Category: Federal
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Biden made no federal judicial appointments through March 1, same as previous administrations
President Joe Biden (D) has not yet made any Article III federal judicial appointments through March 1 of his first year in office. This is equal to the number of Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies since President Ronald Reagan (R). Both the average and median numbers of federal judges appointed…
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Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for March 1
Suggested headline: Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for March 1 Type: Monthly update In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies to all United States Article III federal courts from February 1, 2021, to March 1, 2021. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each…
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SCOTUS grants review in two cases for its 2021-2022 term
On March 1, the U.S. Supreme Court accepted two cases for review during its 2021-2022 term. With the addition of these two cases, the court has granted review in a total of seven cases for the term, which is scheduled to begin on October 4, 2021. • Babcock v. Saul concerns the requirements and interpretation…
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U.S. Supreme Court to hear case challenging regulations related to abortion under Title X family planning program
On February 22, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear _American Medical Association v. Cochran_. The case concerns whether the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and federal healthcare laws when it issued a 2019 rule that placed abortion-related restrictions on healthcare providers receiving federal funds under…
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Federal Register weekly update: Biden administration’s highest weekly page total to date
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 February 22 through February 26—the sixth week of the Biden administration—the Federal Register grew by 1,408 pages for a year-to-date total of…
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OIRA reviewed 16 significant rules in February
The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviewed a total of 16 significant regulatory actions issued by federal agencies in February 2021. The agency approved no rules without changes and approved the intent of eight rules while recommending changes to their content. Agencies withdrew eight rules from the review process. OIRA reviewed…
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U.S. Supreme Court to hear case about 2019 DHS immigration rule expanding definition of public charge
On February 22, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Department of Homeland Security v. New York, a case about whether the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and federal immigration law when it issued a 2019 rule expanding the definition of those the agency would consider to be…
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Former Sen. David Perdue (Geo.) will not run for U.S. Senate in 2022
Former Sen. David Perdue (R), who lost to Jon Ossoff (D) in the January runoff election for Senate in Georgia, announced he will not run for the state’s other Senate seat in 2022. Raphael Warnock (D), who defeated incumbent Kelly Loeffler (R) in the special runoff election in January, currently holds the seat. Georgia is…
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Supreme Court issues ruling in case concerning Federal Tort Claims Act
On February 25, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued an opinion in the case Brownback v. King, which concerned the judgment bar of the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). The case originated from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit and was argued before SCOTUS on November 9, 2020. In…
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Governor sets special election in Texas’ 6th Congressional District for May 1
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called a special election for Texas’ 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House. The special election will fill the vacancy left by Ronald Wright (R), who died from complications related to COVID-19 on February 7, 2021. The general election will be held May 1, 2021. The filing deadline is March…