Tom Fitton and his organization Judicial Watch are celebrating the slapdown of an egregious attempt at state overreach by California. As reported by The Hill:
A federal judge issued a temporary injunction against a California state law that requires presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns to appear on the primary ballot.
President Trump‘s lawyers and the Republican National Committee had challenged the law.
U.S. District Judge Morrison England Jr., a George W. Bush appointee on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, said there would be “irreparable harm without temporary relief” for Trump and other candidates if he did not make the rare temporary decision to block the law, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The California law, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), requires candidates for president or governor to provide five years of federal tax returns to appear on the state’s primary ballot.
A measure put forth by the state sought to block President Trump from being on the 2020 presidential ballot unless he releases his tax returns. Tax returns are not something that is a requirement for someone who wants to run for president to release. Tom Fitton tweeted a video from August 2019 describing the original measure. In it, he says “California can’t amend the constitution through their law and just change it willy nilly” among other things. It was tweeted today with the caption today of:
“BREAKING: @JudicialWatch, @RealDonaldTrump win in California! Court grants preliminary injunction against anti-Trump, unconstitutional election law requiring disclosure of tax returns. Big victory for voters!”
SEE VIDEO BELOW:
BREAKING: @JudicialWatch, @RealDonaldTrump win in California! Court grants preliminary injunction against anti-Trump, unconstitutional election law requiring disclosure of tax returns. Big victory for voters! pic.twitter.com/9pQISFCw8v
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) September 19, 2019
Judicial Watch tweeted out a statement on the ruling striking down the California measure which President Trump and Judicial Watch both sued over. The link was tweeted with the caption: “JW President @TomFitton made a statement regarding the preliminary injunction granted at the request of JW, President @realDonaldTrump & other challengers to a new CA law that attempted to require presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns.”
SEE TWEET BELOW:
JW President @TomFitton made a statement regarding the preliminary injunction granted at the request of JW, President @realDonaldTrump & other challengers to a new CA law that attempted to require presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns (1/3).https://t.co/5Ta1RKVVeR
— Judicial Watch ? (@JudicialWatch) September 19, 2019
AP News reported in part:
California’s elections chief says he believes a state law requiring presidential candidates to release their tax returns is constitutional despite a legal setback.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s comments Thursday come after a federal judge sided with the Trump campaign in its request to halt the law.
The law requires presidential candidates to release five years of tax returns to appear on the state’s March 2020 primary ballot.
Padilla says California will determine its next steps after the judge issues his written ruling next month. U.S. District Judge Morrison England Jr. said he expects an appeal.
Trump attorney Jay Sekulow says he’s encouraged by England’s decision to halt the law.
Tom Fitton in his August video as featured earlier in this article also makes a mention of how this law was not only clearly aimed at President Trump and not just a general measure but also reiterates all the legal precedents it would have set if it were to have actually been held up.
If states can change things that were set by the constitution to try and influence federal elections we would be in a slippery slope, or more like a circus. And although it does seem like it sometimes, we don’t live in a banana republic… just yet.
