Author: Geoff Pallay
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229 years ago today, the first SCOTUS session
The Supreme Court hears its next case in a few weeks. But 229 years ago today, the Court’s first session was commencing. On February 1, 1790, SCOTUS met to convene for the first time in New York City. No quorum was met that day, however, so the court officially came to order for the…
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On this day, the 13th Amendment was approved in Congress
One-hundred-fifty-four years ago today, in 1865, the United States Congress passed the 13th amendment. The vote was 119 to 56— clearing the two-thirds majority by seven votes. The amendment was later ratified by the states and abolished slavery in the United States. The exact text of the 13th Amendment: Section 1: “Neither slavery…
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State senator resigns in North Carolina, one of 10 states where governor fills vacancies
Louis Pate (R), who served as an elected official in North Carolina for more than 20 years, resigned from office last week for health reasons. Pate won re-election in November 2018 to state Senate District 7, defeating David Brantley (D) 54-45 percent in the general election. North Carolina is one of 10 states where…
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Three years ago, Iowa caucuses were just around the corner
Three years ago more than a dozen presidential candidates were storming through Iowa, making their final pitches to voters ahead of the February 1, 2016 caucuses. The Des Moines Register announced its endorsements of Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio. The New York Times reported that Michael Bloomberg was considering a run for president as an…
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Looking back at 2009’s ballot measure landscape
One statewide ballot measure has been certified for 2019 so far. 10 years ago, voters in 7 states decided the fate of 32 ballot measures. Three things to know from 2009. — Maine veto referendum: In 2009, the Maine state government legalized same-sex marriage. That November, voters approved a veto referendum, nullifying the law…
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How many citizens does your state legislator represent?
Each decade, the federal government conducts a census to update its population counts. Changes in population counts then require state governments to redraw their legislative jurisdiction boundaries. The average state senate district had a population of 156,339 following the 2010 census. That was an increase of 13,532 from the 2000 figure of 142,807. The average…
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Flashback to three years ago today – presidential primary debates
On this night three years ago, the Republican Party held its sixth debate of the presidential primary cycle. Taking place in North Charleston, South Carolina, seven candidates participated in the primetime debate, while three candidates were involved in the undercard. The primetime debate was hosted by the Fox Business Network and moderated by Neil…
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Seven states swear in legislators today
With a new year, comes a new batch of state legislators. Thousands of legislators will be sworn into office this month. In the November 2018 general elections, 322 incumbent legislators were defeated. Including the incumbents who retired or were defeated in primaries, the 2019 legislative sessions will see 1,599 new state legislators taking their oath…