SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law earlier this week requiring presidential candidates to release five years of tax returns in order to appear on the state's primary ballot — a move aimed squarely at President Donald Trump who famously refuses to do so.
But even if the law withstands a likely legal challenge, Trump could avoid the requirement by choosing not to compete in California's primary. With no credible GOP challenger at this point, he likely won't need California's delegates to win the Republican nomination.
New York passed a law giving congressional committees access to Trump's state tax returns. But efforts to pry loose his federal tax returns have floundered in other states. California's first attempt to do so failed in 2017 when then-Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the law, raising questions about its constitutionality and where it would lead next.
ABC10 spoke to Law Professor Leslie Gielow Jacobs from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, who answered viewer questions about whether or not California politicians can do this.
"It's a close question, certainly there are arguments on the side saying it violates the constitution but there are strong arguments that in fact, it's consistent with the constitution," said Jacobs.
"It's true he doesn't have the authority to change federal election laws. I'm not aware of a conflict with federal election laws with this particular provision," said Jacobs
"Once again, we are talking about whether there is a conflict with the constitution and it's a closed question. It's a court that will decide whether it's legal," said Jacobs
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