Category: Federal
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
U.S. Supreme Court considers ACA’s individual mandate
On November 10, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear California v. Texas via teleconference with live audio. California v. Texas concerns the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. President Barack Obama (D) signed the ACA into law in 2010. Section 5000A of the ACA, known as the individual mandate, established…
-
Conor Lamb wins re-election to Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District
Incumbent Conor Lamb (D) defeated challenger Sean Parnell (R) in Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District. Lamb was first elected in a March 2018 special election for the remainder of Tim Murphy’s (R) term in what was then the 18th Congressional District. Lamb defeated Rick Saccone (R) 49.9% to 49.5% to flip the seat. Following court-ordered redistricting…
-
Carolyn Bourdeaux defeats Rich McCormick in Georgia’s 7th Congressional District
Carolyn Bourdeaux (D) defeated Rich McCormick (R) in the general election for Georgia’s 7th Congressional District. Incumbent Rep. Rob Woodall (R), first elected in 2010, did not run for re-election. This was the second time Bourdeaux ran in the district. In 2018, she lost the election to Woodall by 433 votes—50.1% to 49.9%. Bordeaux is…