Tag: federal government

  • SCOTUS issues two per curiam opinions, accepts new cases for review

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    The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued orders on June 28 from its weekly conference, issuing two per curiam opinions and granting review in two cases for its upcoming October 2021 term. The following two cases were decided without argument in per curiam rulings. A per curiam opinion is unsigned and delivered by…

  • Federal Register weekly update: 566 documents added

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    The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s overall regulatory activity, accounting for both regulatory and deregulatory actions. From June 21 through June 25, the Federal Register grew by 1,492 pages for a…

  • Reviewing government responses to the coronavirus pandemic from one year ago this week

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    Although the first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was confirmed on Jan. 21, 2020, it wasn’t until March when the novel coronavirus upended life for most Americans. Throughout the year, states issued stay-at-home orders, closed schools, restricted travel, issued mask mandates, and changed election dates. Here are the policy changes that happened June 22-26,…

  • President Biden nominates six to Article III courts; two to D.C. local courts

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    President Joe Biden (D) nominated six individuals to Article III judgeships with lifetime terms on June 15: • Myrna Pérez, to the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit • Jia Cobb, to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia • Sarah A.L. Merriam, to the United States District Court…

  • COVID-19 policy changes and events one year ago this week

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    Although the first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was confirmed on Jan. 21, 2020, it wasn’t until March when the novel coronavirus upended life for most Americans. Throughout the year, states issued stay-at-home orders, closed schools, restricted travel, issued mask mandates, and changed election dates. Here are the policy changes that happened June 15-19,…

  • SCOTUS decides case concerning Armed Career Criminal Act in 5-4 opinion

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    The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued an opinion in one case on June 10, Borden v. United States, which involved the use-of-force clause in the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). The case was argued during the November argument sitting. Charles Borden Jr. pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon. The…

  • Federal Register weekly update: 87 new final rules

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    The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s overall regulatory activity, accounting for both regulatory and deregulatory actions. From June 7 through June 11, the Federal Register grew by 1,296 pages for a…

  • Exploring the history of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996

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    You may have heard about Section 230, but what exactly is it? Section 230 is a federal law passed as part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) which contains two provisions that prevent internet service providers and website companies from being held liable for most content created by users of their services, including…

  • Federal Register weekly update: Year-to-date total tops 30,000 pages

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    The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s overall regulatory activity, accounting for both regulatory and deregulatory actions. From May 31 through June 4, the Federal Register grew by 958 pages for a…

  • Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for May 2021

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    In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies in Article III courts from May 1 to June 1. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month. HIGHLIGHTS • Vacancies: There have been six new judicial vacancies since the April 2021 report. There are 82 vacancies…