Category: Federal
-
Almost 200 candidates have already filed to run in the 2028 presidential election
As of Aug. 25, 2025, a total of 175 candidates had filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run in the 2028 presidential election. Of these candidates, 39 were Democrats, 44 were Republicans, and the other 92 were independent or minor party candidates. Over the course of a presidential election cycle, hundreds of individuals…
-
A look at the current state of absentee/mail-in voting in the U.S.
On Aug. 18, President Donald Trump (R) said in a social media post, “I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we’re at it, Highly ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES.” Trump said he would issue an executive order ending mail-in voting before the 2026…
-
President Donald Trump announces the first federal judicial nomination of a state supreme court justice in over two years
President Donald Trump (R) announced on August 12, 2025, his intention to nominate Alabama Supreme Court Justice Bill Lewis to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. This marks the first potential judicial elevation from a state supreme court since March 2023. The last state supreme court justice to be successfully…
-
UBS quits NZBA
UBS, Switzerland’s largest bank, announced Thursday it is leaving the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), joining several recent global departures from the coalition. UBS was a founding member of the NZBA and is the third major bank to leave in as many weeks. The departures could limit the alliance’s ability to set shared targets and monitor…
-
Overview of implications for the administrative state in decisions from the 2024-25 Supreme Court term
What’s the story? The U.S. Supreme Court ended its October 2024 term on June 27, 2025, with a series of rulings on the administrative state. The Court issued 13 decisions that affected federal agency operations and oversight. The most notable opinions from the term included decisions: SCOTUS also clarified constitutional boundaries on agency appointments, declined…
-
Overview of federalism implications in decisions from the 2024-25 Supreme Court term
What’s the story? During the 2024 term, which ended on June 27, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued several decisions that affected the balance of federalism, altering how authority is shared between states and the federal government. The rulings focused less on policy outcomes and more on procedural rules, addressing disputes over the proper use…
-
Rep. Barry Moore becomes the ninth representative to announce a U.S. Senate bid for 2026
Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) announced on Aug. 12, 2025, that he will run for the U.S. Senate in Alabama in 2026 rather than another term in the U.S. House of Representatives. As of Aug. 12, 2025, independent race forecasters The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections have rated the general election for the seat as…
-
Democrats and Republicans make up over two-thirds of registered voters in the U.S.
Thirty states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia offer public information on the registered voters within these states and territories. Voter registration is the process by which a voter can become eligible to vote in a state or territory. Forty-nine states allow it, with the exception of North Dakota. Among the information…
-
Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for August 2025
In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from July 2, 2025, to August 1, 2025. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month. HIGHLIGHTS New vacancies There were 47 vacancies out of 870 active Article III judicial positions, a total vacancy percentage of 5.4,…
-
President Trump has appointed five federal judges through August 1 of the first year of his second term
President Donald Trump (R) has appointed and the Senate has confirmed five Article III federal judges through August 1, 2025. This is the fewest Article III judicial appointments through this point in a president’s second term since Bill Clinton (D). The average number of federal judges appointed by previous presidents at this point in their…