The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled against an attempt to allow Arkansas to institute work requirements for Medicaid recipients. On February 14, 2020, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit ruled in Gresham v. Azar that Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Alex…
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Silvia Carreño-Coll to the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico on a 96-0 vote. Overall, the Senate has confirmed 193 of President Trump’s judicial nominees—138 district court judges, 51 appeals court judges, two Court of International Trade judges, and two Supreme Court justices. Carreño-Coll was a federal…
The U.S. Senate confirmed four nominees to U.S. District Court judgeships. The Senate has confirmed 192 of President Trump’s Article III judicial nominees—two Supreme Court justices, 51 appellate court judges, 137 district court judges, and two U.S. Court of International Trade judges—since January 2017. The confirmed nominees are: Philip Halpern, confirmed to the U.S. District…
On February 12, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Jennifer Rearden to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and Saritha Komatireddy to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Following nomination by the president, a federal judicial nominee completes a questionnaire that…
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Andrew Brasher to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on a 52-43 vote. Overall, the Senate has confirmed 188 of President Trump’s Article III judicial nominees—two Supreme Court justices, 51 appellate court judges, 133 district court judges, and two U.S. Court of International Trade judges—since January 2017.…
In this month’s federal judicial vacancy count, Ballotpedia tracked nominations, confirmations, and vacancies from January 3, 2020, to February 3, 2020. Ballotpedia publishes the federal judicial vacancy count at the start of each month. HIGHLIGHTS Vacancies: There have been three new judicial vacancies since the December 2019 report. There are 75 vacancies out of 870…
Donald Trump appointed and the Senate confirmed 187 Article III federal judges through February 1, 2020, his fourth year in office. This is the second-most Article III judicial appointments through this point in a presidency of all presidents dating back to Theodore Roosevelt. Only Jimmy Carter (197) had more. The average number of federal judges…
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, wrote a concurring opinion to a recent case arguing that lower courts often abuse their judicial powers when they issue nationwide injunctions. Gorsuch ended his opinion saying he hoped that the U.S. Supreme Court would resolve questions about the rise of nationwide injunctions. The U.S.…
Washington Supreme Court Justice Charles K. Wiggins is retiring at the end of March 2020. In a prepared statement, Wiggins said he wished to spend more time with his wife, Nancy, and his family. Wiggins was elected to the state supreme court in 2010 and re-elected in 2016. He was previously a Division 2 judge…
On Jan. 20, an employee of the University of Washington filed a class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court, alleging that her union, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 925, had unconstitutionally barred her and other employees from opting out of union membership. Who are the parties to the suit? The lead plaintiff is Charlene Wagner, a…