Federal Judge Issues SB 27 Ruling to Block CA Law Requiring Candidates’ Tax Returns

‘Now that the written ruling is out, I urge Governor Newsom to accept this decision and not pursue an appeal which will only waste taxpayer dollars.’  Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove

In a win for President Donald Trump, presidential candidates will not have to disclose their tax returns to appear on California’s March primary ballot, thanks to a federal court ruling Tuesday.

United States District Judge Morrison C. England, Jr.’s ruling granted injunctions barring California’s Senate Bill 27, which required that presidential candidates publicly release their last five years of tax filings to be allowed on the California primary election ballot.

September 19th, Judge England tentatively granted all five plaintiffs motions for preliminary injunction on SB 27.

Senate Bill 27  was passed by the California Legislature and recently signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, aimed at forcing President Donald Trump to release five years of his tax returns if he wants to be on the state’s March 3, 2020 Primary Election Ballot.

Judge England’s ruling affirmed every argument made by the plaintiffs, attorneys Harmeet Dhillon and Mark Meuser said.

“Judge England’s opinion makes clear that California’s SB 27 was fatally unconstitutional in multiple respects: qualifications clause, First Amendment, Equal Protection, and also pre-empted by the federal statutes,” Dhillon said. “This order is a victory for the First Amendment, the rule of law, and for all citizens who want to cast their vote for the qualified presidential candidate of their choice without California’s interference. We hope that in light of this decisive, multi-layered opinion, California drops this biased effort to disenfranchise Republican voters, and moves on to more productive efforts designed to address California’s many substantive challenges that affect all California residents.”

“The Judge was very clear that SB 27 was unconstitutional and that the State has no authority to interfere with a qualified candidate appearing on the California Presidential Primary ballot,” Meuser said. “California cannot pass a law that interferes with the Republican Party selecting the standard barer of its choosing.”

Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield)  also weighed in: “Today’s ruling is a victory for the constitutional rights of Americans and our democracy. Legislative Republicans have argued that SB 27 is unconstitutional, and this court ruling reaffirms this stance. The majority party attempted to interfere with the upcoming primary election and their efforts were unsuccessful.

“Now that the written ruling is out, I urge Governor Newsom to accept this decision and not pursue an appeal which will only waste taxpayer dollars,” said Grove.

Judge England’s ruling can be read HERE.

California Globe previous articles on SB 27.