Maryland Senate moves on bill to require release of tax returns by presidential candidates

[Gothmog]

These ballot access laws will be fun to watch. California passed one but it was vetoed by Gov. Brown. After Brown is out, California may try again. New Jersey also passed one of these laws but it was vetoed by Christie https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/politics_and_government/maryland-senate-moves-on-bill-to-require-release-of-tax/article_44d26757-22c5-55d8-a828-c3bffe81bdbb.html

ANNAPOLIS — Want to run for president of the United States in Maryland? These lawmakers would like to see your income tax return first.

A Democratic majority in the Maryland Senate moved forward a bill on Thursday that would require presidential candidates to release their federal income tax returns to the Maryland State Board of Elections before a general election. The elections board would, in turn, make the returns publicly available online.

Supporters say that the bill, which would apply to all presidential candidates beginning in 2020, was not intended to target President Donald Trump, but his decision during the 2016 campaign to flout the decades-long practice of voluntary disclosure brought the issue to the fore.

In a Quinnipiac University Poll released last week, 67 percent of Americans said they think Trump should publicly release his tax returns

Trump will challenge these laws and I hope that all good democrats will support these laws. I would hate to see anyone running in a Democratic primary fight one of these laws.

[PoliticAverse]

1. Any such bill would end up being challenged in the courts and, unless definatively struck down early

, would end up as a Supreme Court case.

From US Term Limits v. Thorton ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Term_Limits%2C_Inc._v._Thornton ):

the Framers understood the Elections Clause as a grant of authority to issue procedural regulations, and not as a source of power to dictate electoral outcomes, to favor or disfavor a class of candidates, or to evade important constitutional restraints.