Category: Federal

The U.S. Senate confirmed six nominees to U.S. District Court judgeships. The Senate has confirmed 152 of President Trump’s Article III judicial nominees—two Supreme Court justices, 43 appellate court judges, 105 district court judges, and two U.S. Court of International Trade judges—since January 2017. At the end of the 115th Congress in January 2019, the…

  On September 11, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s request to lift an injunction that was blocking the enforcement of a new rule dealing with asylum seekers. The court’s order allows the rule to go into effect while legal challenges against it come before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and, potentially,…

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.   During the week of September 2 to September 6, the number of pages in the Federal Register increased by 1,242 pages, bringing the…

On September 9, Judge Jon S. Tigar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California restored the nationwide scope of an injunction against a Trump administration asylum rule. He had originally issued a nationwide injunction against the rule in July, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed its scope to only…

Senate Democrats plan to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) this fall to reverse a guidance document that gave states more flexibility when applying for waivers from Obamacare requirements. The plan was included in a letter written by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.-N.Y.) outlining fall priorities for the Democratic Party, according to Politico on…

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published a final rule on September 5 that withdraws rules made during the Obama administration that apply higher energy-efficiency requirements to some specialty lightbulbs. The department also published a separate proposed rule saying that current energy-efficiency standards do not need to change. This means that certain types of lightbulbs—rough…

  State Sen. Dan Bishop (R) defeated Dan McCready (D), Jeff Scott (L), and Allen Smith (G) in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District special election on September 10, 2019. Bishop received 50.8% of the vote to McCready’s 48.6% with 99% of precincts reporting, in addition to early voting results. The state board of elections called…

  State Rep. Greg Murphy (R) defeated Allen Thomas (D), Tim Harris (L), and Greg Holt (Constitution Party) in the special election for North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on September 10, 2019. Murphy received 60.6% of the vote to Thomas’ 38.6% with 82% of precincts reporting, in addition…

Ten candidates will meet on stage for the third Democratic presidential primary debate in Houston, Texas, on Sept. 12, 2019.   The following candidates will participate:   • Joe Biden • Cory Booker • Pete Buttigieg • Julián Castro • Kamala Harris • Amy Klobuchar • Beto O’Rourke • Bernie Sanders • Elizabeth Warren •…

Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) announced that she would not seek re-election in 2020. She was first elected to represent California’s 53rd Congressional District in 2000, and she won re-election in 2018 by a margin of 38 points. In a statement announcing her retirement, she said she had “a desire to live and work ‘at home’…