President Donald Trump declared victory Wednesday after a judge blocked a California law keeping his name off the state’s ballot ahead of the 2020 election.
Judge Morrison England Jr. officially blocked the law Tuesday, giving the president a victory pending a California appeal. The law, passed in July, would have required any candidate running for president to submit tax forms from the past five years.
“I won the right to be a presidential candidate in California, in a major Court decision handed down yesterday,” Trump told his Twitter followers. “It was filed against me by the Radical Left Governor of that State to tremendous Media hoopla. The VICTORY, however, was barely covered by the Fake News. No surprise!”
I won the right to be a presidential candidate in California, in a major Court decision handed down yesterday. It was filed against me by the Radical Left Governor of that State to tremendous Media hoopla. The VICTORY, however, was barely covered by the Fake News. No surprise!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2019
Democrats and other activists have long criticized the president’s decision not to release his tax returns, so the law was not a surprise.
“These are extraordinary times and states have a legal and moral duty to do everything in their power to ensure leaders seeking the highest offices meet minimal standards, and to restore public confidence,” Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement in July.
England appeared to sympathize with lawmakers’ intent. “[W]hile this Court understands and empathizes with the motivations that prompted California … the Act’s provisions likely violate the Constitution and the laws of the United States,” he said in his decision.
England put a temporary hold on the law in September. (RELATED: Federal Judge Blocks California Law That Would Force Trump To Disclose Tax Returns)
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Democrat, announced plans Tuesday night to appeal the decision — the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals will likely preside over the appeal process. Former President George W. Bush appointed England in 2002.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.