Author: Sara Reynolds
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Trump renominates 12 federal judicial nominees
On April 8, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to renominate 12 federal judicial nominees to U.S. District Courts. The nominees had been returned to the president on January 3, 2019, at the sine die adjournment of the 115th Congress. At the 115th Congress’ adjournment, 31 nominees were awaiting a full Senate vote,…
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Arkansas governor appoints judge to state Court of Appeals
Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) appointed Meredith Blaise Switzer as the District 4, Position 2, judge on the Arkansas Court of Appeals. Switzer succeeds Judge David “Mac” Glover, who died on March 23, 2019. Switzer will serve until December 31, 2020. A new judge will be elected to the position in 2020. Under Arkansas law,…
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Senate confirms two nominees to U.S. District Court judgeships
The U.S. Senate confirmed two nominees to U.S. District Courts on April 9, 2019. Daniel Domenico, nominee to the District of Colorado, was confirmed by a 57-42 vote. Four Democratic senators–Michael Bennet (Colo.), Doug Jones (Ala.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.)–voted with all Senate Republicans to confirm Domenico. When Domenico receives his commission,…
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South Dakota governor makes first appointment to state supreme court
Governor Kristi Noem (R) appointed Patricia DeVaney to the South Dakota Supreme Court on April 4, 2019. Noem selected DeVaney to succeed Justice Steven Zinter, who died on October 30, 2018. DeVaney was Noem’s first appointment to the five-member court. Under South Dakota law, state supreme court justices are appointed by the governor from…
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Oregon Secretary of State sworn in to office
On April 3, Bev Clarno (R) took the official oath of office to become Oregon’s secretary of state. Gov. Kate Brown (D) appointed Clarno as the secretary of state on March 29, 2019. Clarno was appointed to replace Dennis Richardson (R), who died while in office on February 26, 2019. In a statement on…
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Senate confirms 9th Circuit Court nominee
The U.S. Senate confirmed Bridget Bade to be a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. The vote on Tuesday was bipartisan, with 53 Republican senators, 24 Democratic senators, and Independent Angus King voting in favor. Home-state Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Martha McSally (R) of Arizona both voted to…
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Virginia governor vetoes sanctuary jurisdiction-related bill
On March 19, 2019, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) vetoed Senate Bill 1156, which would have prohibited sanctuary cities. The term sanctuary jurisdiction refers to a city, county, or state that has enacted policies that limit local officials’ involvement in the enforcement of federal immigration law. The official bill summary described SB 1156 as…
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Senate confirms second circuit court nominee without approval from home-state senators
On March 12, the U.S. Senate confirmed Paul Matey to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit on a vote of 54-45. President Trump nominated Matey to the court on April 12, 2018. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V. ) was the only Democratic senator to vote in favor of the confirmation. Matey will join…
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Gov. Cooper appoints judge to North Carolina Supreme Court
On March 11, Gov. Roy Cooper (D) appointed North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Mark Davis as an associate justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Davis will succeed Justice Cheri Beasley, who was previously elevated to the position of chief justice. Davis will assume office on April 8, 2019. Davis must run for election…
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State legislative seat breakdown: 52.2% GOP, 46.8% Dem
February’s partisan count of the 7,383 state legislators shows 52 percent of all state legislators are Republicans and 47 percent are Democrats. Ballotpedia completes a count of the partisan balance of state legislatures at the end of every month. The partisan composition of state legislatures refers to which political party holds the majority of…