Earlier this week, Ethan Underwood, a candidate running in the Republican primary for Georgia’s 9th Congressional District, completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. He joins Michael Boggus and Maria Strickland, both of whom previously completed surveys. Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey so voters can discover what motivates them on…
On Sunday, May 10, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) announced he would self-quarantine for 14 days after a member of his staff tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Instead of returning to D.C., Alexander will work remotely from Tennessee. He chairs the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Ballotpedia tracks politicians…
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 May 4 to May 8, the Federal Register grew by 1,326 pages for a year-to-date total of 27,644 pages. Over the same…
On May 7, a panel of judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled that an ATF redefinition of machinegun that banned bump stocks did not violate Article I of the U.S. Constitution. Plaintiffs argued that since Congress had not banned bump stocks by law, the ATF and DOJ lacked…
The New York Times in its May 7 morning briefing discussed the use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) during the Trump administration to reverse certain regulations issued by the Obama administration. Trump administration officials, according to the Times, are working to ensure that the administration’s own regulations are not similarly vulnerable to reversal under…
On May 4, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear CIC Services, LLC v. Internal Revenue Service, which asks whether a law that blocks preemptive lawsuits against tax collection applies to potentially unlawful regulations issued by agencies that are not taxes. Plaintiff CIC Services, LLC argues citizens should be able to “challenge illegal regulations in…
On May 7, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued rulings in two cases argued during its October 2019 term. The court has issued 31 decisions this term. Kelly v. United States concerned a scheme to reduce local traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge as retaliation after Fort Lee’s mayor refused to…
On May 6, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to intervene in a lawsuit over a Pennsylvania order curtailing the operations of non-essential businesses, allowing the state supreme court’s ruling, which upheld the order, to stand. On March 24, the plaintiffs (a number of Pennsylvania businesses) petitioned the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to vacate Governor Tom Wolf’s (D) March…
On May 12, Tom Tiffany (R) and Tricia Zunker (D) will face off in the special election for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District to fill the vacancy left by former Rep. Sean Duffy (R). During his daily COVID-19 briefing on April 29, Gov. Tony Evers (D) said the special election would proceed as planned. The candidates participated…
On May 5, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that a district court judge who ordered modifications to Michigan’s candidate filing procedures had erred in doing so. Although the appeals court agreed that the original requirements were unconstitutional, it found that the lower court had exceeded its authority in mandating…