Category: Federal
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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U.S. Supreme Court schedules March argument sitting
On February 1, 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) released its March argument calendar for the 2020-2021 term. The court will hear seven hours of oral argument in nine cases between March 22 and March 31. So far, the court has agreed to hear 62 cases during its 2020-2021 term. March 22,…
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Federal Register weekly update: Highest weekly presidential document total since 2017
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 January 25 through January 29—the second week of the Biden administration—the Federal Register grew by 790 pages for a year-to-date total of…
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Portman becomes fourth senator to announce he won’t seek re-election in 2022
On Jan. 25, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) announced that he would not seek another six-year term in the Senate when his term expires in 2022. In his statement announcing his decision, Portman said, “I am really looking forward to being home in Ohio full time, seeing family and friends more, and getting back to the…
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U.S. Census Bureau says it will deliver apportionment data by April 30, redistricting data after July 31
On January 27, 2021, Kathleen Styles, an official at the U.S. Census Bureau, announced at a National Conference of State Legislatures event that the bureau would release its final apportionment report by April 30, 2021. Styles also said the bureau hoped to release detailed redistricting data after July 31, 2021. Census results are used to…
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Seventy-seven third party candidates received more votes than the margin of victory in their races on Nov. 3
In 2020, there were 77 third party or independent candidates who received more votes than the margin of victory in their election. These included eight running for Congress, 23 running for a statewide state-level office, 43 running for a non-statewide state-level office, and three running for a local office within Ballotpedia’s coverage scope. The eight…