Category: Federal

On January 1, 2020, FEC commissioner Caroline C. Hunter (R) assumed the role of Federal Election Commission (FEC) chairwoman. Hunter is serving her second non-consecutive one year term as FEC Chairwoman and 12th year on the commission. The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency created by Congress in 1975 to administer and enforce…

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 13 to January 17, the Federal Register grew to 3,228 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and 2018, the Federal…

On January 14, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States issued rulings on two cases, Ritzen Group Inc. v. Jackson Masonry and Retirement Plan Committee of IBM v. Jander. In the case Ritzen Group Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, Ritzen Group and Jackson Masonry both claimed that the other party breached contract after a sale…

On January 13, 2020, Daniel Mack Traynor received his judicial commission to the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota. Traynor was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on September 19, 2019, to succeed Judge Daniel Hovland, who assumed senior status on November 10, 2019. Traynor was confirmed by the…

The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump (R) began on Thursday when seven House impeachment managers, led by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), presented to the U.S. Senate two articles of impeachment against Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was sworn in as the presiding officer of…

The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) held a hearing on January 7 to consider testimony on a petition filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in August that seeks to decertify the union representing the agency’s immigration judges (IJs), the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ). Decertification of the NAIJ could give DOJ officials…

Seven statewide filing deadlines for the 2020 federal elections passed before the new year. January will see an additional four statewide ballot access deadlines for the November elections. The following states have their filing deadlines this month: • Mississippi: January 10 • Kentucky: January 10 • Maryland: January 24 • West Virginia: January 25 Alabama,…

The United States Senate on January 9 voted 50-44 to confirm Paul Ray as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). OIRA is a federal agency located within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that reviews regulations, approves government information requests, and provides oversight of statistical and privacy policies. OIRA gives…

From January 6 to January 10, the Federal Register grew to 1,730 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and 2018, the Federal Register grew to 106 pages and 2,028 pages, respectively. As of January 10, the 2020 total led the 2019 total by 1,624 pages and trailed the 2018 total by 298 pages. The…

On January 7, 2020, the U.S. Senate approved Jovita Carranza to lead the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) by an 88-5 vote. Carranza is now the highest ranking Hispanic woman in President Trump’s administration. The administrator of the Small Business Administration is responsible for overseeing the programs that assist small businesses in obtaining loans and…