Category: State
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Election legislation roundup: Colorado State Senate
As of April 16, Ballotpedia has tracked two election-related bills in the Colorado State Senate since the beginning of the year. Of the two, Ballotpedia tracked one from April 10-16. Democrats sponsored this bill. The one bill is below: CO SB276: Modifications to Laws Regarding Elections, Sen. Stephen Fenberg (D) and Rep. Emily Sirota (D). …
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North Dakota Senate sustains Gov. Burgum’s (R) veto of HB1273
The North Dakota State Senate voted to sustain Gov. Doug Burgum’s (R) veto of HB1273 on April 19, 2023. The bill would have prohibited the use of approval or ranked-choice voting methods in the state. Twenty-eight Senators voted to override the veto while 19 voted to sustain. In the North Dakota Senate, a two-thirds majority…
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At least 27 state legislators have been expelled since 2000
Over the past month, three elected officials were expelled from state legislatures: Reps. Liz Harris (R-Ariz.), Justin Jones (D-Tenn.), and Justin Pearson (D-Tenn.). Local officials later re-appointed Jones and Pearson to their seats. For Harris, local Republican committee members gave the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors three names—including Harris’—to choose from on April 18. In…
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State supreme courts issued 91 opinions from April 10-16
State supreme courts issued 91 opinions from April 10-16, 2023. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the North Dakota Supreme Court led the field with nine opinions each, followed by Delaware and Mississippi with seven each. Last week’s 91 opinions are the fewest in one week this year and account for 4% of the…
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New Mexico Supreme Court issues one opinion from April 10-16
The New Mexico Supreme Court issued one opinion from April 10-16. As of April 16, the court issued 11 opinions in 2023 — three more than this point a year ago. The opinion is below: Indigenous Lifeways v. N.M. Compilation Comm’n Advisory Comm., where the court found that “Petitioners [had] not shown that the 2020…
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Colorado Supreme Court issues two opinions from April 10-16
The Colorado Supreme Court issued two opinions from April 10-16. As of April 16, the court issued 16 opinions in 2023 — four fewer than this point a year ago. The two opinions are below: Colorado v. Rainey, where the court “determined a defendant did not have a right to continued representation by a particular…
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Florida Supreme Court issues three opinions from April 10-16
The Florida Supreme Court issued three opinions from April 10-16. As of April 16, the court issued 28 opinions in 2023 —14 fewer than this point a year ago. The three opinions are below: Wells v. State, where the court “affirmed Defendant’s conviction of first-degree murder and sentence of death, holding that Defendant was not…
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Iowa Supreme Court issues five opinions from April 10-16
The Iowa Supreme Court issued five opinions from April 10-16. As of April 16, the court issued 40 opinions in 2023 — one fewer than this point a year ago. Three of five opinions are below: Belin v. Reynolds, where the court “affirmed as modified the judgment of the district court denying Defendants’ motion to…
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Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and Texas Supreme Court issue 14 opinions from April 10-16
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued nine opinions from April 10-16. The Texas Supreme Court issued five opinions from April 10-16. Both courts are the state’s courts of last resort. As of April 16, the court of criminal appeals issued 101 opinions in 2023 — 18 more than this point a year ago. The…
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U.S. district judge strikes two Indiana laws affecting teachers union members
On March 30, Senior U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker struck down two Indiana laws passed in 2021 and 2022 that allowed teachers to resign from their union at any time and required annual authorization of union dues deductions. Barker wrote: “Here, SEA 251 and SEA 297 single out a specific group—union-supporting teachers—to subject to additional procedural requirements in order…