Category: Federal
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One-sixth of U.S. House retirees in 2020 won re-election in 2018 by less than six points
Of the 36 U.S. House incumbents that did not run for re-election in 2020, six (16.7%) won re-election in 2018 by less than six points. That’s a higher percentage than in both 2018 (10.3%) and 2016 (7.3%). Exactly one-third of 2020 retirees won re-election in 2018 by more than 36 points. That’s a higher percentage…
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Number of Republican-majority federal circuit courts has doubled in Trump administration
Since Donald Trump (R) took office in January 2017, he has appointed 52 judges to the 13 federal circuit courts. At the time of his inauguration, a majority of members on four of those courts were appointed by Republican presidents. Before the 2020 election, a majority of members on eight of those courts were appointed…
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Analyzing margins of victory in the 206 Pivot Counties nationwide
Voters in 206 Pivot Counties across the country backed Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and Donald Trump (R) in 2016. How did these counties vote in 2020? We have split the Pivot Counties into two categories based on the unofficial results: Retained Pivot Counties, which voted for Trump again in 2020, and Carousel…
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Van Duyne declared winner in Texas’ 24th Congressional District
Beth Van Duyne (R) defeated Candace Valenzuela (D) and three other candidates in the general election for Texas’ 24th Congressional District. Incumbent Rep. Kenny Marchant (R), who was first elected in 2004, did not run for re-election. Van Duyne worked as a regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the…
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U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear Appointments Clause challenge to Social Security Administration ALJs
On November 9, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Carr v. Saul, a case involving the president’s appointment and removal power and whether people may raise Appointments Clause arguments in court that they did not make during administrative proceedings. The Social Security Administration (SSA) denied Willie Carr’s application for Social Security disability benefits and…
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Legislation would block Trump executive order to change civil service classifications
On Oct. 27, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) introduced the Saving the Civil Service Act (H.R. 8687) to block President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 13957. The executive order, issued on Oct. 21, aims to give agency heads greater flexibility in the appointment of staff members who serve in policy-related positions and make it easier for agency…
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Abigail Spanberger (D) wins re-election in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District
Incumbent Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) defeated challenger Nick Freitas (R) in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. Spanberger was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, defeating incumbent Rep. Dave Brat (R) 50% to 48%. Preliminary results indicate Spanberger won re-election by a similar 51% to 49% margin. The 7th District was one of…
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Federal Register tops 70,000 pages for 2020
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. This journal is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From Nov. 2 to Nov. 6, the Federal Register grew by 2,104 pages for a year-to-date total of 71,222 pages. Over the same period in 2019…
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Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for October
In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from October 2, 2020, to November 1, 2020. Ballotpedia publishes a federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month. HIGHLIGHTS • Vacancies: There have been two new judicial vacancies since the previous report. There are 59 vacancies out of 870 active Article III judicial…
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President Trump names Christopher C. Miller acting secretary of defense
President Donald Trump (R) announced that Christopher C. Miller would be acting U.S. Secretary of Defense on Monday, following the termination of Mark Esper. Christopher C. Miller had been serving as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center since Aug. 10, 2020. Miller previously served as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director…