tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-223283912024-03-16T22:52:50.683-04:00The Western RightDefending Western Civilization from Western Michigan UniversityA.J.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11066306250335250019noreply@blogger.comBlogger2455125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-41227993305724855012024-02-01T00:32:00.000-05:002024-02-01T00:32:21.578-05:00February 2024 Judiciary News<p><b>2023 in Review:<br /></b><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Circuit judges</a>: Biden has filled 11 circuit court seats in 2023, for a total of 39 overall. Only 1 of the 11 replaced an R appointee (moderately conservative Brooks Smith). There are 4 more nominees waiting for votes. There are 4 more future vacancies without nominees. There are 14 more D-appointed circuit court judges who are eligible for senior status but have not yet taken it.</p>Three nominees are in red states (SC, TX, KS) and two in purple states (MT, OH). Three (SC, TX, KS) had support from home state R senators, and two (MT, OH) did not. Only 2 of 11 circuit appointees is a white male (4 of 39 overall). This compares to President Trump’s appointment of 50 Circuit judges in his first three years.<br /><br />The most votes for a circuit judge was 80 for Irma Carrillo Ramirez, and the smallest margin in 2023 was 2 for Nancy Abudu and Rachel Bloomekatz. Biden’s biggest impact is on the 9th Circuit, where he has appointed 8 judges and the 2nd Circuit (6 judges).<br /><br />District Judges: Biden appointed 58 district judges, for a total of 126 overall. This compares to President Trump’s appointment of 133 District judges in his first three years.<br /><br />Three district judges were confirmed by voice vote, Matthew Brookman (SD-IN), Amanda Brailsford (D-ID), and John Russell (ND-OK). Aside from them, the most votes was 67 for Jennifer L. Hall (D-DE). Six judges were confirmed by 1-vote margins (Araceli Martínez-Olguín, Margaret Guzman, Dale Ho, Nusrat Choudhury, Natasha Merle, Loren AliKhan). Seven (IN, ID, 3 LA, 2 OK) appointees are in red states, and none are in purple states.<br /><br /><a href="https://vettingroom.org/2023/12/31/judicial-nominations-2023-year-in-review/">Year in Review</a>: Harsh Voruganti of The Vetting Room reviews judicial nominations in 2023.<br /><p><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/by-the-numbers-five-big-moments-on-judicial-nominations-in-2023">Top Stories</a>: Bloomberg lists what it considers the top five stories on judicial nominations in 2023.</p><p><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/judicial-nominations-update-72/">Year in Review</a>: Carrie Severino reviews judicial nominations in 2023.</p><p><b>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</b></p><div><div><div><p><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/senate-democrats-destroy-their-committee-in-the-service-of-a-cause-many-of-them-dont-believe-in/">Judiciary Committee</a>: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to subpoena conservative activists Harlan Crow, Robin Arkley, and Leonard Leo as part of their effort to smear conservative judges. They could only do so by violating their own rules and ignoring amendments put forward by R senators.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/election-looms-biden-struggles-match-trumps-judicial-appointments-2023-12-26/">Biden nominations</a>: Leftists are worried that Biden will be unable to appoint as many judges as Trump did in his term.<br /><br /><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/two-biden-trial-court-picks-withdraw-from-consideration">Renomination</a>: President Biden did not renominate Scott Colom (ND-MS), Charnelle Bjelkengren (ED-WA), Todd Edelman (D-DC), Marian Gaston (SD-CA), and <a href="https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2024/01/09/colleen-holland-withdraws-as-nominee-for-federal-judgeship/72160416007/">Colleen Holland</a> (WD-NY). Colom did not get a blue slip from Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. Bjelkengren <a href="https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2023/01/26/watch-sen-john-kennedy-stumps-a-biden-judicial-nominee-with-some-basic-questions-n694136">failed basic questioning</a> by Senator Kennedy (R-LA).<br /><br /><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/left-tries-to-bully-dick-durbin-on-blue-slips/">Blue Slip</a>: Leftists are still trying to eliminate the blue slip for district judges, but Senator Durbin does not support this.</p><p><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/adeel-mangi-is-an-unconscionable-pick-for-the-third-circuit/">3rd Circuit</a>: Carrie Severino exposes nominee Adeel Mangi, who served on the board of advisors for the Center for Security, Race, and Rights at Rutgers Law School, which has a <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/third-circuit-nominee-refuses-to-repudiate-rhetoric-of-israeli-settler-colonialism/">long history</a> of promoting anti-Semitic and anti-Christian events.</p><p><a href="https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2024/01/26/watch-sen-kennedy-stumps-another-biden-judicial-nominee-n2169230">Claims</a>: Senator John Kennedy stumped nominee Robin Meriweather with the question of what are the grounds for granting a new trial in the Court of Federal Claims.<br /><br />Nominations:<br />TBA</p><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div><div><br /><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/nyts-inside-story-on-dobbs/">Supreme Court</a>: The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/us/supreme-court-dobbs-roe-abortion.html">has a story</a> about the Dobbs abortion case using sources from inside the Supreme Court. They try to imply that the person who leaked the Dobbs draft was a conservative, but Ed Whelan <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/nyt-bolsters-liberal-leaker-theory/">shows that</a> <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/nyt-fools-its-readers/">close reading</a> of the article suggests the opposite.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/sandra-day-oconnor-first-woman-on-the-supreme-court-dies-at-93/">O'Connor</a>: Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor died on December 1 at age 93. She was appointed by Reagan in 1981 and retired in 2006. She was previously an Arizona state senator (1969-75) and Arizona Court of Appeals judge (1979-81).<br /><br /><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/sotomayor-admits-every-conservative-supreme-court-victory-traumatizes-her/">Sotomayor</a>: In a recent speech, Justice Sotomayor said "I live in frustration. And as you heard, every loss truly traumatizes me in my stomach and in my heart."</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://davidlat.substack.com/p/integrity-an-interview-with-judge-pauline-newman">Federal Circuit</a>: David Lat recently interviewed Judge Pauline Newman, who was suspended for one year from her duties by the Federal Circuit. Critics claim she is unable to fulfill her duties, but she seems lucid in the interview. She claims that she is being <a href="https://ipwatchdog.com/2023/07/09/chief-judge-moore-v-judge-newman-unacceptable-breakdown-court-governance-collegiality-procedural-fairness/id=163181/">mistreated</a> due to her <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/judges-attack-judicial-independence-newman-federal-circuit-discipline-age-politics-law-95bee95a?st=ijqk8ymgnbjqc4v&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">frequent dissents</a> and is <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/dc-court-weighs-96-year-old-federal-judges-lawsuit-over-suspension-2024-01-25/">challenging her suspension in court</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 91 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past two months are listed below.</div></div><div><div>D-MN: Wilhelmina Wright (Obama) 2/15/24 (resigned)</div><div>ED-NY: Joan Azrack (Obama) 12/19/24 (senior)</div><div>ED-LA: Sarah Vance (Clinton) 1/16/24 (senior)<br />SD-NY: Lorna Schofield (Obama) 12/31/24 (senior)<br />4th Circuit: James Wynn (Obama) TBD (senior)<br />7th Circuit: Ilana Rovner (HW) TBD (senior)<br />CD-CA: Dale Fischer (W) 5/1/2024 (senior)<br />11th Circuit: Charles Wilson (Clinton) 12/31/24 (senior)<br />CD-CA: Philip Gutierrez (W) 10/15/24 (senior)<br /><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /><a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-supreme-courts-abortion-redistricting-2024-931a453131fac282815ae31b4f0ea271">Elections</a>: The AP has a preview of state supreme court elections that are likely to be hotly contested in 2024.<br /><br /><a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Arkansas_Supreme_Court_elections,_2024">Arkansas</a>: Two seats are up for election on March 5. </div><div>Chief Justice: John Dan Kemp is retiring. Current justices Karen Baker, Barbara Webb, and Rhonda Wood are all seeking the seat. The final candidate is former state rep Jay Martin (D).</div><div><div>Seat 2: Appointed incumbent Cody Hiland (R) is ineligible to run for reelection. Seat 3 incumbent Courtney Rae Hudson is seeking this seat on the dubious rationale that she would be able to avoid age limits for a few more years (even though she is only 50). The other candidate is Circuit Judge Carlton Jones.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.masslive.com/politics/2023/12/gov-maura-healey-nominates-mass-solicitor-elizabeth-dewar-to-fill-sjc-seat.html">Massachusetts</a>: Governor Maura Healey (D) nominated State Solicitor Elizabeth Dewar to replace Elspeth Cypher, who will retire on January 1. Dewar clerked for Louis Pollak (ED-PA), William Fletcher (9th Circuit), and Breyer at the Supreme Court. She was appointed solicitor by Healey in 2016.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://mtstandard.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/attorneys-fees-supreme-court-ruling-high-court-bad-faith-legislature/article_a3f5a5e5-205d-5502-a9a8-b4f7c94c94fa.html">Montana</a>: The Montana Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that the state legislature must pay attorney's fees to lawyers who sued to overturn a bill to reform abuses by Montana's leftist judges.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.chattanoogan.com/2024/1/4/480581/Council-Sends-3-Names-To-Governor-For.aspx">Tennessee</a>: The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments selected three of <a href="https://www.chattanoogan.com/2023/12/11/479556/6-Apply-For-Upcoming-Tennessee-Supreme.aspx">six applicants</a> as finalists for a vacancy on the Tennessee Supreme Court. The seat will be vacated by Justice Roger Page in August. Governor Bill Lee will get his third appointment to the court.