Category: Federal

October 31, 2019: Kamala Harris is restructuring her campaign, sending more staffers to Iowa and reducing staff at her Maryland headquarters. Donald Trump ran a campaign ad during the final night of the World Series on Wednesday. Here’s the latest from the campaign trail. Notable Quote of the Day “Last week, two polls painted two…

Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.) announced that she would resign from her position representing California’s 25th Congressional District. Hill did not initially announce the effective date of her resignation. The announcement followed Hill’s acknowledgment that she had been involved in an intimate relationship with a campaign staffer.   Once her resignation becomes effective, Hill will be…

In the past week, one member of the 116th Congress announced her resignation: Democratic Rep. Katie Hill (Calif.-25). She will be the seventh member of the 116th Congress to leave office early.   One member of the House also announced his retirement after the 2020 elections: Republican Rep. Greg Walden (Ore.-2), who was first elected…

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) announced that he would not seek re-election to the U.S. House in 2020. He said in a statement, “[F]or me, the time has come to pursue new challenges and opportunities. So, I will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, nor election to any other office.” Walden was first…

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.  …