Author: Kate Carsella

  • Massachusetts voters to decide state executive, legislative primaries on September 1

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    The statewide primary election for Massachusetts is on September 1, 2020. The filing deadline to run passed on June 2. Candidates are running in elections for the following state executive and state legislative offices: • Massachusetts Governor’s Council (all eight seats) • State Senate (all 40 seats) • State House (all 160 seats) Candidates are…

  • Voters in Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming decide August 18 congressional primaries

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    Congressional primary elections for two U.S. Senate seats and 29 U.S. House seats were held in Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming on August 18, 2020. Candidates competed to advance to the general election scheduled for November 3, 2020. Alaska One U.S. Senate seat and the sole at-large U.S. House seat were on the ballot in Alaska.…

  • Hawaii voters decide August 8 congressional primaries

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    The congressional primary election for Hawaii was held on August 8, 2020. Candidates competed to advance to the general election scheduled for November 3, 2020. Candidates ran in elections for the following offices: Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District: • Incumbent Ed Case advanced unopposed from the Democratic primary. Ron Curtis advanced from the Republican primary. He…

  • Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for July 2020

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    In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies to all United States Article III federal courts from July 2, 2020, to August 3, 2020. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month. HIGHLIGHTS • Vacancies: There have been two new judicial vacancies since the June…

  • Judicial nominee confirmed to federal district court

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    On July 28, 2020, the U.S. Senate confirmed David Joseph to a federal judgeship on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana by a 55-42 vote. Joseph will join the court upon receiving his judicial commission and taking his judicial oath. Joseph was nominated to the seat by President Donald Trump (R)…

  • Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court justice set to retire in August 2020

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    Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Barbara Lenk is retiring on August 17, 2020. Lenk reached the court’s mandatory retirement age of 70 years old. On April 4, 2011, Governor Patrick nominated Lenk for a seat on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. She was confirmed by the Governor’s Council on May 4, 2011. Lenk was the…

  • Supreme Court issues final orders of October Term 2019-2020

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    On July 9, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its final orders from its October 2019-2020 Term, granting review in six cases for a total of four hours of oral argument during its upcoming October Term for 2020-2021. The cases have not yet been scheduled for argument. Collins v. Mnuchin (Consolidated with…

  • SCOTUS issues opinion in consolidated cases regarding employment discrimination claims filed against religious institutions

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    On July 8, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued an opinion in the case Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, which was consolidated with the case St. James v. Biel. Both cases originated from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and concerned employment discrimination claims filed against religious…

  • SCOTUS issues opinions in July

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    Image of the front of the United States Supreme Court building

    On July 6, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued opinions in two linked cases, Colorado Department of State v. Baca and Chiafalo v. Washington, and in the case Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants Inc. The cases were argued during the court’s October Term for 2019-2020. According to SCOTUSblog, this is…

  • Voters decide state-level races in Kentucky, New York, South Carolina

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    On June 23, 2020, Kentucky and New York held primaries for state-level offices, and South Carolina held state legislative primary runoff elections. Candidates competed to advance to the general election scheduled for November 3, 2020. In Kentucky, 19 state Senate seats and all 100 state House seats were on the ballot, along with one state…