California Governor Newsom (D) is certainly getting his name on the national scene:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a bill into law that allows private citizens to bring civil action against anyone who manufactures, distributes, transports or imports assault weapons or ghost guns, which are banned in the state.
California Senate Bill 1327 is modeled after a Texas law that allows private citizens to bring civil litigation against abortion providers or anyone who assists a pregnant person in obtaining an abortion after as early as six weeks of pregnancy. The US Supreme Court in December allowed Texas’ six-week abortion ban to remain in effect, which prompted Newsom, who has been supportive of abortion rights and pro-gun control, to say he was “outraged” by the court’s decision and direct his staff to draft a similar bill to regulate guns. [CNN/Politics]
A prime opportunity for the conservative wing of SCOTUS to show its devotion to consistency – or hypocrisy. They might need to be careful, as their deliberations on this law might end up being evidence in their impeachment trials.
Can Newsom ride this to a White House bid?
While the Democratic governor said Friday that there is a “subzero” chance that he runs for the White House in 2024, he has doubled down lately in his challenge of other big state Republican governors, who like him are speculated presidential candidates. …
But asked directly about a presidential bid, the governor said Friday: “Subzero, I’ll say it in five languages now. I don’t know how more often I can say it.”
I see this as a ratcheting up of the legal conflicts that may be the star of the show next summer, when it goes into effect, and a possible motivator for voters of both left and right stripes to go to the polls.
The question will be whether or not independents approve or disapprove of the law.
