Category: Federal
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SCOTUS concludes April sitting
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) concluded its April sitting for its 2020-2021 term on April 28. This sitting ran from April 19 through April 28, during which time the court heard 12 hours of oral argument. The cases argued before SCOTUS during its April sitting included: • April 19: Yellen v. Confederated…
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Biden’s first 100 days in office
April 30 marks the 100th day of President Joe Biden’s (D) presidency. Here is a round-up of where his administration stands so far. Executive actions Biden has issued 42 executive orders, 14 presidential memoranda, 49 proclamations, and 10 notices. Biden’s 42 executive orders are the most from a first-term president in his first 100 days in office…
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Voters to decide special election on May 1 for Texas’ 6th Congressional District
A special election to fill the vacancy in Texas’ 6th Congressional District will be held May 1. Twenty-three candidates are running to represent this district in the Fort Worth suburbs. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will compete in a runoff election. The previous incumbent, Ronald Wright (R),…
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New apportionment data released – six states gain congressional seats, seven states lose seats
On April 26, 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau released it post-2020 census apportionment counts. Six states—Texas (two seats), Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon—gained seats. Seven states—California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia—each lost a seat. Of the six states that gained congressional seats, three are Republican trifectas (Texas, Florida, and…
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SCOTUS grants review in three new cases for its 2021-2022 term
The U.S. Supreme Court accepted three additional cases for review during its 2021-2022 term on April 26. With the addition of these three cases, the court has agreed to hear 14 cases during the term, which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 4. • Houston Community College System v. Wilson concerns free speech protections and…
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Federal Register weekly update: 627 new documents added
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 overall regulatory activity, accounting for both regulatory and deregulatory actions. From April 19 through April 23, the Federal Register grew by 1,668 pages for a…
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Unanimous U.S. Supreme Court: People may raise Appointments Clause challenges in federal court they did not mention during agency proceedings
On April 22, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Carr v. Saul, ruling that people who were denied Social Security disability benefits by the Social Security Administration (SSA) do not lose the chance to challenge the appointment of SSA administrative law judges (ALJs) in court even if they do not first…
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New apportionment data released – six states gain congressional seats, seven states lose seats
The United States Census Bureau released its post-2020 census apportionment counts on April 26, 2021. Apportionment is the process whereby the 435 districts in the U.S. House of Representatives are allotted to the states on the basis of population. Six states gained seats. Texas gained two, while Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon gained…