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.thecheyennepost.com/news/governor-gordon-appoints-robert-jarosh-to-the-wyoming-supreme-court/article_bd18bdae-b7b1-11ee-bd9f-7b85dcba0698.html">Wyoming</a>: Governor Mark Gordon appointed Robert Jarosh to the Wyoming Supreme Court. Jarosh clerked for Magistrate Judge William Beamon (D-WY) and works in private practice. He was one of <a href="https://www.thecheyennepost.com/news/judicial-nominating-commission-announces-nominees-for-wyoming-supreme-court-vacancy/article_70d662fe-a0ee-11ee-8fe6-cb315d2e2141.html">three finalists</a> to replace Justice Keith Kautz, who leaves the court on March 26.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Numbers and Trivia:</strong></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Chief Judges: The Presidents who appointed chief judges of the 13 appeals courts are W (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, Fed) and Obama (1, 4, 9, DC). There are two chief judges that will change in 2024. They are expected to be</div><div>5th Circuit (October 4) Priscilla Richman (W) -> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Jennifer Elrod (W)<br />8th Circuit (March 11) Lavenski Smith (W) -> Steven Colloton (W)</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are the numbers of senior status declarations/retirements for federal judges (circuit judges) for the past year.</div><div><br /></div><div>4 (1) January 2023</div><div>3 (1) February</div><div>8 (0) March/April</div><div>2 (0) May</div><div>4 (0) June</div><div>1 (0) July</div><div>7 (0) August/September</div><div>13 (1) October/November</div><div>2 (0) December 2023</div><div><br />44 (3) Total (2023)</div><div>59 (8) Total (2022)</div><div>99 (30) Total (2021)<br /><br /></div></div><div><b>History:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>On Ed Whelan's Substack, "<a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/">Confirmation Tales</a>", recent posts deal with George W. Bush's nomination of federal judges.</div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/preparing-for-rehnquists-resignation">Preparing For Rehnquist's Resignation</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/2004-senate-victories-pave-smooth">2004 Senate Victories Pave Smooth Path to Supreme Court Confirmation</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/arlen-specter-stumbles-into-dream-role">Arlen Specter Stumbles into Dream Role as Judiciary Committee Chairman</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/rehnquist-stuns-oconnor-into-retiring">Rehnquist Stuns O'Connor Into Retiring<br /></a><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/could-justice-oconnor-have-revoked">Could Justice O'Connor Have Revoked Her Retirement Decision?</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/the-day-i-met-john-roberts-changed">The Day I Met John Roberts Changed My Life<br /></a><br /></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-118.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2023-2024</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2024">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2024</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2024">Elections 2024</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/01/october-2022-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/18/2022-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/12/01/december-2022-judiciary-news/">December</a><br />2023: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/01/02/january-2023-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/02/01/february-2023-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/03/02/march-2023-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/04/30/may-2023-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/06/01/june-2023-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/06/30/july-2023-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/08/01/august-2023-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/09/30/october-2023-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/11/30/december-2023-judiciary-news/">December</a></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-4811102508587803692023-12-30T14:04:00.000-05:002023-12-30T14:04:20.177-05:00Kalamazoo's War on Motorists: The Parkview/Oakland Intersection<p>The city of Kalamazoo isn't finishing making life worse for motorists. Its latest target is the intersection of Parkview/Whites Road and Oakland Drive.<br /><br /><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2023/06/kalamazoos-war-on-motorists-bicycle.html">Kalamazoo's War on Motorists: Bicycle Lanes<br /></a><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2023/06/kalamazoos-war-on-motorists-downtown.html">Kalamazoo's War on Motorists: Downtown Streets<br /></a><br />This intersection has long been a problem for motorists. Both roads are major thoroughfares and should be 4-5 lanes to move traffic efficiently through the city. Sadly, the planners who designed Kalamazoo long ago made the right of way too narrow on most of these roads for this to be practical. Only Parkview/Whites between Oakland and Westnedge is (mostly) four lanes. In fact, it was only 20-30 years ago that Oakland (between Parkview and Kilgore) and Parkview (between Oakland and Greenleaf Boulevard) were widened from two to three lanes.<br /><br />When traffic is heavy, it becomes difficult to move it all through the intersection in a timely manner, and traffic tends to back up on both roads. To address this problem, a decade ago the city of Kalamazoo <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2013/12/oakland_drive_and_parkview_ave_1.html">added extra through lanes</a> to Parkview and Oakland to double the volume of traffic that could travel straight through the intersection. The extra lanes end soon after the intersection, so drivers can merge into a single lane once they are safely past the traffic light.<br /><br />This year, Kalamazoo's city planners decided to sabotage their work from a decade ago. The extra through lanes have been eliminated by the addition of "bump-outs" at the intersection. This would seem to create a safety hazard, since most of the lanes are still there, but they suddenly disappear at the intersection.<br /><br />The motive for the change is baffling. My best guess is that it is supposed to help pedestrians, on the theory that they can cross a three lane road, but find a four lane road an insuperable challenge. Not surprisingly, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/kzoo/comments/17umhot/oakland_and_parkview/">the change has already made the intersection worse</a> for drivers.<br /><br />To add insult to injury, Whites road <a href="https://www.imaginekalamazoo.com/projects/whitesroaddiet/">will soon undergo</a> a "<a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2023/06/kalamazoos-war-on-motorists-bicycle.html">road diet</a>", reducing from four lanes to three and further complicating life for Kalamazoo's motorists. Driving in Kalamazoo will continue to get worse as long as the the same fools are in charge of the city.<br /></p>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-3690744687119189212023-11-30T13:52:00.001-05:002023-11-30T17:54:25.091-05:00December 2023 Judiciary News<p><b>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</b></p><div><div><div><p><a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4261779-laphonza-butler-feinstein-senate-judiciary-committee/">Judiciary Committee</a>: The late senator Dianne Feinstein’s seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee will be filled by Laphonza Butler (D-CA), just as she filled Feinstein's senate seat.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/senate-judiciary-committee-stalls-amid-partisan-firestorm-over-supreme-court-subpoenas-court-nominees/">Judiciary Committee</a>: Senate Ds are planning to subpoena conservative activists Harlan Crow, Robin Arkley, and Leonard Leo as part of their effort to smear conservative judges. The committee stalled due to R opposition to the plan, including <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/senate-judiciary-democrat-subpoena-show-never-mind/">threats to subpoena</a> numerous leftist individuals and organizations.<br /><br /><a href="https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2023/11/16/watch-sen-kennedy-nails-biden-judicial-nominee-who-cant-answer-basic-legal-question-n2166411">ND-OK</a>: Under questioning from Sen. John Kennedy, nominee Sara Hill was unable to explain the difference between a "stay" order and an "injunction" order.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/biden-nominates-five-judges-republican-led-states-2023-11-01/">SD-FL</a>: The White House finally reached a deal with Florida's R senators on judicial nominations. Notably, the deal includes David Leibowitz, "nephew of billionaire Norman Braman, a longtime Rubio benefactor", who was considered but not nominated under Trump.<br /><br />Nominations:<br />TBA</p><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div><div><br /><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/supreme-court-adopts-code-of-conduct/">Ethics</a>: The Supreme Court issued a code of ethics, largely codifying its existing practices. While this is likely a response to leftist attacks on the court, it is <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/chemerinskys-confused-criticism-of-courts-code-of-conduct/">unlikely that critics</a> <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/for-the-courts-critics-its-never-truly-been-about-ethics/">will be satisfied</a>.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/maryanne-trump-barry-sister-donald-federal-judge-dead-86/">3rd Circuit</a>: Maryanne Trump Barry, older sister of former president Trump, died in November at age 86. She was appointed to D-NJ by Reagan in 1983 and to the 3rd Circuit by Clinton in 1999. She took senior status in 2011 and retired in 2019.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 97 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below.</div></div><div><div>ED-LA: Eldon Fallon (Clinton) 1/1/24 (senior)</div><div>ED-MO: Ronnie White (Obama) 7/31/24 (retired)</div><div>ED-CA: Kimberly Mueller (Obama) 9/17/24 (senior)</div><div>D-MD: James Bredar (Obama) 4/30/24 (senior)</div><div>SD-OH: Algernon Marbley (Clinton) TBD (senior)<br />CD-IL: James Shadid (Obama) 9/27/24 (senior)<br />ND-CA: Edward Davila (Clinton) TBD (senior)<br />MD-PA: Malachy Mannion (Obama) 1/3/24 (senior)<br />D-AZ: G. Murray Snow (W) 10/21/24 (senior)<br />1st Circuit: William Kayatta (Obama) TBD (senior)</div><div>D-MA: Patti Saris (Clinton) TBD (senior)<br />ND-IL: Rebecca Pallmeyer (Clinton) 8/1/24 (senior)<br />MD-FL: Timothy Corrigan (W) 11/2/24 (senior)</div><div><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/10/green-nominates-ginoza-devens-to-hawaii-supreme-court/">Hawaii</a>: Governor Josh Green (D) nominated Lisa Ginoza and Vladimir Devens to fill the Hawaii Supreme Court seats vacated by Justices Michael Wilson and Paula Nakayama. Ginoza is chief judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, and has served on it since 2010. Devens is a labor attorney in private practice.