Tag: state supreme court
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Marijuana legalization initiative will be on Nov. ballot, Florida Supreme Court rules
In November, voters in Florida will decide on a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment, Amendment 3, to legalize marijuana. The final step was for the amendment to receive approval from the Florida Supreme Court, which occurred on April 1. The campaign submitted enough signatures to meet the state’s requirement of 891,523. Smart & Safe Florida is leading…
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Florida Supreme Court rules on abortion: there is no right to abortion in the state’s Privacy Clause, but voters will decide the issue in Nov.
The Florida Supreme Court issued two rulings related to a state constitutional right to abortion on April 1. First, the court ruled that Amendment 2 (1980), which provided a state constitutional right to privacy, did not include the right to abortion, which is a change from a previous ruling in 1989. Second, the court ruled…
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Arizona Supreme Court ruling expands unemployment insurance eligibility to more workers who quit (2024)
The Arizona Supreme Court decided on January 26, 2024, to expand the definition of intolerable work conditions, making it easier for certain people who quit their jobs to claim unemployment insurance benefits. The court argued in its Barriga v. ADES/Precision ruling thatexisting regulations defining intolerable working conditions related to poor relationships with coworkers did not…
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Oregon Supreme Court upholds secretary of state’s interpretation of Measure 113 excluding 10 senators from seeking re-election after their walkout last May
The Oregon Supreme Court ruled that nine Republican state senators and one independent who participated in a legislative walkout in May 2023 could not seek re-election under Measure 113—a 2022 ballot initiative that makes legislators ineligible to be re-elected to a subsequent term if they accrue 10 or more unexcused absences. On May 3, 2023,…
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Minnesota Supreme Court to hear challenge of new felon voting law
The Minnesota Supreme Court will hear a challenge to a new law that automatically restores voting rights to people convicted of a felony who are still on parole, probation, or supervised release in the state. On March 3, 2023, Governor Tim Walz (D) signed House File 28 into law. Previously in Minnesota, the state restored voting rights to people convicted of…
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State supreme courts issue 6,722 opinions in 2023, fewer than 2022 and 2021
State supreme courts issued 6,722 opinions in 2023. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia led the field with 528 opinions issued, followed by Texas with 446 and Delaware with 435. In comparison, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 opinions in 2021. State supreme courts issued an average of 129…
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State supreme court vacancy 2023 recap
From January 1 through December 21, 2023, Ballotpedia tracked 20 state supreme court vacancies. This was the second-lowest number of vacancies since Ballotpedia started tracking state supreme court vacancies in 2019. Of the 20 vacancies, 13 (65%) were caused by a justice resigning from their seat. Of the 13 retirements, seven (54%) were voluntary, with…
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State supreme court vacancy count for December 2023
In this month’s state supreme court vacancy update, Ballotpedia tracked announced retirements, nominations, appointments, confirmations, and swearing ins of justices from December 1 to December 21, 2023. Ballotpedia tracks court vacancies in all 52 state supreme courts. Announced retirements: No new retirements were announced. Candidates nominated/appointed: One candidate was nominated to fill a vacancy. Nominees…
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State supreme court vacancy count for November 2023
In this month’s state supreme court vacancy update, Ballotpedia tracked announced retirements, nominations, appointments, confirmations, and new justices taking office from November 1 to November 30, 2023. Ballotpedia tracks court vacancies in all 52 state supreme courts. Announced retirements: Two state supreme court justices announced their intention to retire from their state’s highest court in…
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State supreme courts issue 108 opinions from Nov. 20-26
State supreme courts issued 108 opinions from Nov. 20-26. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court led the field with 25 opinions issued, followed by New York with 18 and North Dakota with 12. Last week’s 108 opinions account for 2% of the year-to-date total of 6,079. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia leads with 528…