Category: Federal

The Democratic National Committee announced the polling and fundraising thresholds for the sixth presidential primary debate on December 19, 2019.   Candidates must now meet one of two polling standards:   Four Poll Threshold: Receive 4% support or more in at least four national or early state polls—Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and/or Nevada. The…

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) announced that she would not seek re-election to Congress in 2020. In a Twitter post, Gabbard said she was fully committed to her presidential campaign and would not be running for her U.S. House seat as a result. She was first elected to represent Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District in 2012 and…

The U.S. Senate confirmed nominee Justin Walker to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Overall, the Senate has confirmed 157 of President Trump’s Article III judicial nominees—two Supreme Court justices, 43 appellate court judges, 110 district court judges, and two U.S. Court of International Trade judges—since January 2017. At the end…

The case of Nasrallah v. Barr has been scheduled for argument before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) during the court’s October 2019-2020 term. The case came to the court on a writ of certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.   A Lebanese citizen, Nidal Khalid Nasrallah, pleaded…

On Oct. 18, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Seila Law v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a case challenging the constitutionality of the bureau’s structure.   The CFPB is an independent agency created by the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010. Unlike other independent agencies of the federal government, which are generally headed by multi-member commissions,…

On October 19, Rep. Francis Rooney (R) announced that he would not seek re-election in Florida’s 19th Congressional District in 2020. He was first elected to Congress in 2016; he won an open-seat race to replace Rep. Curt Clawson (R). Rooney won his second term in 2018 with 62.3% of the general election vote.  …

Author Marianne Williamson is the first 2020 presidential candidate to complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey, answering questions about her personal beliefs, professional background, and political priorities.   Williamson describes the effect A Course in Miracles had on her life and why she thinks the United States needs “a season of moral repair.” She also discusses…

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) died October 17 due to complications from longstanding health challenges, according to a statement from his congressional office. He was first elected to Congress in 1996. Before that, Cummings served 14 terms in the Maryland House of Delegates and was the first African American in Maryland to be named Speaker Pro…

The U.S. Senate has confirmed four nominees to U.S. District Court judgeships. Overall, the Senate has confirmed 156 of President Trump’s Article III judicial nominees—two Supreme Court justices, 43 appellate court judges, 109 district court judges, and two U.S. Court of International Trade judges—since January 2017. At the end of the 115th Congress in January…

On October 15, U.S. District Court Judge Joan Ericksen assumed senior status in the District of Minnesota, which created a vacancy on that court. Ericksen had first joined the court in 2002 after being nominated by President George W. Bush (R).   As of October 18, there were 98 Article III vacancies in the federal…