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://boisedev.com/news/2023/11/06/cynthia-meyer-supreme-court/">Idaho</a>: Governor Brad Little appointed Cynthia Meyer to the Idaho Supreme Court. She was appointed a district judge by Butch Otter in 2015. She was one of <a href="https://www.ktvb.com/video/news/local/nominees-announced-for-idaho-supreme-court/277-bfdddbc9-e976-40e5-a618-0ec05c5b4015">four people nominated</a> by the Idaho Judicial Council for the seat being vacated by John Stegner.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/11/29/massachusetts-high-court-david-lowy-retire">Massachusetts</a>: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice David Lowy will retire from the court on February 3, 2024 to become general counsel for University of Massachusetts. He was appointed by Charlie Baker in 2016. Governor Maura Healey (D) will appoint replacements for Lowy and Elspeth Cypher, who will retire on January 12. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2023/10/30/ginger-gooch-appointed-to-missouri-supreme-court/71387149007/">Missouri</a>: Governor Mike Parson (R) appointed Missouri Court of Appeals judge Ginger Gooch to the seat on the Missouri Supreme Court vacated by Justice Patricia Breckenridge. She was appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals in 2022. The <a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/three-finalists-named-for-opening-on-missouri-supreme-court/article_d58ce124-7294-11ee-8f1f-1f42a193f221.html">other two finalists</a> for the position were Missouri Court of Appeals judges Michael Gardner and John Torbitzky, who were among <a href="https://www.komu.com/news/state/applicants-for-missouri-supreme-court-vacancy-released/article_4877062a-67bd-11ee-83de-d77ec14abd8a.html">22 applicants</a> for the position. Gooch and Gardner were finalists for the previous vacancy in August.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-11-08/sununu-taps-circuit-court-judge-countway-for-nh-supreme-court">New Hampshire</a>: New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice <a href="https://www.nhbr.com/supreme-court-justice-gary-hicks-to-retire-on-nov-30/">Gary Hicks</a> will be age-limited on November 30. He was appointed by John Lynch (D) in 2006. Governor Chris Sununu (R) has nominated Melissa Beth Countway to the seat. She was appointed to the circuit court by Sununu in 2017 and was previously a county prosecutor. If the NH Executive Council votes to confirm the nomination, the NH Supreme Court will have 4R and 1D appointees.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2023/11/07/election-day/democrats-pennsylvania-supreme-court-election-results-00126000">Pennsylvania</a>: Daniel McCaffery (D) defeated Carolyn Carluccio (R) 53-47 for an <a href="https://www.penncapital-star.com/campaigns-elections/judges-running-in-pas-supreme-court-race-talk-about-judicial-philosophies/">open seat</a> on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The seat was previously held by Max Baer (D), but had been open for a year after his death. The court will again be 5D, 2R.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/20/tennessee-supreme-court-justice-roger-page-to-retire-in-2024/71656306007/">Tennessee</a>: Justice Roger Page will retire in August 2024. He was appointed in 2016 by Bill Haslam. Governor Bill Lee will get his third appointment to the court.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/vacancy-announced-on-wyoming-supreme-court/article_4558a4ce-72c8-11ee-b31f-e3799c820768.html">Wyoming</a>: Wyoming Supreme Court Justice Keith Kautz will leave the court on March 26 due to age limits. He was appointed by Matt Mead in 2015. Governor Mark Gordon (R) will get his second appointment to the court.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>History:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>On Ed Whelan's Substack, "<a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/">Confirmation Tales</a>", recent posts deal with Bill Clinton's nomination of federal judges.</div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/the-messy-reality-of-a-republican">The Messy Reality of a Republican Senate Majority</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/blue-slips-and-red-states">Blue Slips and Red States<br /></a><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/ninth-circuit-contender-is-exposed">Ninth Circuit Contender Is Exposed As Pretender<br /></a><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/senate-democrats-block-vote-on-clinton">Senate Democrats Block Vote on Clinton Judicial Nominee<br /></a><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/bill-clintons-lower-court-nominees">Bill Clinton’s Lower-Court Appointments, By The Numbers<br /></a><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/wrapping-up-the-clinton-years">Prepare For Turbulence Ahead</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/alberto-gonzales-as-supreme-court">Alberto Gonzales as Supreme Court Candidate</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/my-bit-role-in-ashcroft-hospital">My Bit Role in Ashcroft Hospital Saga<br /></a><br /></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-118.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2023-2024</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2023">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2023</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2023">Elections 2023</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/01/october-2022-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/18/2022-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/12/01/december-2022-judiciary-news/">December</a><br />2023: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/01/02/january-2023-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/02/01/february-2023-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/03/02/march-2023-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/04/30/may-2023-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/06/01/june-2023-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/06/30/july-2023-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/08/01/august-2023-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/09/30/october-2023-judiciary-news/">October</a></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-54407212429409286802023-09-30T21:46:00.000-04:002023-09-30T21:46:41.407-04:00October 2023 Judiciary News<p><b>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</b></p><div><div><div><p><a href="https://www.adn.com/politics/2023/09/21/sullivan-forms-new-council-for-selecting-federal-judges-prompting-concern-about-delay-from-murkowski/">D-AK</a>: Senator Dan Sullivan (R) formed a new council to vet potential federal judges without involving Senator Lisa Murkowski (R). One of three seats on D-AK has been vacant since 2021.<br /><br />Nominations:<br /><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/08/30/president-biden-names-thirty-seventh-round-of-judicial-nominees-and-announces-one-new-nominee-to-serve-as-u-s-marshal/">WD-NY</a>: Colleen Holland-clerk for Colleen Wolford (WD-NY), Michael Telesca (WD-NY)<br />SD-TX: John A. Kazen-clerk for Robert Parker (ED-TX), Magistrate Judge (SD-TX)<br />D-HI: Micah W. J. Smith-clerk for Souter, Guido Calabresi (2nd Circuit), AUSA (D-HI)<br /><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/06/president-biden-names-thirty-eighth-round-of-judicial-nominees/">D-NJ</a>: Jamel Semper-AUSA (D-NJ)<br />D-OR: Mustafa Kasubhai-Magistrate Judge (D-OR)<br />ED-CA: Kirk Sherriff-AUSA (ED-CA)<br />D-HI: Shanlyn Park-state judge</p><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/todays-pseudo-ethics-outrage-would-not-happen-if-justice-ginsburg-were-still-on-the-court/">Recusal</a>: Carrie Severino points out that Justice Ginsberg regularly violated the ethical standards that the left uses to attack Justice Thomas.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2023/08/senior-us-judge-rosemary-pooler-dies-at-85-longtime-judge-blazed-a-trail-for-women-on-court-benches.html">2nd Circuit</a>: Judge Rosemary Pooler died in August at age 85. President Clinton appointed her to ND-NY in 1994 and to the 2nd Circuit in 1998. She took senior status in 2022.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/biden-gains-6th-circuit-vacancy-fill-gibbons-takes-senior-status-2023-08-18/">6th Circuit</a>: Judge Julia Smith Gibbons will take senior status upon confirmation of a successor. She was appointed to a state judgeship by Lamar Alexander (R). She was appointed by Reagan to WD-TN in 1983 and by W to the 6th Circuit in 2002. She choose to repay all the Republicans who gave her those positions by giving her seat to a Biden appointee.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/96-year-old-judge-suspended-a-year-by-fed-circuit-colleagues">Federal Circuit</a>: Judge Pauline Newman (age 96) was suspended for one year from her duties by the Federal Circuit. Critics claim she is unable to fulfill her duties, and she has <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/federal-circuit-panel-votes-to-suspend-judge-newman-for-a-year">refused to submit</a> to medical testing. They rejected the tests that she did submit. She claims that she is being <a href="https://ipwatchdog.com/2023/07/09/chief-judge-moore-v-judge-newman-unacceptable-breakdown-court-governance-collegiality-procedural-fairness/id=163181/">mistreated</a> due to her <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/judges-attack-judicial-independence-newman-federal-circuit-discipline-age-politics-law-95bee95a?st=ijqk8ymgnbjqc4v&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">frequent dissents</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 95 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below.</div></div><div><div>WD-VA: Michael Urbanski (Obama) 7/4/24 (senior)</div><div>D-AZ: James Soto (Obama) 7/1/24 (senior)</div><div>D-AZ: Douglas Rayes (Obama) 6/1/24 (senior)</div><div>SD-IN: Jane Magnus-Stinson (Obama) 7/1/24 (senior)<br />CD-CA: George Wu (W) 11/3/23 (senior)<br />D-VT: Geoffrey Crawford (Obama) 8/9/24 (senior)</div><div>Claims: Patricia Campbell Smith (Obama) 9/30/23 (retired)<br /><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/09/01/nora-dannehy-ct-supreme-court-ned-lamont/">Connecticut</a>: Governor Ned Lamont appointed Nora Dannehy to the Connecticut Supreme Court. She was a US Attorney for D-CT and general counsel to Lamont. His previous nominee, Sandra Slack Glover, <a href="https://www.wtnh.com/news/politics/sandra-slack-glover-withdraws-as-gov-ned-lamonts-connecticut-supreme-court-nominee/">withdrew her nomination</a> after progressives attacked her for signing a letter supporting the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.civilbeat.org/beat/green-will-pick-two-new-supreme-court-justices/">Hawaii</a>: Hawaii's Judicial Selection Commission produced a list of six nominees for two vacant seats on the Hawaii Supreme Court. Governor Josh Green (D) will fill the seats vacated by Justices Michael Wilson and Paula Nakayama.