Category: State
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New Mexico Supreme Court issues four opinions from March 13-19
The New Mexico Supreme Court issued four opinions from March 13-19. As of March 19, the court issued nine opinions in 2023 — five more than this point a year ago. The four opinions are below: State v. Sena, where the court reversed the appellate court’s opinion and affirmed the district court’s imposition of an…
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Texas Supreme Court issues three opinions from March 13-19
The Texas Supreme Court issued three opinions from March 13-19. As of March 19, the court issued 21 opinions in 2023 — 12 fewer than this point a year ago. The three opinions are below: In re Morris (Opinion), where the court denied a prospective San Antonio voter’s petition for a writ of mandamus. The…
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Wisconsin Supreme Court issues one opinion from March 13-19
The Wisconsin Supreme Court issued one opinion from March 13-19. As of March 19, the court issued 15 opinions in 2023 — one more than this point a year ago. The opinion is below: Casanova v. Polsky, “In this dispute between the residents of a senior-living facility in a receivership over the proceeds generated by…
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Two weeks until Wisconsin Supreme Court elections
In Wisconsin, voters will decide the ideological balance of their state supreme court on April 4, 2023, choosing between Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz and former Justice Daniel Kelly. While Wisconsin’s supreme court elections are officially nonpartisan, PBS Wisconsin’s Zac Schultz wrote, “Protasiewicz and Kelly are heavily aligned with the Democratic and Republican parties,…
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North Carolina Supreme Court re-hears case regarding state’s congressional districts
The North Carolina Supreme Court re-heard oral arguments on March 14 in Moore v. Harper, a lawsuit brought by North Carolina House Speaker Timothy K. Moore (R) challenging the state’s congressional district boundaries enacted after the 2020 census. The state’s supreme court had ruled 4-3 in February 2022 that the congressional boundaries the Republican-controlled legislature adopted…
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Arkansas enacts law reducing length of unemployment insurance benefits
A new Arkansas law effective March 6, 2023, will limit the maximum length of unemployment insurance benefits from 16 weeks to 12 weeks starting Jan. 1, 2024. The bill passed with veto-proof majorities in both chambers (29-3 in the Senate and 79-15 in the House). The law will also reduce the new employer unemployment insurance…
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Eight state supreme court vacancies announced by mid-March 2023
As of March 14, there have been eight state supreme court vacancies or vacancy announcements in 2023 for judges whose replacements are chosen via appointment instead of election. Alaska, California, North Dakota, and Tennessee each have one state supreme court vacancy. Delaware and Missouri each have two state supreme court vacancies. Two judges vacated their…
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Governors issued 10 executive orders from March 6-12
Nationally, governors issued 10 executive orders from March 6-12. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) led the field with two. Governors in 41 states issued the fewest orders with zero. Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. Last week’s executive orders account for 3% of the year-to-date total of 319. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp…
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Texas alleges Biden administration unlawfully enacted 2023 federal budget
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on Feb. 15, 2023, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas challenging the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2023, arguing in part that certain CAA provisions violate state sovereignty and that Congress unlawfully passed the law without a quorum of members present.…
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North Carolina Supreme Court reconsiders voter ID requirements
On March 15, 2023, the North Carolina Supreme Court heard arguments in a case concerning a 2018 law requiring a photo ID to vote. The Southern Coalition for Social Justice filed the lawsuit on behalf of six state residents against the North Carolina Board of Elections, Speaker of the House Timothy K. Moore (R), Senate…