Category: State
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State supreme court justices in retention elections have a 98% win rate since 2008
In retention elections, voters are asked whether an incumbent should remain in office for another term. The incumbent does not face an opponent and is removed from the position if a majority vote against retention. State supreme court justices facing retention elections experienced better chances of being re-elected than their incumbent counterparts in other kinds…
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Virginia Supreme Court rules that Walmart must purchase electricity from Virginia Electric & Power Co.
On July 9, 2020, the Virginia State Supreme Court issued a ruling that affirmed the State Corporation Commission’s denial of Walmart’s petition to seek an alternative energy supplier to the state utility. Justice Arthur Kelsey penned the unanimous opinion of the court. In December 2017 Walmart sought permission to buy its electricity from a non-state…
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Trujillo resigns from New Mexico legislature, cites need to focus on full-time work
Linda Trujillo (D) resigned from the New Mexico House of Representatives, a little more than one month after winning the Democratic primary for the seat. Trujillo is an attorney by trade and said she needed to work full-time due to economic concerns resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. She announced her resignation from office effective…
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Hodges resigns from Arkansas House to take new job with community college
Grant Hodges (R) resigned from the Arkansas House of Representatives on July 10. Hodges’ resignation came just before he started a new job as the executive director of community and government relations at Northwest Arkansas Community College on July 13. Hodges’ resignation was expected after he announced his acceptance of the new role in late…
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Special election to be held for Texas State Senate District 14
A special election is being held on July 14 for District 14 of the Texas State Senate. Sarah Eckhardt (D), Eddie Rodriguez (D), Waller Thomas Burns II (R), Donald Zimmerman (R), Pat Dixon (L), and Jeff Ridgeway (I) are running in the special election. The seat became vacant after the resignation of Kirk Watson (D)…
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Loucks resigns from Wyoming House of Representatives
Carl “Bunky” Loucks (R) resigned from the Wyoming House of Representatives on July 6, citing a need to focus on his small business due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He is not running for re-election this year. Loucks was first elected to represent District 59 in the chamber in 2010. Three Republican…
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Douglass-Boone appointed to Thompson’s Nevada State Assembly seat
Clark County commissioners in Nevada appointed Kasina Douglass-Boone (D), a social worker for Clark County Schools, on July 7 to represent District 17 in the Nevada State Assembly. The seat has been vacant since the late Representative Tyrone Thompson (D) died on May 4, 2019. Douglass-Boone is not running for the District 17 state House…
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Mississippi Supreme Court reaffirms end of state-level Chevron deference; Georgia legislation to end deference to state tax agency fails to pass
The Mississippi Supreme Court on May 28 unanimously held in a tax and gambling case that a state tax statute requiring judicial deference to a state agency’s interpretation of an unclear law—a doctrine known as Chevron deference at the federal level—was unconstitutional because it prohibited the court from exercising its constitutional duty to interpret the…
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Indiana moves administrative law judges to central panel
The state of Indiana on July 1 launched the new Office of Administrative Law Proceedings (OALP) to serve a central hub for the state’s administrative law judges (ALJs) and agency adjudicative proceedings. The Indiana General Assembly passed legislation in 2019 authorizing the creation of the OALP. The new central office transitions ALJs away from direct…
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11,715 major party candidates filed for 2020 state legislative elections
On November 3, 2020, 5,875 state legislative seats are up for regular election across 86 chambers in 44 states. This includes 1,164 state senate seats and 4,711 state house seats. As of July 9, we’ve collected post-filing deadline data in 41 states. In 2020, 5,524 state legislative seats are up for regular election in those…