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://judicialcouncil.idaho.gov/pdf/council/candidates/Stegner-06-List-of-Candidates-for-Appt.pdf">Idaho</a>: Nine candidates have applied for the seat on the Idaho Supreme Court being vacated by John Stegner. One of them is former Idaho AG Lawrence Wasden, who lost the R primary in 2022. The Idaho Judicial Council will interview candidates on October 18.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.startribune.com/justice-natalie-hudson-will-be-first-black-chief-of-minnesota-supreme-court/600299077/">Minnesota</a>: Governor Tim Walz (D) appointed Justice Natalie Hudson as chief justice. Hudson was appointed to the court by Mark Dayton in 2015. She replaces Lorie Gildea, who retires on October 1. Walz also appointed Karl Procaccini to Hudson's seat. He clerked for Michael Davis (D-MN) and Diana Murphy (8th Circuit) and was Walz' general counsel for four years.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-governor-appoints-state-supreme-court-justice-b4e4fa84dc2c2417a79c3bfce24e5374">Missouri</a>: Governor Mike Parson (R) appointed Missouri Court of Appeals judge Kelly Broniec to the Missouri Supreme Court. She is 52 and was appointed by Parson in 2020. The <a href="https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/missouri-supreme-court-vacancy-commission-announces-nominees/">other finalists</a> recommended by the Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission were Missouri Court of Appeals judges Michael Gardner and Ginger Gooch. The seat was vacated by George Draper III on August 5 due to age limits.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/montana-attorney-general-professional-misconduct-bac4a2942394757e870f9652c7a2c090">Montana</a>: The Office of Disciplinary Counsel, a body subordinate to the Montana Supreme Court (MSC), has filed a complaint against AG Austin Knudsen (R) for criticizing the MSC. Specifically, he supposedly "undermined public confidence in the fairness and impartiality of our system of justice by attempting to evade the authority of the Montana Supreme Court and assaulting the integrity of the judiciary" when he criticized them for secretly lobbying against a bill to reform the judiciary. MSC Chief Justice Mike McGrath and Justice Dirk Sandefur <a href="https://montanafreepress.org/2023/06/07/neither-chief-justice-mike-mcgrath-nor-justice-dirk-sandefur-will-seek-re-election-to-montana-supreme-court-in-2024/">will not seek reelection</a> in 2024.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/roy-cooper-north-carolina-supreme-court-appointments-c35442abcce3d15601b510fe7731801d">North Carolina</a>: North Carolina Supreme Court justice Michael Morgan (D) <a href="https://www.wral.com/story/nc-supreme-court-justice-michael-morgan-a-possible-gubernatorial-candidate-stepping-down-early/21015729/">stepped down</a> in early September. He announced a campaign for governor in 2024. Governor Roy Cooper appointed Court of Appeals judge Allison Riggs to replace Morgan. She worked for the far-left Southern Coalition for Social Justice before being appointed by Cooper in January. The seat is up for election in 2024.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2023/08/16/aruna-masih-oregon-supreme-court/">Oregon</a>: Governor Tina Kotek appointed Aruna Masih to the Oregon Supreme Court. She is a labor and civil rights attorney with no judicial experience. Masih was born in India. She replaces Adrienne Nelson, who was appointed to D-OR in February.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-liberals-conservative-chief-justice-81d040f7a59c210c8ba2a4c8007834b5">Wisconsin</a>: The installation of a new 4-3 leftist majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court has set off a fight both within and outside the court. The four leftist judges fired the court administrator (possibly illegally) and hired a leftist judge as a replacement (possibly illegally).</div><div><br />Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-justice-impeachment-03d6f56ef7d27c6c45913a4310df7953">floated the idea of impeaching</a> newly-elected justice Janet Protasiewicz. She is refusing to recuse from a case intended to overturn the state's legislative maps despite having declared them 'rigged' on the campaign trail. If impeached, she would be suspended from hearing cases until the trial concludes.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>History:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>On Ed Whelan's Substack, "<a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/">Confirmation Tales</a>", recent posts deal with Bill Clinton's nomination of federal judges.</div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/peter-edelman-leaks-the-news-of-his">Peter Edelman Leaks the News of His Impending D.C. Circuit Nomination</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/bill-clinton-abandons-peter-edelman">Bill Clinton Abandons Peter Edelman Twice</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/from-ginsburg-and-breyer-to-the-present">From Ginsburg and Breyer to the Present<br /></a><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/aug-24-add-photo-orrin-hatch-becomes">Orrin Hatch Becomes Judiciary Committee Chairman<br /></a><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/labor-day-trivia-questions">Labor Day Trivia Questions</a> <a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/sept-4-answers-to-trivia-questions">Answers</a><br /><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/judicial-retirements-and-judicial">Judicial Retirements and Judicial Vacancies<br /></a><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/senate-republicans-learn-to-use-their">Senate Republicans Learn to Use Their Majority Muscle</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/bill-clinton-demands-that-judge-he">Bill Clinton Pressures Own Judicial Appointee To Reverse ‘Stupid’ Ruling For Drug Dealer</a><br /><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/bob-dole-puts-judges-at-center-of">Bob Dole Puts Judges At Center Of 1996 Presidential Campaign</a></div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-118.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2023-2024</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2023">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2023</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2023">Elections 2023</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/01/october-2022-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/18/2022-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/12/01/december-2022-judiciary-news/">December</a><br />2023: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/01/02/january-2023-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/02/01/february-2023-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/03/02/march-2023-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="May 2023 Judiciary News">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/06/01/june-2023-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/06/30/july-2023-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/08/01/august-2023-judiciary-news/">August</a></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-91113402648629242952023-09-16T15:22:00.000-04:002023-09-16T15:22:01.449-04:00What Does '2000 Mules' Actually Prove?<p>One of the later-appearing arguments that the 2020 election was stolen appears in the documentary 2000 Mules, hosted by Dinesh D'Souza. The documentary reports on the claims of the group True the Vote about ballot harvesting in swing states.</p><p>True the Vote acquired anonymous cell phone location data from millions of users. They correlated this with locations of ballot drop boxes, and claimed to find evidence of thousands of 'mules', that is, people who visited multiple drop boxes to deposit ballots.</p><p>Ballot harvesting is the practice of collecting ballots from multiple voters to (presumably) deposit them in the mail or a ballot drop box. This practice is generally legal for immediate family members, but most states make it illegal for strangers or large quantities of ballots. The reason for this is that ballot harvesting created a risk of voter fraud, as ballots from unsympathetic voters could be discarded. This occurred in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_North_Carolina%27s_9th_congressional_district_election">2018 congressional election in North Carolina's 9th district</a>, where <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Harris_(North_Carolina_politician)">Mark Harris</a> (R) employed a campaign consultant who was found to have harvested ballots and manipulated them.</p><p>Media articles often describe 2000 Mules as 'widely debunked', citing two 'fact check' articles by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-usa-mules/fact-check-does-2000-mules-provide-evidence-of-voter-fraud-in-the-2020-u-s-presidential-election-idUSL2N2XJ0OQ">Reuters</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762">AP</a> written shortly after its release. There is also a fact check by <a href="https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2022/08/2000-mules-fact-check-michigan-experts-debunk-election-fraud-claims.html">Mlive</a> focused on Michigan. The claim that it is 'widely debunked' is an overstatement. While the articles raise legitimate questions about the film, they cannot debunk it, since they don't have the information to do so.</p><p>Additional questions have been raised by conservative commentators <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnYWx2Ozahk">Ben Shapiro</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyoCk-92za4">Erick Erickson</a>, who found the documentary unpersuasive. The right-leaning site <a href="https://thedispatch.com/article/fact-checking-dinesh-dsouzas-2000/">The Dispatch</a> also did its own fact check.</p><p>One criticism deals with the use of cell phone location data. Several experts say that this data is not as precise as True the Vote claims. If so, their list of 'mules' likely includes many innocent people who just happened to walk near several drop boxes while out and about.</p><p>Another problem is exactly what 2000 Mules claims and does not claim. They claim there are 2000 mules, but never identify any of them. They claim to know which organizations they work for, but never identify them either. The fact that they don't suggests a lack of confidence in their claims. Of course, if they are wrong, they would likely be sued by the individuals and groups they identify.</p><p>The movie shows some people taking selfies while depositing ballots in drop boxes. They claim this is how the mules provide proof of their work. However, they never show video of the same person depositing ballots in more than one location, which is what they claim the cell phone data shows.</p><p>Subsequent questioning has revealed more reasons to doubt the thesis of 2000 Mules. It is important to remember that while ballot harvesting is illegal in most states, that does not mean that the ballots are themselves illegal. Under questioning by the Wisconsin legislature, Catherine Engelbrecht admitted that <a href="https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/madison/politics/2022/03/24/election-deniers-raise--ballot-harvesting--concerns">they were not claiming that any of the ballots they claim were harvested were illegal</a>. If a legitimate voter gives a ballot to a harvester, the harvesting may be illegal, but the ballot is not.</p><p>Creating hundreds of thousands of illegal votes would be very difficult. To be counted, a vote must correspond to a registered voter, so a fraudster cannot just make up names for their fraudulent ballots. If they try to use the names of real registered voters, there is a high risk that multiple ballots will be received using the same name, which would trigger an immediate investigation. This did not happen in the 2020 election.</p><p>Despite (or because of) the questions about their validity, the claims of 2000 Mules and True the Vote have made should be investigated and proved true or false once and for all. In fact, the Georgia Secretary of State is trying to do that. He has requested the evidence True the Vote says it has. They <a href="https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/georgia-sues-true-the-vote-produce-evidence-mules-documentary-claims">are refusing to turn it over, so he has filed suit to force them to do so</a>.</p><p>This development makes it appear very doubtful that the claims of 2000 Mules are true.</p>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-65066134944759188342023-09-08T00:06:00.000-04:002023-09-08T00:06:35.875-04:00Rallies Don't Decide Elections<p>One of the most common arguments that the 2020 election was
