Category: State
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Michigan legislature asks state Supreme Court to take up lawsuit challenging governor’s emergency powers
On Friday, May 22, Republicans in the Michigan Senate and House asked the Michigan Supreme Court to consider a lawsuit filed by House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R) and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R) challenging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) emergency declarations issued in response to the coronavirus. A Michigan Court of Claims Judge ruled against…
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Illinois state representative tests positive for COVID-19
Illinois state representative Edgar Gonzales Jr. (D) announced in a Facebook post on May 18 that he had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Gonzales was appointed to represent District 21 in January, 2020, to fill the vacancy left by former Rep. Celina Villanueva (D), who was appointed to the…
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After two-month delay, Florida governor appoints two Florida Supreme Court justices
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) appointed John Couriel and Renatha Francis to the Florida Supreme Court on May 26, 2020. Couriel and Francis succeeded Justices Robert J. Luck and Barbara Lagoa, who vacated the seats in November 2019 after being elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Couriel and Francis will join…
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One Indiana Supreme Court justice faces a retention election in November
One Indiana Supreme Court justice, Christopher M. Goff, will face a retention election on November 3, 2020. He was appointed in 2017 by Governor Eric Holcomb (R). Currently, every justice on the court was appointed by a Republican governor. The governor appoints the five justices of the supreme court through a hybrid nominating commission where…
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In November, Californians will decide whether app-based drivers should be classified as independent contractors
At the election on November 3, 2020, Californians will decide a ballot initiative that addresses whether app-based drivers should be classified as independent contractors. In September 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed AB 5, which established criteria to determine whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor. Uber, Lyft, and Doordash proposed a ballot…
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Oregon state legislative primaries see no incumbents defeated and an increase in competitiveness from 2018
May 19, 2020, was the ballot return due date for voters participating in Oregon’s 2020 primary elections. This year, 16 of the 30 seats in the state senate and all 60 seats in the state house are up for election. There were 33 contested state legislative primaries, six of which were for state senate seats…
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Maine lawsuit challenges whether voters can overturn state agency orders
A new lawsuit asks whether the Maine Constitution allows citizens to use ballot initiatives to reverse agency orders. On May 12, Avangrid Networks, Inc. asked the Cumberland County Superior Court to block a ballot initiative that aims to overturn a Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) decision to grant Central Maine Power Company (CMP) a permit…
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Legislators appointed to Washington State Senate, House
The Snohomish County Council made a state legislative appointment to each chamber of the Washington State Legislature May 13. The council appointed June Robinson (D) to represent District 38 in the Washington State Senate, following the resignation of former Sen. John McCoy (D) from the chamber last month. Robinson previously represented the District 38-Position 1…
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New Maryland Commissioner of Insurance takes office
Newest Maryland Commissioner of Insurance Kathleen Birrane assumed office May 18. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) appointed Birrane May 1 to replace former commissioner Alfred Redmer Jr. Redmer left the Maryland Insurance Administration to become executive director of the Maryland Auto Insurance Fund starting May 18. He had served as commissioner since 2015 after previously holding…
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Eight states to hold primaries on June 2 after four states push primaries back from April and May
Eight states are holding statewide primaries on June 2, 2020: Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. Four states did not originally plan to hold primaries on this date, but postponed them amid the coronavirus pandemic. Maryland and Pennsylvania’s primaries were originally scheduled for April 28, Indiana’s primary was scheduled for…