Angered by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to continue allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers in Texas, California Gov. G...
Angered by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to continue allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers in Texas, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday called for a similar law giving ordinary residents the legal capacity to ” prosecute restricted firearms suppliers.
“SCOTUS lets private citizens of Texas sue to stop abortion ?!” Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, tweeted. “If this is the previous one, then we will let Californians pursue those who put ghost guns and assault weapons on our streets.” If TX can ban abortion and endanger lives, CA can ban lethal weapons of war and save lives.
The governor’s response appeared to contradict his earlier criticism of the Texas law, which Mr Newsom had previously described as a cynical attempt to undermine federal rights.
In a statement released Saturday night, Newsom said he had asked his staff to work with the California legislature and attorney general to draft a bill that would allow citizens to sue anyone who “manufactures, distributes or sells an assault weapon or ghost gun kit. or parts ”in California. The governor requested damages of at least $ 10,000 per violation, plus costs and attorney fees.
“If the most effective way to keep these devastating weapons off our streets is to add the threat of private prosecution, we should do it,” Newsom said in the statement.
The governor’s response seemed to explicitly position California against Texas in the conflicting battles over abortion rights and gun control – and to position him personally on a national front in cultural wars.
Only three months ago, Mr. Newsom was locked in a bruises, Republican-led recall battle, which he pushed back vigorously. Relatively assured now in his prospects for re-election, the governor has increasingly raised his national profile. He embarked on a nationwide book tour to promote a children’s book he wrote on Dyslexia, an Ongoing Challenge. And as tornadoes swept across the southeastern states, leaving a path of devastation, Mr. Newsom publicly offered help to states like Kentucky, deploying specialized urban search and rescue resources.
Governor’s vow to use California gun violence courts follows Supreme Court ruling on Friday to pass up Texas bans most abortions. The law allows individuals to sue anyone who “assists or encourages” an abortion performed after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. This development usually occurs around six weeks and often before women realize they are pregnant.
Abortion right supporters have criticized Texas for drafting its abortion ban to escape federal court scrutiny, where it could be stranded. It effectively charges ordinary citizens, including those outside of Texas, to prosecute clinics and others who violate the ban, awarding them at least $ 10,000 per illegal abortion if they are successful.
Understanding Texas Abortion Law
The most restrictive in the country. The Texas Abortion Act, known as Senate Bill 8, amounts to an almost complete ban on abortion in the state. It bans most abortions after about six weeks and makes no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape. The law has been in effect since September 1.
In a 5-4 decision led by the Conservative majority, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion clinics can sue state licensing officials to end the new law, but cannot sue judges of the state courts, clerks or the state attorney general. Otherwise, the court upheld the law, in force since September.
As the Supreme Court has signaled it could overturn Roe v. Wade, California political leaders said they would work to make the state a refuge for women in areas of the country where abortion may be prohibited. Mr Newsom’s response appeared to respond to warnings that if the High Court supported Texas legal strategy, liberal-leaning states could use the same tactic to limit rights dear to conservatives, such as gun rights.
The governor said that “if states can now protect their laws from scrutiny by federal courts which compare assault weapons to swiss knives, then California will use that authority to protect people’s lives, where Texas has used it to endanger women.
The reference was a blow to a court ruling this year in which a federal judge overturned California’s three-decade ban on assault weapons, comparing powerful weapons, frequently used in mass shootings, to military pocket knives.
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