stolen concerns Trump's rallies. In
particular, it is commonly asked how Trump could have lost when he had huge
rallies and Biden didn't.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To answer this question, we should first note that it is
true that Trump had many rallies of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_2020_presidential_campaign">up to 20000 people</a>, while Biden had almost
no rallies at all. However, it is
important to remember that elections are decided by voting, not rally attendance. The overall electorate of 150,000,000 people
is far larger than the number of people who go to political rallies.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
The size of rally crowds is an imperfect proxy for voter enthusiasm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But enthusiastic votes and reluctant votes
both count the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A candidate can
have very enthusiastic supporters without having a large enough base
overall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, in 2008 and 2012
Ron Paul had large rallies, but he ended up with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_of_the_2012_Republican_Party_presidential_primaries">11% of the popular vote</a> in the 2012 primary.<br />
<br />
Also, comparing rally sizes is unfair given that Biden never tried to hold any
large rallies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from the fact that
Biden wasn't inspiring, a major reason for this was the fear of COVID, which by
mid-2020 was more pronounced on the left than on the right.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The focus on rallies seems to reflect flaws in the strategy
of the Trump campaign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While rallies
have some value, they tend to primarily fire up people who were already going
to vote for Trump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile, the Biden
campaign was focused on getting people to vote using early voting and mail-in
ballots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trump's campaign actually discouraged
people from using these measures due to overblown (though not entirely
baseless) election security concerns.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But why did so many voters turn out for Biden?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because they weren't for Biden, they were
against Trump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To return to rallies,
while there were essentially no pro-Biden rallies, there were many anti-Trump
rallies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early in 2017, the Women's
March drew <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Women's_March">3-5 million people</a> nationwide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
the March for Science drew <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_for_Science">hundreds of thousands</a> nationwide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both
these rallies were explicitly against Trump and his administration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In May 2020 and following, the Black Lives
Matter movement had <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_George_Floyd_protests_in_the_United_States">thousands of protests</a> attended by millions of people nationwide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While BLM was not explicitly about Trump, it
certainly was not friendly to him.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thus we find that anti-Trump protests dwarfed pro-Trump
rallies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even by the metric of rally
sizes, the result of the 2020 election should be no surprise.</p>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-50437268352336098532023-08-12T02:18:00.002-04:002023-08-12T02:18:53.898-04:00Michigan GOP Disaster Continues<p>After the last election, I explained the sorry state of the Michigan GOP.<br /><br /><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-michigan-gop-is-disaster.html">The Michigan GOP is a Disaster<br /></a><br />In conclusion, I wrote<br /></p><blockquote>The Michigan GOP has a choice. It could continue to embrace conspiracy nonsense and use MAGA messaging that only speaks to the activist base. Or it can face reality and appeal to winnable voters with a conservative platform that speaks to their concerns. A test of which direction the party will choose will come at the next Michigan GOP convention in February, which will elect the new party leadership.</blockquote>There were 11 candidates for chair, though only three attracted significant support. Scott Greenlee is a political consultant with a long history of working on campaigns in Michigan. Matt DePerno is a trail lawyer who had almost no history in the party prior to the Stop the Steal movement. He was the GOP nominee for attorney general, and lost by 9%. Kristina Karamo was a low-level GOP activist with no relevant experience who was the GOP nominee for Secretary of State. She lost by 14% and refused to concede the election.<br /><br />Former president Trump endorsed DePerno for Michigan GOP chair. At the convention, Greenlee was <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/02/18/michigan-republican-party-chair-convention-karamo-deperno-greenlee/69900553007/">eliminated</a> on the second ballot with 23%. Karamo won 58% to DePerno's 42% on <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2023/02/18/michigan-republicans-weigh-partys-future-at-saturday-convention/69871581007/">the final ballot</a>. The state party and many local parties have been taken over by what I will call the MAGA faction. They are characterized by belief in Stop the Steal and other conspiracies, Trump-style rhetoric, and hatred of the old party establishment and donor base. Notably, the majority of them are not blindly loyal to Trump, as they rejected his endorsee for Karamo, who is even more fanatical than DePerno.<p></p><p>Karamo had run on a platform of scorning the traditional Michigan GOP donor base, including the DeVos family. Thus fundraising was going to be a major concern. During her chair campaign, Karamo <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2023/07/14/michigan-republican-party-bankruptcy-kristina-karamo-financial-problems-debt-clare-meeting-fight/70414759007/">offered a plan</a> to change the party's fundraising base.<br /></p><blockquote>As a candidate for party chair, Karamo vowed to “expand the donor pool by creating a decentralized fundraising system that obtains funding from approximately 500,000 likely-Republican business owners, rather than a handful of millionaire/billionaire class political operatives,” according to a Dec. 18 “vision” document she released.</blockquote>However, this plan appears to be deeply flawed at the outset. A quick search <a href="https://www.gaebler.com/Number-of-Small-Businesss-in-Michigan.htm">reveals the following</a>.<br /><blockquote>Of those 765,487 small businesses in Michigan, 209,751 have employees. The remaining 555,736 are Michigan small businesses that have no employees.</blockquote>Businesses without employees are either self-employed people or businesses that only exist on paper. Thus the number of businesses that Karamo is counting on simply don't exist. Further, some businesses are owned by democrats or independents who would not donate to Republicans. Many others are owned by the sort of county club types that Karamo and her supporters hate. Thus her plan simply could not work, even aside from the difficulty of getting like-minded people to donate.<br /><br />Not surprisingly, the Michigan GOP has been essentially broke since Karamo took charge. After the chair of the budget committee expressed concern about the party's financial state, <a href="https://home.mirs.news/blogs/post/karamo-dumps-budget-committee-chair-strips-co-chair-of-budget-access">Karamo removed him</a> and <a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/kristina-karamo-feuds-co-chair-michigan-republican-civil-war-worsens">faced criticism from her own co-chair</a>. Later, it came out that the party <a href="https://www.gazettextra.com/news/nation_world/michigan-republican-partys-bank-accounts-down-to-93k-recording-reveals/article_c781617a-6ada-5d46-a5bd-006f44002728.html">has only $93,000</a> in the bank. Karamo's fundraising efforts have been a tremendous failure. It is likely that a significant proportion of what has been raised is going to Karamo's salary.<br /><br />Not only has Karamo not raised money to help elect Republicans, she has also attacked those who have. The last bastion of sanity in the Michigan GOP are the Republican caucuses in the state house and senate. In June, the state house GOP announced that former Governor Rick Snyder would be aiding their fundraising efforts. The was a major boost for the house GOP, as Snyder is a wealthy businessman and has ties to many others like him who can donate big bucks.<br /><br />Karamo <a href="https://www.mlive.com/politics/2023/06/gop-leader-blasts-house-republicans-for-fundraising-with-rick-snyder.html">responded to this announcement by attacking Snyder</a>. To be sure, there are plenty of <a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2011/02/snyder-appoints-democrat-wmu-trustee.html">legitimate criticisms</a> of Snyder's performance as governor, many of which <a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2009/07/rick-snyders-ten-platitudes.html">appeared on this blog</a>. But Snyder is not seeking office himself. He is raising money for other Republicans, virtually all of whom are more conservative than him. Any rational conservative should consider that a good thing.