Tag: news
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Bert Reeves resigns from Georgia House
Georgia State Representative Bert Reeves (R) resigned from the state’s General Assembly on April 30 to take a new role at Georgia Tech. He represented District 34 from 2015 to 2021. Reeves will serve as the school’s vice president for institute relations, working on government and community relations and economic development. Reeves graduated from Georgia…
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A look back at government responses to the coronavirus pandemic, May 3-8, 2020
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 that spring, states issued stay-at-home orders, closed schools, restricted travel, issued mask mandates, and changed election dates. Many of those policies remain in place today. Here…
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Louisiana State Senate District 7 special election set for July 10
Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 7 seat in the Louisiana State Senate for July 10, 2021. The seat became vacant after Troy Carter (D) was elected to the U.S. House to represent Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District on April 24. The primary is on June 12, and the filing deadline is…
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SCOTUS issues opinions
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued opinions in two cases this week. One case, Niz-Chavez v. Garland, was argued before the court on Nov. 9. The case Alaska v. Wright was decided without argument. Alaska v. Wright originated from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. In 2009, Sean Wright…
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Florida to vote in 2022 on abolishing the Florida Constitution Revision Commission
The Florida State Legislature gave final approval to SJR 204 on April 27, 2021. The measure, which will appear on the November 2022 ballot in Florida, would abolish the Florida Constitution Revision Commission if approved by 60% of voters. The Florida Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) is a 37-member commission provided for in the state constitution…
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SCOTUS concludes April sitting
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) concluded its April sitting for its 2020-2021 term on April 28. This sitting ran from April 19 through April 28, during which time the court heard 12 hours of oral argument. The cases argued before SCOTUS during its April sitting included: • April 19: Yellen v. Confederated…
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Kenneth Paschal wins special primary runoff in Alabama House district
A Republican primary runoff was held on April 27 in the special election for District 73 of the Alabama House of Representatives. Kenneth Paschal earned 51% of the vote in the runoff, defeating Leigh Hulsey. Paschal and Hulsey advanced from the Republican primary on March 30. Sheridan Black advanced from the Democratic primary without opposition…
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New apportionment data released – six states gain congressional seats, seven states lose seats
On April 26, 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau released it post-2020 census apportionment counts. Six states—Texas (two seats), Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon—gained seats. Seven states—California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia—each lost a seat. Of the six states that gained congressional seats, three are Republican trifectas (Texas, Florida, and…
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Newsom recall meets signature requirement; signees can remove names until June 8
The California Secretary of State announced that 1,626,042 signatures were valid in the recall campaign against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Voters have until June 8 to request the removal of their signature from the petition. The request must be sent in writing to a county election official. If enough valid signatures remain following the June…
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SCOTUS grants review in three new cases for its 2021-2022 term
The U.S. Supreme Court accepted three additional cases for review during its 2021-2022 term on April 26. With the addition of these three cases, the court has agreed to hear 14 cases during the term, which is scheduled to begin on Oct. 4. • Houston Community College System v. Wilson concerns free speech protections and…