Tag: State courts
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25 of 26 Florida state judges file for retention
State court justices in Florida had until April 24, 2020, to file to run for retention. The terms of 26 Florida state court justices—one supreme court justice and 25 appellate court justices—are set to expire in January 2021. The retention elections are scheduled for November 3, 2020. A retention election provides voters with the option…
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Lawsuit concerning voting rights restoration in Florida goes to trial
Florida voters approved Amendment 4, a citizen initiative, in 2018 by a vote of 65% in favor to 35% against. The initiative was designed to automatically restore the right to vote for people with prior felony convictions, except those convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense, upon completion of their sentences, including prison, parole,…
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Four Iowa Supreme Court justices face a retention election in November
Four Iowa Supreme Court justices will face retention elections on November 3, 2020. The justices facing retention are Susan Christensen, Edward Mansfield, Christopher McDonald, and Thomas Waterman. All four justices were appointed by a Republican governor. Currently, six justices on the court were appointed by a Republican governor while one was appointed by a Democratic…
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Arkansas Voters First, redistricting initiative sponsors, file lawsuit seeking relief from signature petition requirements
Arkansas Voters First, sponsors of an initiative to create an independent redistricting commission, filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State John Thurston (R) on April 22. To qualify for the November ballot, sponsors need to submit 89,151 valid signatures by July 3, 2020. Signatures for Arkansas initiatives must be collected in person. Currently, none of…
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SCOTUS issues opinions in three cases
The U.S. Supreme Court issued decisions in three cases on April 20 during its October 2019 term. 1. Ramos v. Louisiana originated from the Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeal and was argued on October 7, 2019. It concerned the right to a unanimous verdict in a jury trial. The issue: “Whether the Fourteenth Amendment…
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Candidate filing periods end in Michigan and Florida
Major party filing deadlines passed to run for elected office in Michigan on April 21 and Florida on April 24. In Michigan, candidates filed for the following state offices: Michigan House of Representatives (110 seats) Ballotpedia is also covering local elections in Wayne County Michigan’s filing deadline was extended from April 21 to May 8,…
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Ohio primary election preview
Ohio will hold a statewide primary on April 28. The primary was originally scheduled to be held on March 17, but polls were closed by the order of the state health director due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) signed HB 197 into law on March 27, extending absentee voting in the…
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Arkansas Supreme Court limits judicial deference to state agencies
An April 9 Arkansas Supreme Court ruling limited how much deference agency interpretations of law would receive in the future. The court ruled in Meyers v. Yamato Kogyo Co. that the court should determine the meaning of state laws for itself and should not defer to state agency interpretations. Justice Shawn Womack delivered the opinion…
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Two Nebraska Supreme Court justices face retention elections in November
Two Nebraska Supreme Court justices, Lindsey Miller-Lerman and Jeffrey Funke will face retention elections on November 3, 2020. Justice Funke was appointed in 2016 by Governor Pete Ricketts (R), while justice Miller-Lerman was appointed in 1998 by Governor Ben Nelson (D). As of September 2019, six Justices on the court were appointed by a Republican…
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Supreme Court of Georgia holds oral argument via video conferencing
On April 20, 2020, The Supreme Court of Georgia held oral arguments via video conferencing. It is the first time in the court’s 175 year history that arguments were held virtually. Ballotpedia is tracking how state courts are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Other recent updates include: Colorado – The Colorado Supreme Court extended its suspension…