<br /><br />Karamo's attack on Snyder is indicative of the other major feature of her administration: infighting. Any successful political party is a coalition of people who disagree on some issues. When there are disputes, they should be dealt with internally, not in the media.<br /><br />But over the past year, there has been an increase in public infighting, not limited to the budgetary dispute and attacks on Rick Snyder. In June, Matt DePerno <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2023/06/08/matt-deperno-subpoenas-michigan-republican-party-chair-kristina-karamao-kalamazoo-county-court-case/70303602007/">subpoenaed Karamo</a> as part of lawsuit disputing control of the Kalamazoo GOP. Also in June, <a href="https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/county-republican-officials-have-dispute-that-gets-physical-showing-state-party-discord">there was a fight</a> between GOP officials from Kalamazoo and Macomb Counties. In July, one activist <a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/kicked-groin-republican-downplays-party-feud-some-people-are-crazy">assaulted a GOP official</a> at the MIGOP state committee meeting. Charges <a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-republican-activists-face-misdemeanors-fights-gop-meetings">have been issued</a> related to the two incidents. Obviously, none of this makes the Michigan GOP look good.<br /><br />There is also a rise in "censure" and "no confidence" resolutions. These resolutions have no practical effect, except to "diss" the target of the resolution. It appears that many of the activists currently involved in the Michigan GOP are engaged in a right-wing form of virtue-signaling. They seem to be motivated more by affirming a sense of their own moral superiority by attacking less pure Republicans than actually doing the hard work needed to win elections.<br /><br />Political parties do need some common values, and it is reasonable to exclude those who are opposed to those basic values. But purity tests and endless infighting between people who agree on most issues is obviously counterproductive. Winning doesn't seem to be a priority for the MAGA faction.<br /><p></p>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-13692221592666447142023-08-01T20:58:00.000-04:002023-08-01T20:58:46.742-04:00August 2023 Judiciary News<p><b>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</b></p><div><div><div><p><a href="https://vettingroom.org/2023/06/30/six-months-into-the-unexpected-democratic-senate/">Overall</a>: Harsh Voruganti of The Vetting Room assesses the the state of judicial vacancies and nominations at the middle of 2023.<br /><br />Nominations:<br /><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/07/27/president-biden-names-thirty-sixth-round-of-judicial-nominees/">7th Circuit</a>: Joshua Kolar-clerk for Wayne Andersen (ND-IL), Magistrate Judge (ND-IN)<br />10th Circuit: Rich Federico-Senior Litigator, Public Defender (D-KS)<br />D-MN: Jeffrey Bryan-clerk for Paul Magnuson (D-MN), Minnesota Court of Appeals judge<br />ND-CA: Eumi Lee-clerk for Warren Ferguson (9th Circuit), Jerome Turner (WD-TN), Superior Court of California judge</p><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/this-term-added-more-originalist-landmarks-to-last-years-victories/">Supreme Court</a>: Carrie Severino summarizes the originalist victories over the past Supreme Court term.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/poll-americans-back-supreme-court-on-affirmative-action-by-two-to-one-margin/">Affirmative Action</a>: The court's ruling against affirmative action is broadly popular, with one poll showing 59% approve and 27% disapprove. Also, "significant pluralities of black and Hispanic Americans support the decision".</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/ending-racial-discrimination-by-universities/">Affirmative Action</a>: Ed Whelan argues that the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action will not be difficult to enforce.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://nationalreview.com/bench-memos/a-revealing-supreme-court-dialogue-on-race-between-justices-jackson-and-thomas/">Affirmative Action</a>: Christopher Mills shows that Justice Jackson's opinion is infused with the discredited ideology of critical race theory.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/justice-thomass-critics-on-affirmative-action-prove-his-point/">Thomas</a>: Critics often stigmatize Justice Thomas by accusing him of benefitting from affirmative action, thereby proving his point about the harm it causes to qualified minority students.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://reason.com/volokh/2023/07/03/in-defense-of-kbjs-harvard-recusal/">Jackson</a>: Josh Blackman argues that Justice Jackson did not really recuse herself from the Harvard affirmative action case, though he says that is not a problem.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/foolish-arguments-against-standing-in-303-creative-part-1/">303 Creative</a>: Various leftists have claimed that the Supreme Court should not have taken the 303 Creative case on freedom of expression. The argument <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/foolish-arguments-against-standing-in-303-creative-part-2/">in part depends</a> on a sham request to the website that was never critical to the case. However, the case was heard by the district and appeals courts, and the other side never argued against standing.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-latest-bogus-ethics-scandal-a-christmas-party/">Thomas</a>: The Guardian tried to insinuate a scandal in the fact that Justice Thomas received payments from his former clerks. However, the payments were obviously reimbursements for a Christmas party.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://redstate.com/streiff/2023/07/29/justice-alito-has-stern-words-for-sheldon-whitehouse-and-his-attempt-to-grab-control-of-the-supreme-court-n784230">Alito</a>: Justice Alito criticized members of Congress (including Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)) who believe they can <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/oppose-the-democrats-latest-supreme-court-scheme/">regulate the Supreme Court</a>. He observes that it was created by the Constitution, not by congress.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 91 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below.</div></div><div><div>WD-VA: Michael Urbanski (Obama) 7/4/24 (senior)</div><div><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /><a href="https://publicintegrity.org/politics/high-courts-high-stakes/how-republicans-flipped-americas-state-supreme-courts/">Overall</a>: The "Center for Public Integrity" is very upset that Republicans have filled more state supreme court seats. Several red states have disempowered nominating commissions run by leftist bar associations.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/jul/03/sanders-appoints-former-us-attorney-cody-hiland-to-arkansas-supreme-court/">Arkansas</a>: Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) appointed Cody Hiland to the Arkansas Supreme Court. He replaces Robin Wynne, who died on June 21. Hiland was US Attorney for ED-AR 2017-2020 and was elected Arkansas GOP chairman in 2022. According to Sanders, the court now has a conservative majority.</div><div><br /><a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/parson-set-to-make-second-appointment-to-missouri-supreme-court/article_e9256d26-0f81-11ee-b14b-8b79e823c064.html">Missouri</a>: Justices George Draper III and Justice Patricia Breckenridge will be age-limited on August 5 and October 14, respectively. Draper was appointed by Jay Nixon (D) in 2011 and Breckenridge was appointed by Matt Blunt (R) in 2007. There are 23 lawyers <a href="https://www.komu.com/news/state/list-of-missouri-supreme-court-judge-applicants-released/article_8298ff34-2b0e-11ee-8545-47501aa04f33.html">applying to fill</a> Draper's seat. Governor Mike Parson (R) will appoint one of the finalists selected by the nominating commission.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>History:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>On Ed Whelan's Substack, "<a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/">Confirmation Tales</a>", recent posts deal with Bill Clinton's nomination of federal judges.</div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/clinton-nomination-of-sarokin">Leading Democrats Vote Against Clinton's Strident Liberal Nominee</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/what-senate-deference-on-lower-court">What Senate Deference On Lower-Court Nominations Meant<br /></a><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/1994-republican-senate-candidates">1994 Republican Senate Candidates Fight on Judges</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/new-republican-majority-dooms-nominee">New Republican Majority Dooms Nominee<br /></a><br />A three-part series in the Texas Tribune examines how the Texas Attorney General's office became a focus of conservative legal activism, including many alumni becoming federal judges.<br /><a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/31/texas-federal-courts-conservative-takeover-cornyn-abbott/">Part 1: In 1998, a legal revolution was quietly born in Texas. It would pull America’s courts rightward.<br /></a><a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/31/texas-federal-courts-conservative-takeover-obama-paxton/">Part 2: Texas backlash to Obama fueled conservative drive to reinterpret U.S. Constitution<br /></a><a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/31/texas-federal-courts-conservative-takeover-trump/">Part 3: Under Trump, Texas’ foot soldiers became federal judges, securing a conservative stronghold in the courts</a><br /><br /></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-118.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2023-2024</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2023">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2023</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2023">Elections 2023</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/01/october-2022-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/18/2022-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/12/01/december-2022-judiciary-news/">December</a><br />2023: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/01/02/january-2023-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/02/01/february-2023-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/03/02/march-2023-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="May 2023 Judiciary News">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/06/01/june-2023-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/06/30/july-2023-judiciary-news/">July</a></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-24713693668315286872023-07-26T21:29:00.001-04:002023-09-08T00:24:34.917-04:002023 Kalamazoo Election Preview<p>This article was last updated September 8, 2023.