A federal judge on Thursday ordered a temporary injunction against California's law requiring presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns in order to be on the presidential primary ballot. The law, the first of its kind in the nation, was brought about specifically to target President Donald Trump.
U.S. District Judge Morrison England Jr. issued the injunction, saying Trump and other candidates would face “irreparable harm without temporary relief” if a decision wasn't made. The judge will issue his final ruling in the next few days.
According to the Associated Press, candidates would have to provide five years worth of tax returns to the State of California by November in order to be on the March 2020 primary ballot.
Attorneys for the State argued they have the administrative authority to determine ballot access rules, the Sacramento Bee reported.
Trump's attorney Jay Sekulow applauded the judge's decision.
“We are encouraged that the federal court has tentatively concluded that a preliminary injunction should be granted. We look forward to the court’s written order," Sekulow said in a statement. "It remains our position that the law is unconstitutional because states are not permitted to add additional requirements for candidates for president, and that the law violated citizens’ 1st Amendment right of association."
State officials, however, disagree with the decision.
“We remain firm in our belief that SB 27 is constitutional and provides invaluable transparency for voters as they decide who will hold the most powerful office in the United States,” California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement. “We will determine our next course of action after the judge issues his written ruling.”
From The Hill:
Trump is the first president in decades who hasn't voluntarily released any of his tax returns. He has said he won't do so while he's under audit, though the IRS has said that audits don't prevent people from releasing their tax information.
Trump has filed many lawsuits in an effort to prevent his tax returns from being disclosed. Earlier on Thursday, he filed a lawsuit to block a subpoena the Manhattan District Attorney's Office issued to his accounting firm for his tax returns and other financial records.