The Encyclopedia of American Politics
Find election results and analysis here: https://t.co/991xta5ZHa
United States
Joined on 17 June, 2009
On Tuesday, SCOTUS heard arguments in 3 cases to round out the January sitting of the court’s 2020-2021 term. The court heard oral arguments via teleconference and provided live audio of the arguments.
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When the winners of the GA U.S. Senate runoffs were sworn in, the Democratic and Republican caucuses in the U.S. Senate were split 50-50. V.P. Kamala Harris (D) has the tie-breaking vote. How many times has the U.S. Senate been split evenly? Find out here:
The Senate confirmed Avril Haines as director of national intelligence on Wednesday, by a vote of 84-10. Haines previously served as an assistant to the president and principal deputy national security advisor during the Obama administration.
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed an executive order allowing state-defined low- and moderate-risk school sports to resume games and practices starting Jan. 20. Higher-risk sports and interstate competitions are still prohibited.
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Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 27 seat in the Connecticut state Senate for March 2. There is no primary, and candidates will be nominated directly by political parties.
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Candidates interested in running in the special election for Massachusetts House of Representatives Nineteenth Suffolk District have until Tuesday, January 26, to file. The primary is scheduled for March 2, and the general election is set for March 30.
Schools in areas of New Mexico with lower transmission rates of Covid-19 were permitted to begin reopening for in-person or hybrid instruction on Monday.
See school responses to the pandemic by state:
In New Mexico, schools in areas of the state with lower transmission rates were permitted to begin reopening for in-person or hybrid instruction on Jan. 18. #NMPolitics
Track school opening decisions in other states here:
In 2020, legislators (rather than a citizen initiative) put marijuana legalization on the ballot for the first time. The New Jersey Legislature was the first to refer a marijuana legalization measure to voters. Voters approved it, 67% to 33%. #NJLeg
St. Louis will hold a top-two primary election for mayor on March 2. Four candidates filed for the open seat. Candidates will run without partisan labels, and the two that receive the most votes will advance to the general election. #STLouis #MOPolitics
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) issued a 2020 update on the Trump administration's 2-for-1 regulatory policy. It found that agencies eliminated $198.6 billion in federal regulatory costs in fiscal year 2020. More on the report:
So far in 2021, there have been two new state supreme court vacancies in two of the 29 states where replacement justices are appointed instead of elected. The vacancies have both been caused by retirements.
Details can be found here:
The average margin of victory in the 2020 elections for U.S. House was lower than at any point since at least 2012. For more details, including a complete table of Congressional margins of victory in 2020, click here:
What’s next? Biden is expected to sign 17 executive orders, memoranda, and agency directives related to the coronavirus, economy, immigration, and other issues.
Keep up with the new administration by signing up for our newsletter, The Transition Tracker:
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) has been sworn in as the 46th president of the United States at noon today. Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has been sworn in as the 49th vice president of the United States.
Under the 20th Amendment, the terms of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will end at noon EST today.
Find the full text of the Amendment here:
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