Judge temporarily blocks law aimed at Trump’s tax returns
by The Associated Press
The judge said the court's job is to rule on the law's constitutional merits, not whether it is good policy or makes political sense
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A U.S. judge has temporarily blocked a California law aimed at forcing President Donald Trump to release his personal income tax returns in order to appear on the 2020 primary ballot.
U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. announced last month he would temporarily block California’s law. He issued a written opinion Tuesday saying the law likely violates the U.S. Constitution.
The law requires candidates for president or governor to file copies of their personal income tax returns with the California secretary of state’s office.
England wrote that the state’s concerns about seeing elected officials’ tax returns are “legitimate and understandable.”
But he said the court’s job is to rule on the law’s constitutional merits, not whether it is good policy or makes political sense.
A spokesman for Secretary of State Alex Padilla said his office is reviewing the ruling.
