Category: Federal

On March 26, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in two partisan gerrymandering cases, Rucho v. Common Cause and Lamone v. Benisek. During the course of arguments, the justices appeared divided over the issues central to both cases: are partisan gerrymandering claims justiciable under federal law, and should federal courts intervene…

The U.S. Senate confirmed Bridget Bade to be a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. The vote on Tuesday was bipartisan, with 53 Republican senators, 24 Democratic senators, and Independent Angus King voting in favor. Home-state Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Martha McSally (R) of Arizona both voted to…

Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) announced Monday that they would not seek re-election in 2020. Udall and Serrano are the fifth and sixth members of the 116th Congress, and the first Democrats, to announce they will not run for re-election.   Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Reps.…

This week, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) released five rulings on cases that were argued in October 2018 and January 2019.   SCOTUS has heard four cases this month as of March 22. It is scheduled to hear five more by the end of the month and a total of 12 cases…

Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, and Andrew Yang have all reportedly qualified for the first Democratic presidential primary debate this past week.   With 16 notable Democratic candidates running so far, what does it take to reach the debate stage?   The Democratic National Committee announced last month that a candidate can qualify for the first…

The 116th Congress is more than two months old. Here’s a look back at the 115th Congress.   The 115th Congress ran from January 3, 2017, to January 3, 2019. The U.S. Senate and the U.S. House both began with a Republican majority. Following the November 2018 election, the Senate retained its Republican majority and…

The U.S. House passed a bill that would change printing requirements for the Federal Register. The Federal Register is a legal newspaper published every federal business day by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Government Publishing Office (GPO). The Federal Register lists new administrative agency rules and regulations in addition to policy…

President Trump issued the first veto of his presidency Friday when he blocked Congress’ resolution of disapproval of his declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump declared the national emergency on February 15 after Congress did not meet his request for border wall funding in a government funding deal.   The resolution…

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 March 11 to March 15, the number of pages in the Federal Register increased by 1,104 pages, bringing…

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) requested on March 11 that the U.S. Supreme Court weigh in on Judge Richard Seeborg’s constitutional claim challenging the addition of a citizenship question on the U.S. Census when it hears Department of Commerce v. New York in April 2019. Seeborg’s ruling was the second decision by a federal…