</p><p>This is a preview of the November 7 elections in Kalamazoo County.</p><div><strong>Kalamazoo City Commission</strong></div><br />The mayor and three seats on the Kalamazoo City Commission are up for election. The seven commissioners are Mayor David Anderson (on since 2005, mayor since 2019), Don Cooney (1997-2019, 2021-P), Jeanne Hess (2019), Chris Praedel (2019), Qianna Decker (2021), Stephanie Hoffman (2021), Esteven Juarez (2021)<br /><br />The mayor is elected separately every two years. There are staggered four-year terms for the other seats, with three up for election every two years. Cooney, Decker, and Hoffman were elected to 4-year terms in 2021, and Juarez won a 2-year term created by a resignation.<br /><br />Mayor Anderson, a center-left democrat, will run for reelection. He is being challenged by <a href="https://www.varnumlaw.com/people/john-w-allen/">John Allen</a>, an attorney.<br /><br />Hess, Praedel, and Juarez are seeking reelection. Other candidates include Jeff Messer, James P. Ayers, Alonzo Wilson II, and James Mitchell. Mitchell ran unsuccessfully in 2021.<div><div><br /><strong>Portage City Council</strong><br /><br />The mayor and three seats on the Portage City Council are up for election. Patricia Randall was elected mayor in 2017 after serving on the council since 2009. Councilwoman Lisa Brayton, who was elected unopposed to the council in 2021, tried to challenge Randall for mayor. However, <a href="https://wwmt.com/news/local/portage-city-council-accepts-resignation-lisa-brayton-residence-controversy-mayor-race-charter-investigation-msp-home-renovation">she dropped out</a> and resigned after it was revealed that she did not live where she claimed to in her filing.</div><div><br />The other councilmembers are Terry Urban (1997), Jim Pearson (2011), Lori Knapp (2017), Chris Burns (2017), and Vic Ledbetter (2020). The three seats up for 4-year terms are held by Pearson, Knapp, and Burns. All three an running for reelection.<br /><br />Also running are Charley Coss, Tony Lorentz, Mark McKeon, Nicole Miller, Kathleen Olmsted, Steve Pieczko, and Jihan Ain Young. Lorentz is a former Kalamazoo GOP chair, and Coss is the current Kalamazoo GOP vice-chair, and has run for county commission several times. Kathleen Olmsted is the current Kalamazoo GOP secretary.</div></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-17973045649528491242023-06-30T22:45:00.000-04:002023-06-30T22:45:20.340-04:00July 2023 Judiciary News<p><b>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</b></p><div><div><div><p><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/biden-announces-plans-to-nominate-two-trial-judges-in-louisiana">ED-LA</a>: President Biden announced two nominations for judgeships in Louisiana with support from the state's R senators. However, nine members of the Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter criticizing their lack of consultation on the nominations and asked that the nominations be withdrawn.</p><p><a href="https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/06-8-2023/wisconsin-baldwin-johnson-judges/">ED-WI</a>: A bipartisan nominating commission has recommended Byron Conway and Marc Hammer to fill a seat on ED-WI that has been open since 2019. President Biden previously nominated William Pocan for the seat, but Senator Ron Johnson (R) withheld a blue slip.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.sdnewswatch.org/stories/federal-judges-south-dakota-seats-biden-appointments/">D-SD</a>: This article takes a long time to say that there has been no progress to fill one current and one future vacancy in D-SD, and nobody knows why.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/06/names-of-6-finalists-forwarded-to-white-house-for-upcoming-federal-court-vacancy-in-oregon.html">D-OR</a>: Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced six finalists for an open seat on D-OR.<br /><br />Nominations:<br /><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/28/president-biden-names-thirty-fifth-round-of-judicial-nominees-and-one-new-nominee-to-serve-as-u-s-attorney/">SD-NY</a>: Margaret Garnett-clerk for Gerard E. Lynch (SD-NY), AUSA (SD-NY)<br />D-DE: Jennifer Hall-clerk for Kent A. Jordan (3rd Circuit), Sharon Prost (Federal Circuit), Magistrate Judge (D-DE)<br />MD-PA: Karoline Mehalchick-Magistrate Judge (MD-PA)<br />ED-MI: Brandy McMillion-AUSA (ED-MI)</p><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div><div><br /><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/the-chief-justices-greatest-opinion/">Affirmative Action</a>: The court issued a 6-3 decision written by Justice Roberts striking down affirmative action in university admissions. See also <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/a-landmark-victory-for-the-colorblind-constitution/">Carrie Severino</a>.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/breaking-news-from-80-years-ago-first-amendment-protects-against-compelled-speech/">Speech</a>: The court ruled 6-3 that a website designer cannot be compelled to express messages that she disagrees with.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/supreme-courts-ruling-against-student-loan-cancellation/">Student Loans</a>: The court ruled 6-3 that the Biden administration acted illegally when it claimed to cancel some student loans.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/the-court-rejects-a-race-neutral-benchmark-on-voting-rights-inviting-confusion/">Gerrymandering</a>: The court ruled that Alabama must create a second black-majority congressional district. Carrie Severino critiques the decision.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/supreme-court-approval-rating-polls/">Supreme Court</a>: 538 found that the Supreme Court has recently become more popular (or less unpopular), indicating that the effects of the left's smear campaign are abating.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/liberal-supreme-court-journalists-admit-incompetence">Reporters</a>: At a recent panel, "D.C. Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern of Slate, Elie Mystal of the Nation, and Jay Willis of the leftist Balls and Strikes" resolved to be even more biased and hysterical in their coverage of the Supreme Court.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/propublica-misleads-its-readers-alito-gifts-disclosure-alaska-singer-23b51eda">Alito</a>: Following their smear of Justice Thomas, ProPublica attacked Justice Alito for vacationing with a billionaire. However, Alito responded to the smear in a Wall Street Journal article published first.<br /><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/judge-96-mourns-tarnished-legacy-while-saying-she-wont-leave">Federal Circuit</a>: The dispute surrounding Judge Pauline Newman continues. Her critics claim Newman had a heart attack, which she denies. An interviewer describes her as "fully in command" of "complicated legal matters".</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 94 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below.</div></div><div><div>ED-MO: John Ross (Obama) 6/9/23 (senior)</div><div>D-OR: Ann Aiken (Clinton) 12/29/23 (senior)<br />SD-NY: Paul Gardephe (W) 8/1/23 (senior)<br />D-RI: William Smith (W) 1/1/25 (senior)<br /><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /><a href="https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/arkansas-supreme-court-justice-robin-wynne-dead-at-70/91-6a0392dd-f150-40aa-97c1-19a87299f539">Arkansas</a>: Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Robin Wynne died on June 21 at age 70. He was elected in 2014 and reelected in 2022. Although the court is officially nonpartisan, Wynne was a D state rep 1984-88. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) will appoint a replacement.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-05-11/justices-rhonda-wood-and-karen-baker-announce-run-for-chief-justice-of-supreme-court">Arkansas</a>: Chief Justice John Dan Kemp, age 71, will retire from the court at the end of his term. Justices Rhonda Wood and Karen Baker will seek the seat, and <a href="https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2023/06/28/webb-family-plays-fast-and-loose-with-ethics-rules-on-fundraising-for-supreme-court-chief-justice-race">Justice Barbara Webb</a> is 'strongly considering' running. The election is on March 5, 2024.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/06/massachusetts-supreme-judicial-court-justice-elspeth-b-cypher-to-retire.html">Massachusetts</a>: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Elspeth Cypher will retire on January 12, 2024. She was appointed by governor Charlie Baker in 2017. Governor Maura Healey (D) will get her first appointment to the court.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-supreme-court-chief-justice-lorie-gildea-stepping-down/600282933/">Minnesota</a>: Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea will retire in October. She was appointed to the court by Tim Pawlenty (R) in 2006 and named chief in 2010. Governor Tim Walz (D) will make his second appointment to the court.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/west-virginia-supreme-court-justice-john-hutchison-retire-next-year">West Virginia</a>: West Virginia Supreme Court Justice John Hutchison will retire at the end of his term in 2024. He is an independent who was appointed in 2018 by Governor Jim Justice.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Numbers and Trivia:</strong></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Chief Judges: On July 8, the new chief judge of the 4th Circuit will be Albert Diaz, who was appointed by Obama in 2010. He replaces Roger Gregory, who was recess-appointed by Clinton in 2000 and given a regular appointment by W in 2001. The Presidents who appointed chief judges of the 13 appeals courts are W (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, Fed), and Obama (1, 4, 9, DC). </div><div><br /></div></div><div><b>History:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Ed Whelan's Substack, "<a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/">Confirmation Tales</a>", has recent posts that deal with Bill Clinton's nomination of Stephen Breyer to replace Harry Blackmun.<br /><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/senate-republicans-oppose-clintons">Senate Republicans Oppose Clinton's Terrible Eleventh Circuit Pick</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/14-replacing-harry-blackmun">Replacing Harry Blackmun</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/avoiding-fight-over-bruce-babbitt">Dodging Fight Over Bruce Babbitt, Clinton Nominates Stephen Breyer</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/1-june-breyer-intrigue-1980">The Intrigue Behind How Stephen Breyer Became A Federal Judge</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/did-breyer-nomination-cost-al-gore">Did Breyer Nomination Cost Al Gore the 2000 Presidential Election?