Category: State
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Iowa Governor appoints fourth supreme court justice
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) appointed attorney Matthew McDermott to the Iowa Supreme Court on April 3, 2020. McDermott succeeded Acting Chief Justice David Wiggins, who retired on March 13, 2020. McDermott was the governor’s fourth nominee to the seven-member supreme court. At the time of his appointment to the state supreme court, McDermott practiced…
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Wisconsin extends stay-at-home order through May 26
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) announced that the state’s stay-at-home order was extended through May 26. Executive Order #12 was put into place on March 24 with an expiration date of April 24. Forty-three states issued statewide stay-at-home orders. Seven of those orders are set to last until modified or rescinded by the governor, while…
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New York extends stay-at-home order through May 15
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that the state’s stay-at-home order was extended through May 15. Cuomo said that the order was helping to reduce the state’s hospitalization and intubation rates, but not enough to lift the order. According to Cuomo, New York’s rate of infections caused by sick individuals was down to 0.9…
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Virginia lawmaker tests positive for coronavirus
On April 15, 2020, Delores McQuinn (D), a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, announced she had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. McQuinn represents District 70. McQuinn said her daughter, with whom she shares a house, first tested positive for the virus. Later, McQuinn and her husband came…
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Washington Gov. Inslee selects third appointment to state supreme court
Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D) appointed Judge G. Helen Whitener to the Washington Supreme Court on April 13, 2020. Whitener succeeded Justice Charles Wiggins, who retired in March. Whitener is Gov. Inslee’s third nominee to the nine-member supreme court. Whitener has been a judge on the Pierce County Superior Court in Washington since 2015. From…
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Five Oklahoma justices serving on courts of last resort face retention elections
Oklahoma is one of two states with two courts of last resort. The Oklahoma Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the state for civil matters while the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals is the court of last resort for criminal matters. The Oklahoma Supreme Court is composed of nine justices serving six-year…
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Kansas Governor Laura Kelly extends statewide stay home order through May 3
On April 15, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) extended the statewide stay home order through May 3. The original order went into effect on March 30 and was set to expire on April 19. Kelly didn’t announce any new exceptions to the original requirement that Kansas residents stay home unless performing essential activities. So far,…
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Idaho Governor Brad Little extends statewide stay home order through April 30
On April 15, Idaho Governor Brad Little (R) extended the statewide stay home order through April 30. The order first went into effect on March 25 and was set to expire on April 15. The order relaxes restrictions on some businesses previously considered non-essential, so long as those businesses can offer curbside services. Additionally, the…
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Louisiana postpones presidential preference primary to July 11, 2020
Louisiana has postponed its presidential preference primary to July 11, 2020. This marks the second postponement of the primary, which was first postponed to June 20, 2020. The original date of the primary was April 4, 2020. Louisiana joined Georgia and Puerto Rico in postponing its primaries a second time in response to the coronavirus…
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Floren announces retirement after 20 years in Connecticut legislature
Connecticut State Representative Livvy Floren (R) announced April 7 that she would not seek re-election after representing Connecticut House District 149 for 20 years. Floren said in a statement that it was time for her to retire from the office. Floren currently serves as the Assistant House Republican Leader. She also serves as a ranking…