CHRIS WHITE TECH REPORTER
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California’s high court unanimously knocked down a recently passed state law requiring politicians to provide several years of tax returns before running for national office, CNN reported Thursday.
President Donald Trump immediately challenged the law in court after Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed the law in July after it sailed through the state’s Democratically-run legislation. The Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Republican Party of California also joined the challenge.
Former California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar proposal in 2017. The suits claim the law suppresses the votes of millions of Californians, while the RNC asserts Newsom was creating an “extra-constitutional qualification for the office of president.” The suit argues the law targets a specific official.
Trump has vehemently resisted efforts for him to release his tax information. He filed a lawsuit in July to stop the House Ways and Means Committee from accessing his tax returns. Trump has accused the committee of “presidential harassment.” The U.S. Supreme Court is considering taking up the president’s case.
Legal experts worry the law could set a bad precedent.(RELATED: Trump And RNC Sue Over California’s Requirement To Release Tax Returns)
“What other kinds of regulations can one imagine that states might impose on presidential candidates to get onto the ballot?” Richard Pildes, a professor of constitutional law at New York University, told The New York Times in August.
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