Category: Federal
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SCOTUS grants review in seven cases for 2020-2021 term
On October 2, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) granted review in seven cases for a total of four hours of oral argument during its October Term for 2020-2021. The cases have not yet been scheduled for argument. FCC v. Prometheus Radio Project (Consolidated with National Association of Broadcasters v. Prometheus Radio…
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President Trump announces judicial nominee
On October 1, President Donald Trump (R) announced the nomination of Joseph Dawson to the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, which is an Article III federal judicial position. Article III judges are appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate, and serve for life. Since assuming office in January 2017, Trump…
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Toomey announces he won’t run for re-election to U.S. Senate in 2022
On Oct. 5, U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) announced that he would not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate and would be retiring from Congress. Toomey also stated that he would not run for governor of Pennsylvania in 2022. At a press conference, Toomey said, “I will not be running for reelection in 2022 and…
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Rep. Tom Graves leaves Congress October 4
Georgia Rep. Tom Graves (R) resigned from Congress effective Sunday, Oct. 4. He announced his resignation on Sept. 11. Graves had previously announced on Dec. 5, 2019, that he would not seek re-election in 2020. Graves issued the following statement via Twitter on Oct. 2: “Today I sent letters to Gov. Kemp & House officials…
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Federal Register weekly update: Two new significant regulations issued (2020)
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 September 28 to October 2, the Federal Register grew by 1,856 pages for a year-to-date total of 62,538 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and…
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Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs reviewed 48 significant rules in September
The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviewed a total of 48 significant regulatory actions issued by federal agencies in September 2020. The agency approved four rules without changes and approved the intent of 42 rules while recommending changes to their content. Agencies withdrew two rules from the review process. OIRA reviewed…
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Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for September
In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from September 2, 2020, to October 1, 2020. Ballotpedia publishes the 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…
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What happens if a presidential nominee becomes incapacitated before the election?
Political parties set procedures for how to fill vacancies on the national ticket in the event that a presidential or vice-presidential candidate withdraws from the race or becomes incapacitated. The Democratic National Committee outlines the process it uses to fill vacancies in its Charter and Bylaws. In the event of a vacancy on the national…
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Trump has appointed second-most federal judges through October 1 of a president’s fourth year
Donald Trump has appointed and the Senate has confirmed 218 Article III federal judges through October 1, 2020, his fourth year in office. This is the second-most Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies since Jimmy Carter (D). The Senate had confirmed 260 of Carter’s appointees at this point in his term.…
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President Donald Trump tests positive for the coronavirus
On Oct. 1, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for the coronavirus. In a tweet on Oct. 2, Trump said, “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately.” To date, Ballotpedia has tracked the following government officials and candidates who have died,…