Tag: Federal Courts
-
Supreme Court issues final orders of October Term 2019-2020
On July 9, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its final orders from its October 2019-2020 Term, granting review in six cases for a total of four hours of oral argument during its upcoming October Term for 2020-2021. The cases have not yet been scheduled for argument. Collins v. Mnuchin (Consolidated with…
-
U.S. Supreme Court: Agencies had authority to create religious and moral exemptions from Obamacare contraception mandate
With a 7-2 decision in Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld religious and moral exemptions to Obamacare’s contraception mandate. The majority opinion held that federal agencies followed proper procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) to create the exemptions, and that the Little Sisters…
-
SCOTUS issues opinion in consolidated cases regarding employment discrimination claims filed against religious institutions
On July 8, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued an opinion in the case Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, which was consolidated with the case St. James v. Biel. Both cases originated from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and concerned employment discrimination claims filed against religious…
-
Ballotpedia releases federal judicial vacancy count for June
In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from June 2, 2020, to July 1, 2020. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month. HIGHLIGHTS • Vacancies: There have been two new judicial vacancies since the May 2020 report. There are 73 vacancies out of 870 active Article…
-
Trump has appointed second-most federal judges through July 1 of a president’s fourth year
Donald Trump has appointed and the Senate has confirmed 200 Article III federal judges through July 1, 2020, his fourth year in office. This is the second-most Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies since Jimmy Carter (D). The Senate had confirmed 247 of Carter’s appointees at this point in his term.…
-
U.S. Supreme Court rules on Title VII and sexual orientation, and the U.S. Forest Service’s authority to grant rights-of-way
The U.S. Supreme Court issued two opinions in five cases. In Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia (consolidated with Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC), SCOTUS ruled “an employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates” Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of…
-
SCOTUS issues opinions in five cases
On June 1, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) issued rulings in five cases argued during its October 2019-2020 term: Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment LLC (Consolidated with Aurelius Investment v. Puerto Rico, Official Committee of Debtors v. Aurelius Investment, United States v. Aurelius Investment, and…
-
Unanimous U.S. Supreme Court rejects appointments clause challenge to Puerto Rican debt board
On June 1, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution does not require members of the Puerto Rican Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) to face confirmation by the U.S. Senate. The Appointments Clause gives the president authority to appoint officers of the United States, subject to confirmation…
-
Federal judge requires Ohio to accept electronic signatures from initiative campaigns seeking to place minimum wage and voting changes on the ballot
On May 19, U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus ordered Ohio to accept electronic signatures from the campaigns sponsoring the Minimum Wage Increase Initiative and the Voting Requirements Initiative. The judge also extended the signature deadline from July 1 to July 31. The judge’s order only applies to the ballot measure campaigns that sued the…
-
U.S. Senate confirms federal judges for first time since February
The U.S. Senate confirmed three nominees to U.S. District Court judgeships. The Senate has confirmed 196 of President Trump’s Article III judicial nominees—two Supreme Court justices, 51 appellate court judges, 141 district court judges, and two U.S. Court of International Trade judges—since January 2017. The confirmed nominees are: Scott Rash, confirmed to the United States…