Three student members of California State University-Fullerton’s College Republicans have been named in a lawsuit leveled by California Democrats to force them to stop circulating a petition calling for the recall of California State Sen. Josh Newman, reports Campus Reform.

After Newman and the state's Democratic super-majority raised taxes on cars and gas, CSUF College Republicans began circulating the petition. Amanda McGuire, Ryan Hoskins, and Brook Paz have been named as defendants, and the Republican group issued a press release about the case:

California Democrats filed a lawsuit on June 29th to undermine the democratic process of signature gathering, putting the California State University, Fullerton chapter of College Republicans in the crossfire.

The CSUF College Republicans helped lead the efforts to recall California State Senator Josh Newman after the Democratic Super-Majority passed a significant increase to car and gas taxes.

This lawsuit intends to stop the petition from circulating and halt the recall process, falsely citing deceptive messaging as grounds for suing. This is the latest in a long list of attempts by Newman and California Democrats to subvert the will of voters.

The petition, which seeks to remove Sen. Newman and repeal the new taxes, is nearing 85,000 signatures.

“The lawsuit is a shameful and frantic attempt to silence voters of the district,” says College Republican member Amanda McGuire. “The intimidation tactics espoused by the California Democrats should no longer be tolerated. It’s gone too far when college students are being dragged into court for becoming involved with the issues faced by their local cities. I’m proud to be part of the party that fights to fix our government on every level.”

The group’s secretary, Ryan Hoskins, added, “This lawsuit is the definition of frivolous and more than an obstruction of the very processes that every Californian should hold dear. By naming myself and my fellow club members as defendants on this lawsuit the California Democrats are attempting to scare us into backing down from this signature gathering effort. They will not succeed in breaking our spirit and, with the support of the California Republican Party, we will fight it in the court of law.”