Tag: State courts
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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…
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Judge Segal appointed chief judge of Minnesota Court of Appeals
Gov. Tim Walz (D) appointed judge Susan Segal as chief judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals on April 13. Segal will serve the remainder of Edward J. Cleary’s term as chief of the court, which ends on October 31, 2022. Cleary announced his retirement effective April 30 in the fall of 2019. Segal becomes…
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Illinois Supreme Court rules fantasy sports a game of skill, not chance
In April 2016, Illinois residents Colin Dew-Becker and Andrew Wu competed in a fantasy sports contest hosted by the website FanDuel. They each paid a total of $109: a $100 wager and a $9 fee to the company. Wu defeated Dew-Becker, and three days later Dew-Becker invoked an 1819 law called The Loss Recovery Act…
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Chief justice of Maine Supreme Court resigns
Chief justice Leigh Ingalls Saufley of the Maine State Supreme Court resigned April 14. She stepped down to take a new position as the dean of the University of Maine School of Law, her alma mater. Saufley first joined the court in 1997, following her appointment by independent then-governor Angus King. In 2001, Saufley became…