Category: Federal
-
Supreme Court issues rulings involving the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act
The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) took action on a number of cases on February 3, issuing opinions in three cases, granting review in one case, and removing two cases from its February 2021 argument calendar. SCOTUS issued opinions in Salinas v. United States Railroad Retirement Board, Federal Republic of Germany v. Philipp, and Republic of…
-
Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala.) will not seek re-election in 2022
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) announced on February 8, 2021, that he will not seek re-election in 2022. Shelby was first elected to the Senate in 1986. He switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1994. Shelby is the fourth senator to announce he won’t seek re-election in 2022, joining Republicans Richard Burr (N.C.),…
-
Anthony Brindisi (D) concedes in New York’s 22nd Congressional District election
Incumbent Anthony Brindisi (D) conceded the election to represent New York’s 22nd Congressional District on Feb. 8, 2021, to Claudia Tenney (R). His concession follows several months of legal challenges from Brindisi and Tenney over the validity of certain absentee and affidavit ballots cast in the Nov. 3, 2020, election. Brindisi announced his concession hours…
-
Rep. Ronald Wright dies from complications related to COVID-19
Rep. Ronald Wright (R-Texas) passed away from complications related to coronavirus on Feb. 7. He was diagnosed with the disease on Jan. 21. Wright was first elected to Texas’ 6th Congressional District in 2018, serving until his death in 2021. Wright ran for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 3, winning with…
-
Federal Register weekly update: Biden administration publishes 23 final rules
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From Feb. 1 through Feb. 5—the third week of the Biden administration—the Federal Register grew by 922 pages for a year-to-date total of…
-
An early look at the 2022 Senate elections
On November 8, 2022, 34 Senate seats will be up for election. These elections—along with any vacancies, special elections, or appointments that may occur in the meantime—will determine whether the Senate maintains a 50-50 partisan split with effective Democratic control, Democrats strengthen their majority, or Republicans take control of the chamber. Of the 34 Senate…
-
Biden signs 28 executive orders in first two weeks in office
President Joe Biden (D) signed 28 executive orders, 11 presidential memoranda, and five proclamations in his first two weeks in office. That is more executive orders than his three predecessors combined—Presidents Donald Trump (R), Barack Obama (D), and George W. Bush (R)—signed over the same period of time. Executive orders are directives written by the…
-
Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for January 2021
In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies to all United States Article III federal courts from January 1 to February 1, 2021. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month. HIGHLIGHTS Vacancies: There have been 11 new judicial vacancies since the December 2020 report.…
-
President Biden has not made any federal judicial appointments through February 1 of his first year in office
As of February 1, 2021, President Joe Biden (D) had not appointed any Article III federal judges. The average number of federal judges appointed by a president through February 1 of their first year in office is zero. Through the first year in office, President Ronald Reagan (R) made the most appointments with 41, and…
-
OIRA reviewed 132 significant rules in January
The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviewed a total of 132 significant regulatory actions issued by federal agencies in January 2021. The agency approved seven rules without changes and approved the intent of 57 rules while recommending changes to their content. Agencies withdrew 67 rules from the review process. One rule…