Trump notches victory in legal fight with California over tax returns

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President Donald Trump scored an initial victory on his legal battle with the state of California regarding his tax returns.

On Thursday, a federal judge in Sacramento stopped the implementation of a California law that will force Trump to release his tax returns.

In July, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the SB 27, Presidential Tax Transparency and Accountability Act. Under the law, all gubernatorial and presidential candidates must release five years of their tax returns in order for their names to appear on the state’s primary ballot. The deadline to submit their tax returns is on November 26 to be eligible for the primary on March 3.

In August, Trump filed a lawsuit to stop the enforcement of SB 27 citing the reason that the state law is unconstitutional.

During the hearing, lawyers representing the President argued that the U.S. Constitution sets “fixed and unalterable” qualifications for individuals running for the highest office in the country.

On the other hand, Lawyers representing California argued that the state has the authority to regulate its primary elections. They called SB 27’s requirement for tax returns as a measure of ballot access not a new qualification for presidential candidates.