Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Judge Orders Trump To Turn Over Tax Returns, Rejects Argument As 'Repugnant'
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Oct 7, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Oct 7, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A federal judge has ruled that President Trump must turn over his tax returns to the Manhattan District Attorney, roundly rejecting the president's case for criminal immunity as "repugnant" and "extraordinary."
The tax documents, which Trump has repeatedly refused to release, are being sought as part of D.A. Cy Vance Jr.'s recently revived investigation into illegal hush money payments made to multiple women during the 2016 campaign. After prosecutors subpoenaed the president's federal and state returns last month, Trump filed suit, arguing that he was immune from criminal proceedings while in office.
In a blistering 74-page decision released on Monday, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero dismissed that argument, noting that the court “cannot endorse such a categorical and limitless assertion of presidential immunity from judicial process." While sitting presidents can not be charged with a crime by federal prosecutors, they may be the target of criminal investigations at both the federal and local level, the judge notes.
Despite some confusion on this point from the White House, Marrero also clarified that the president is not, in fact, a king; he cites numerous Supreme Court rulings, and also the main crux of the country's founding document.
"Shunning the concept of the inviolability of the person of the King of England and the bounds of the monarch's protective screen covering the Crown's actions from legal scrutiny, the Founders disclaimed any notion that the Constitution generally conferred similarly all-encompassing immunity upon the president," the decision states.
Attorneys for the president have filed an "emergency appeal" in the Second Circuit. While the administration has successfully stalled previous decisions related to his tax returns, legal analysts say that the speed and forcefulness of this ruling may signal a turning point for the president's delay strategy.
The ruling relates to eight years of the president's personal and corporate tax returns believed to contain insight into the president's sprawling, sketchy business empire. House Democrats are also working to obtain those documents, though several lawmakers now say it's unlikely they'll be successful before the 2020 election.
A spokesperson for Vance's office declined to comment. Attorneys for the president could not immediately be reached.
Tagged
tax returns
president trump
cy vance
trump taxes
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
New Yorkers are paying $300 million for natural gas they don't even use
A new study found that nearly 2% of the city's natural gas is leaking into the air and causing climate pollution.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Eric Adams did not convince a Wisconsin town to build a data center
Because the vote against it was unanimous, here are your early links: Jacket weather, swishing your Guinness, spooky decorations in North Jersey and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Eric Adams did not convince a Wisconsin town to build a data center
Because the vote against it was unanimous, here are your early links: Jacket weather, swishing your Guinness, spooky decorations in North Jersey and more.
By
James Ramsay
Hit-and-run driver arrested trying to flee to Uzbekistan after deadly crash, NYPD says
By
Brittany Kriegstein
NY measles outbreak more widespread than official count, health officials say
By
Caroline Lewis
A NYC judge brought his gun into court for an ‘experiment’. Now he’s censured.
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .