Category: Federal

Rep. George Holding (R-N.C.) announced that he would not seek re-election to the U.S. House in 2020. In a statement, Holding said that “the newly redrawn Congressional Districts were part of the reason I have decided not to seek reelection. But, in addition, this is also a good time for me to step back and…

The U.S. Senate has confirmed six new nominees to U.S. District Court judgeships. Overall, the Senate has confirmed 170 of President Trump’s Article III judicial nominees—two Supreme Court justices, 48 appellate court judges, 118 district court judges, and two U.S. Court of International Trade judges—since January 2017. At the end of the 115th Congress in…

Reps. Denny Heck (D-Wash.) and Tom Graves (R-Ga.) announced this week that they will not run for re-election n 2020.   In a statement issued on Dec. 4, Heck did not give a reason for his retirement but said he planned on writing at least two books. He was first elected to the U.S. House…

On Tuesday, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) pleaded guilty to using campaign funds for personal expenses, ending a three-year investigation into the congressman’s misuse of over $200,000.   Hunter’s wife pleaded guilty in June to knowingly and willingly using campaign funds with her husband for their family’s benefit, agreeing to testify against him. Weeks later, federal…

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) ended her presidential campaign on Tuesday, saying she lacked the financial resources to continue.   Harris had raised $11.6 million in the third quarter of 2019, roughly matching her $12 million haul in the first quarter and $11.8 million take in the second quarter.   “I’m not a billionaire. I can’t…

The U.S. Supreme Court has released its February argument calendar for the 2019-2020 term. The court will hear nine hours of oral argument in 11 cases between February 24 and March 4.   As of November 25, 2019, the court had agreed to hear 57 cases during its 2019-2020 term.   February 24, 2020 United…

On November 26, the U.S. Supreme Court released its upcoming argument calendar, which included dates it will hear oral argument in three upcoming cases related to the administrative state.   On March 2, 2020, the court will hear Department of Homeland Security v. Thuraissigiam, which involves the question of when asylum seekers may challenge in…

In a statement published with the U.S. Supreme Court’s November 25 orders, Justice Brett Kavanaugh hinted that he would consider reviving the nondelegation doctrine. Suggesting that at least some congressional delegations of power are in his view unconstitutional, Kavanaugh argued that Justice Neil Gorsuch’s analysis of the nondelegation doctrine in Gundy v. United States (2019)…

The U.S. Supreme Court added a new case to the merits docket on Friday. As of November 25, 2019, the court had agreed to hear 57 cases during its 2019-2020 term. The Supreme Court began hearing cases for the term on October 7, 2019.   The new case—FNU Tanzin v. Tanvir—concerns the Religious Freedom Restoration…

As of November 25, 2019, 1,839 candidates are filed with the FEC to run for U.S. House in 2020. Of those, 1,728—864 Democrats and 864 Republicans—are from one of the two major political parties. In 2018, 3,244 candidates filed with the FEC, including 1,566 Democrats and 1,155 Republicans.   295 candidates are filed with the…