return Ruling
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Latest on a federal judge’s ruling temporarily blocking a California law aimed at requiring President Donald Trump to release his personal income tax returns (all times local):
6:55 p.m.
California will appeal a federal judge’s ruling that temporarily blocks a law aimed at forcing President Donald Trump to release his personal income tax returns.
U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. ruled Tuesday that California’s law likely violates the U.S. Constitution.
Secretary of State Alex Padilla said he will appeal the ruling. He said the law is “fundamental to preserving and protecting American democracy.”
www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/10/01/us/ap-us-california-primary-tax-returns-the-latest.html
h/t Remedial_Rebel