Category: Uncategorized

On Dec. 26, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that public-sector unions cannot be required to refund fees paid prior to Janus v. AFSCME. In Janus, the U.S. Supreme Court held that compulsory collection of union fees violates workers’ free-speech and associational rights. Who are the parties to the suit?…

Three new state legislative special elections have been added to our list. The special elections are for the District 8, 18, and 58 seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on March 17, 2020. There is no primary, and there is no filing deadline since candidates are nominated directly by political parties.

Donald Humason Jr. (R) resigned from his position in the Massachusetts State Senate on January 6, 2020, to assume office as the mayor of Westfield, Massachusetts. Humason Jr. had represented the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District in the Senate since 2013. He previously represented the 4th Hampden District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from…

On January 7, 2020, North Carolina State Senator Floyd McKissick (D) resigned his seat after representing Senate District 20 for 13 years. McKissick stepped down to accept an appointment to the North Carolina Utilities Commission made by Gov. Roy Cooper (D). The North Carolina Utilities Commission is a seven-person executive board in the North Carolina…

Massachusetts State Representative Jennifer Benson (D) resigned on January 8, 2020, after representing the 37th Middlesex District for 10 years. Benson resigned from state House to lead the Alliance for Business Leadership, a non-partisan coalition of business leaders focused on economic development in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A special election to fill the 37th Middlesex…

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) appointed businesswoman Jessica Castleberry (R) to fill the vacant District 35 state Senate seat on December 31, 2019. Castleberry assumed office on January 1, 2020, and her term will end on January 11, 2021. Castleberry’s appointment came after former state Senator Lyndi Santo (R) resigned effective December 31, 2019.…

Former Maryland State Senator Ulysses Currie (D) died on December 27, 2019, at age 82. The late lawmaker’s wife, Shirley Gravely-Currie, cited the cause of death as advanced dementia. Currie had most recently represented Maryland State Senate District 25. Currie’s health declined during his final years in the legislature, and he chose not to seek…

The statewide filing deadline to run for U.S. Congress in Mississippi is on January 10, 2020. In Mississippi, prospective candidates may file for the following offices: • U.S. Senate (the incumbent, Cindy Hyde-Smith (R), has announced that she is filing for re-election) • U.S. House (four seats) The primary is scheduled for March 10, and…

Governor Larry Hogan (R) appointed former Delegate Charles Sydnor III (D) to the Maryland State Senate on December 30, 2019. Sydnor previously represented District 44B in the House and is now representing District 44 in the Senate. The Senate seat was left vacant due to the resignation of Shirley Nathan-Pulliam (D), who resigned on December…

Colorado State Senator Lois Court (D) announced that she will resign from the Colorado State Senate on January 16, 2020. Court is currently representing state Senate District 31. She announced her resignation after discovering she is battling a rare disorder—Guillain-Barré syndrome—which caused her hospitalization on December 31, 2019. A replacement will be appointed by a…