Category: State
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Rhode Island Supreme Court selection of justices
The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Paul Suttell. The selection of supreme court justices begins with the Judicial Nominating Commission. The commission is composed of nine members. Five of the members must be attorneys. Various elected officials must…
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Georgia Supreme Court to review canceled supreme court election
Two candidates are challenging the cancelation of an election to fill a Georgia Supreme Court vacancy. The election was previously scheduled for May 19, 2020, to fill Justice Keith Blackwell’s seat, but it was canceled after Blackwell announced he was retiring, effective November 18, 2020. A statement from the Georgia Supreme Court said the governor…
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New Mexico voters will decide bond package at November ballot that would fund senior citizen facilities, public libraries, and education
A bond package containing three separate bond issues was signed by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) and certified for the ballot on March 11, 2020. The bond package was introduced on January 29, 2020, as Senate Bill 207. To put a bond question before voters, a simple majority is required in both the…
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Washington lieutenant governor will not seek re-election
Washington Lieutenant Governor Cyrus Habib (D) announced on March 19 that he will not seek re-election and instead leave politics to join the Society of Jesus, a religious order within the Roman Catholic Church. Habib was elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 2012 and the state Senate in 2014. He was elected lieutenant…
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Alaska Rep. LeDoux charged with voter misconduct
Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson (R) announced on March 13 that three charges of voter misconduct and seven counts of second-degree unlawful interference with voting were filed against Alaska state representative Gabrielle LeDoux (R). LeDoux’s former aide Lisa Simpson faces charges of voter misconduct as well. LeDoux responded to these allegations stating, “because this is…
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Maryland Legislature refers constitutional amendment to 2020 ballot concerning the legislature’s power over the state budget
Maryland Legislative Authority over State Budget Amendment would authorize the Maryland General Assembly to increase, decrease, or add items to the state budget as long as such changes do not make the budget exceed the total proposed budget submitted by the governor. The amendment is the first measure certified to appear on the statewide ballot…
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Signature deadline for citizen initiatives in Idaho is May 1; two campaigns have suspended signature drives due to coronavirus
Signatures for citizen initiative petitions in Idaho are due on May 1, 2020. To qualify for the November ballot, 55,057 valid signatures are required. As of March 19, 2020, three citizen initiatives were cleared to gather signatures targeting the 2020 ballot in Idaho. The Idaho Minimum Wage Increase Initiative was designed to increase the minimum…
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Coronavirus daily update: March 20, 2020
As part of Ballotpedia’s coverage on the coronavirus pandemic, we are compiling a daily summary of major changes in the world of politics, government, and elections happening each day. Here is the summary of changes for March 20, 2020, as of Friday afternoon. Federal responses Last night, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced S.3548,…
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Kansas governor announces supreme court appointment
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) appointed Judge Kenyen Wall to succeed Justice Lawton Nuss on the Kansas Supreme Court. Nuss retired on December 17, 2019. Wall is Kelly’s second nominee to the seven-member supreme court. Kenyen J. “K.J.” Wall was a partner at the Forbes Law Group when he was appointed to the Kansas Supreme…
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Two incumbents defeated in Illinois state legislative primaries
Illinois held state legislative primaries on March 17, 2020. There were 38 contested party primaries: eight for state Senate seats and 30 for state House seats. Twenty-eight were Democratic primaries and 10 were Republican primaries. Two Democratic incumbents lost primary bids: Rep. Yehiel Kalish, House District 16, and Rep. Yoni Pizer, House District 12. This…