Trump makes his first judicial nomination of his second term
On May 1, President Donald Trump (R) announced that he would nominate Whitney Hermandorfer to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, marking his first judicial nomination since he assumed office.
Trump’s first federal judicial nomination came later in his second term than in his first—Justice Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the United States Supreme Court on Jan. 31, 2017. At this point in his first term, Trump had made two judicial nominations.
North Dakota could become the 17th state with an initiative process to establish a single-subject rule
On June 9, 2026, North Dakota voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would establish a single-subject requirement for constitutional amendments. Single-subject rules require ballot measures to focus on one topic.
Under the proposed 2026 constitutional amendment, the single-subject rule would apply to both initiated and legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
Twenty-six states have at least one type of statewide citizen-initiated measure. Of those 26 states, 16 have single-subject rules. Ten states with initiative processes, including North Dakota, do not have a single-subject rule.
Vermont voters to decide on collective bargaining and right-to-work laws in 2026
On Nov. 3, 2026, Vermont voters will decide on a state constitutional amendment that would give workers the right to join a union and bargain collectively with their employer.
Proposal 3 would allow workers to negotiate “wages, hours, and working conditions and to protect their economic welfare and safety in the workplace.” Proposal 3 would also prohibit the creation of right-to-work laws, or laws that prohibit employees from being required to join or financially support a union.
Vermont would become the fifth state to establish a constitutional right to collective bargaining and the second to include a provision banning right-to-work laws.
More incumbents are running in this year’s Virginia House of Delegates primaries than in any year since at least 2011
All 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates are up for election this year, and there are 96 incumbents running in the primaries on June 17, leaving four open seats. This is the most incumbents running for re-election and the fewest open seats in any year since Ballotpedia started collecting competitiveness data in 2011.
This year’s four open seats are an 88% decrease from the high of 33 in 2023 (the first election following the adoption of new district maps following the 2020 census).
