Category: Federal
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3 states holding primaries for 42 congressional seats on June 23
Three states are holding primaries on June 23, 2020. Forty-two congressional seats will be on the ballot, including two U.S. Senate seats and 40 U.S. House seats. The following seats will be on the ballot in Kentucky: • 1 U.S. Senate seat • 6 U.S. House seats The following seats will be on the ballot…
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Federal Register weekly update; lowest weekly page total since first week of January
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 June 8 to June 12, the Federal Register grew by 1,182 pages for a year-to-date total of 36,138 pages. Over the same…
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SCOTUS grants review in 2 cases for October 2020-2021 term
On June 15, the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) granted review in two cases for its upcoming October 2020-2021 term. The Supreme Court will begin hearing cases for the term on October 5, 2020. The court’s yearly term begins on the first Monday in October and lasts until the first Monday in October…
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Texas Democrats appeal absentee voting decision to U.S. Supreme Court
On June 16, the Democratic Party of Texas appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court an appellate court order staying a district court decision that had extended absentee voting eligibility in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. On May 19, Judge Samuel Frederick Biery of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas ordered that…
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U.S. extends travel restrictions on Canada and Mexico through July 21
On June 16, 2020, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf announced the U.S. would extend travel restrictions in place at the Canadian and Mexican borders through July 21. The restrictions, initially put into place in late March in coordination with both countries, close the borders to nonessential travel. Essential travel, including for trade and commerce,…
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U.S. Supreme Court rules on Title VII and sexual orientation, and the U.S. Forest Service’s authority to grant rights-of-way
The U.S. Supreme Court issued two opinions in five cases. In Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia (consolidated with Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC), SCOTUS ruled “an employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates” Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of…
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2,972 major party candidates have filed for the 2020 Congress elections
As of June 15, 2,972 major party candidates have filed to run for the Senate and House of Representatives in 2020. So far, 448 candidates are filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for U.S. Senate. Of those, 360—184 Democrats and 176 Republicans—are from one of the two major political parties. In 2018,…
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U.S. Representative Tom Rice tests positive for coronavirus
On June 15, Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. In a Facebook post, he said his wife and son also tested positive for the virus. Rice has represented South Carolina’s 7th Congressional District since 2013. Ballotpedia tracks politicians and government officials who…
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Filing deadline passes for congressional candidates in Connecticut, New Hampshire
On June 11 and June 12, the major-party filing deadline passed to run for U.S. Congress in Connecticut and New Hampshire, respectively. The Connecticut filing deadline had previously been June 9, but it was moved to June 11 by Governor Ned Lamont’s (D) executive order in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In Connecticut, neither U.S. Senate seat…
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Federal Register weekly update; highest weekly document total since March
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 June 1 to June 5, the Federal Register grew by 1,980 pages for a year-to-date total of 34,956 pages. Over the same…