California high court weighs if Trump must open tax returns
Source: Associated Press
Nov. 5, 2019 at 9:03 pm Updated Nov. 5, 2019 at 9:12 pm
By DON THOMPSON
The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s Supreme Court is considering Wednesday whether President Donald Trump must disclose his tax returns if he wants to be a candidate in the state’s primary election next spring.
The high court is hearing arguments even though a federal judge already temporarily blocked the state law requiring presidential candidates to release their tax returns in order to be included in the state’s primary.
The justices’ consideration comes the same week that a federal appeals court in New York ruled that Trump’s tax returns can be turned over to state criminal investigators there, although that ruling is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The California Republican Party and chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson filed the state lawsuit challenging Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing in July of the law aimed at the Republican president.
It’s a clear violation of the California Constitution, opponents argued, citing a 1972 voter-approved amendment they said guarantees that all recognized candidates must be on the ballot.
Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/california-high-court-weighs-if-trump-must-open-tax-returns/