Author: Ballotpedia staff

  • President Trump has appointed no federal judges through June 1 of his first year of his second term

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    President Donald Trump (R) has appointed and the Senate has confirmed no Article III federal judges through June 1, 2025, his first year of his second term in office. This is the fewest Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidents’ second terms since President Bill Clinton (D). The average number of federal…

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #159

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    Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving  school board governance, the politics surrounding it, and education policy.  In today’s edition, you’ll find: Reply to this email to share reactions or story ideas! On the issues: The debate over cellphones in schools In this section, we curate reporting,…

  • Labor Department drops defense of ESG rule

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    In this week’s edition of Economy and Society: In Washington, D.C. Labor Department drops defense of ESG rule What’s the story? The Department of Labor (DOL) filed court documents last week indicating it will stop defending a Biden-era rule allowing ESG considerations in retirement plans. The agency said it plans to propose a new rule…

  • Nebraska voters to decide on 2026 constitutional amendment to lengthen state legislative term limits—20 years after they took effect

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    Welcome to the Tuesday, June 3, Brew.  By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Nebraska voters to decide on 2026 constitutional amendment to lengthen state legislative term limits—20 years after they took effect On Nov. 3, 2026, Nebraska voters will decide on a constitutional amendment to lengthen state…

  • Oklahoma adopts pay-per-signature ban, residency requirement, signature distribution requirement, and funding disclosure rules for citizen initiatives

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    Welcome to the Monday, June 2, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Oklahoma adopts pay-per-signature ban, residency requirement, signature distribution requirement, and funding disclosure rules for citizen initiatives On May 27, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed Senate Bill 1027 (SB 1027), approving changes to…

  • ICYMI: Top stories of the week

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    Florida enacts law changing initiative process requirements On May 2, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed House Bill 1205 (HB 1205), making multiple changes to the state’s citizen initiative process. This process allows citizens to propose statutes or constitutional amendments, depending on the state, and collect signatures to place their proposals on the ballot for…

  • How ballot measures have shaped school choice policy 100 years after Pierce v. Society of Sisters

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    Welcome to the Friday, May 30, Brew.  By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: How ballot measures have shaped school choice policy 100 years after Pierce v. Society of Sisters One hundred years ago, on June 1, 1925, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Pierce…

  • Fourteen states have passed policies on K-12 public school cell phone use in 2025

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    Welcome to the Thursday, May 29, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Fourteen states have passed policies on K-12 public school cell phone use in 2025 As part of our ongoing coverage of education policy, we ran a story earlier this month on the states…

  • Eighteen special legislative elections to happen in Mississippi—more than any other state so far this year

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, May 28, Brew.  By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Eighteen special legislative elections to happen in Mississippi—more than any other state so far this year Fifteen more state legislative special elections will happen this year in Mississippi—10 in the Mississippi Senate and five…

  • Federal government weighs in on Texas antitrust suit against Big Three

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    In this week’s edition of Economy and Society: In Washington, D.C. Federal government weighs in on Texas antitrust suit against Big Three What’s the story? The U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission filed a statement of interest last week in an 11-state, Texas-led lawsuit alleging BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard colluded to suppress…