</a></div><div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/judicial-confirmation-trivia-questions">Judicial-Confirmation Trivia Questions</a></div></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/judicial-confirmation-trivia-answers">Judicial-Confirmation Trivia Answers<br /></a><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/intermezzo">Intermezzo<br /></a><br /><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/theres-unsettling-new-evidence-of-slates-hackery/">Rehnquist</a>: Ed Whelan debunks Slate's smear of Justice William Rehnquist, falsely claiming he sympathized with segregation.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-118.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2023-2024</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2023">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2023</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2023">Elections 2023</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/01/october-2022-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/18/2022-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/12/01/december-2022-judiciary-news/">December</a><br />2023: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/01/02/january-2023-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/02/01/february-2023-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/03/02/march-2023-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="May 2023 Judiciary News">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/06/01/june-2023-judiciary-news/">June</a></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-37520487791218826852023-06-22T15:15:00.000-04:002023-06-22T15:15:08.656-04:00Kalamazoo's War on Motorists: Downtown Streets<p>The city of Kalamazoo is planning to spend 30 million dollars to convert several downtown streets from one-way to two-way. This proposal seems likely to make the city worse for drivers.</p><p>There are legitimate reasons to be concerned about traffic downtown. When Kalamazoo was first being developed over a century ago, most of the places that people would want to go were located downtown (which initially was the whole town). Naturally, many roads were built to head to downtown Kalamazoo, including Westnedge, Burdick, Portage, King Highway, East Michigan, East Main, Gull, Riverview, Pitcher, Douglas, West Main, Stadium, and Oakland Drive. Over time, the city expanded and important destinations spread throughout the city and its suburbs. But the roads stay where they are, so drivers often need to travel through downtown Kalamazoo even when they aren't heading to or from there.</p><p>To facilitate the flow of traffic, in 1965, <a href="https://www.wmuk.org/wmuk-news/2022-07-15/whys-that-why-does-kalamazoo-have-so-many-one-way-streets">the city converted</a> many of the busiest streets in downtown from <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/02/kalamazoo-is-ditching-most-of-its-one-way-streets-back-to-the-way-they-used-to-be.html">two-way to one-way</a>. There are obvious advantages to one-way streets. Without opposing traffic, cars can safely move faster. There may be room for an extra driving lane, as for example, a road that could hold three lanes traveling in the same direction can only hold one lane each way. With one-way roads, traffic lights only need two cycles rather than four. All of this means that drivers can move through the city more quickly and are less likely to get stuck in traffic jams.<br /><br />Eliminating one-way streets will reverse these benefits.<br /><br />For years now, the city of Kalamazoo has been planning to convert downtown streets to two-way. Back in 2019, the city of Kalamazoo <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2019/01/kalamazoo-accepts-control-of-state-trunklines-spanning-city.html">acquired control</a> of several major state-owned roads in Kalamazoo. It will have to pay for future maintenance of these roads, which was previously funded by the state. In a rare moment of reasonableness, commissioner Don Cooney voted against the transfer.<br /><br />As result of this, the state highway M-43 <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2019/08/m-43-rerouted-section-renamed-m-343-as-kalamazoo-takes-control-of-streets.html">was rerouted</a>. It used to go straight through Kalamazoo along West Main, along the one-way streets of Michigan Avenue and Kalamazoo Avenue downtown, and then along Gull Road northeast to Richland. Since the downtown streets were sold, they could no longer be a state highway. For the other pieces of M-43 to connect, it had to be rerouted along state-owned roads. Thus it now makes a ridiculous detour along US-131 up to Plainwell, then along M-89 to Richland, avoiding Kalamazoo completely. Gull Road from downtown to Richland <a href="https://wwmt.com/news/local/portion-of-m-43-re-designated-to-m-343-after-mdot-hands-over-road-to-kalamazoo">was redesignated</a> as M-343.<br /><br />The city has been <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/06/kalamazoo-gets-6m-for-downtown-streets-transformation.html">promoting plans</a> for the <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/05/kalamazoo-unveils-designs-for-new-two-way-streets-downtown.html">conversion</a> of streets to two-way. While you might think they could just repaint some lines and reprogram the traffic lights, the project will actually cost tens of millions of dollars and take 8-10 years to complete.<br /><br />One supposed reason for the change is to benefit pedestrians. While advocates of the changes claim that downtown is hard to walk, I doubt this. Recently, I crossed the widest part of Michigan Avenue in about 10 seconds without running. If the width of a road doesn't change, the time to cross it won't either. Some proposals do include "bump-outs" near crosswalks, but this comes at the cost of eliminating traffic lanes. While pedestrians should always watch out for cars, two-way roads mean that pedestrians can be hit from either direction. In addition, two-way traffic means more possible turns at intersections. This increases the danger to pedestrians, since turns are often allowed at the same time that pedestrians are told to walk.</p><p>Allowing two-way traffic would seem to increase the danger of head-on collisions. However, <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/03/22m-public-benefit-expected-when-2-kalamazoo-streets-turn-to-two-way-traffic-study-says.html">advocates claim</a> that the changes <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/02/kalamazoo-is-ditching-most-of-its-one-way-streets-back-to-the-way-they-used-to-be.html">will make drivers safer</a>. If this is true, it is only because of reduced traffic speeds. Of course, if you make speed limits low enough (and get drivers to follow them) you will eventually reduce fatal crashes. But this comes at the cost of wasting drivers' time. You could eliminate traffic deaths completely if vehicles could only go 10 mph, but we don't do this because people's time also has value.<br /><br />Perhaps the <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2023/03/01/oak-park-kalamazoo-get-40m-to-connect-places-split-by-infrastructure/69959679007/">stupidest argument</a> for the change is that one-way streets are racist.<br /></p><blockquote>When the roads were originally designed, it followed "historic redlining practices," DOT wrote, creating a barrier between Kalamazoo's Northside neighborhood, the city's predominantly Black neighborhood, and the central business district.</blockquote>It's unclear how Kalamazoo Avenue being one-way makes it more of a 'barrier' than when it was two-way. In any case, residents of the Northside don't seem to have any difficulty getting to downtown. One could just as well argue that making the streets two-way is a racist plot to create traffic jams that stop black people from driving to downtown.<br /><br />The planners seeking to change the roads in downtown Kalamazoo should take heed of a similar experiment in Paw Paw back in 2014. The village <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2015/03/road_diets_in_southwest_michig.html">decided to implement a "road diet"</a> to reduce Michigan Avenue in downtown Paw Paw from five lanes to three. This "traffic calming" measure included <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2015/03/five_things_about_reverse_angl.html">reverse angle parking</a>. Not surprisingly, eliminating half of the road's driving lanes created traffic jams, which alienated local businesses. The change <a href="https://www.dailytribune.com/2021/07/22/royal-oak-considering-changes-to-downtown-angle-parking/">was soon reversed</a>.<br /><br />Rather than try to obstruct drivers who need to drive through downtown, Kalamazoo should create alternative routes so that drivers can bypass downtown. One project that has been discussed for years is extending the the US 131 Business Loop to Riverview Drive. This would allow easier access to the industrial area north of downtown and make it possible for most trucks to avoid traveling through downtown.<p>Another idea is to extend Howard Street to Burdick Street (so that it continues onto Reed Avenue). This would reduce the <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/04/they-go-past-too-fast-new-speed-humps-aim-to-slow-traffic-cutting-through-kalamazoo-neighborhood.html">traffic on Maple Street</a>, which has been the subject of complaints.<br /><br />The city of Kalamazoo should help drivers get to their destinations more easily, not make it harder for them to do so.<br /></p>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-65521666364030892532023-06-14T13:30:00.000-04:002023-06-14T13:30:02.204-04:00Kalamazoo's War on Motorists: Bicycle Lanes<p>The city of Kalamazoo is making life more difficult for motorists. One big way is adding bicycle lanes to many major roads.<br /><br />Bicycles can be used for either transportation or recreation. But do either of these goals justify dedicating part of the road to bicycles?<br /><br />I won't judge the merits of bicycles for recreation except to note that some people obviously like them. But recreational bicycling doesn't need to be done on roads. A much better option are bicycle paths, some of which parallel roads, and others don't (often following old railroad beds or power lines).<br /><br />For transportation, have the advantage of being cheaper than cars and faster than walking. However, there are some serious disadvantages.<br /><br />One major disadvantage is safety. Putting bicycles on roads creates a major risk of being hit by cars. Back in 2016, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalamazoo_bicycle_crash">a pickup driver hit and killed five bicyclists</a> and injured four others on North Westnedge Avenue in Cooper Township. The driver was high on drugs at the time. Obviously, the driver was legally and morally responsible for the deaths. Nonetheless, it should be noted that the road the bicyclists were traveling on had a bike path parallel to it that the bicyclists were not using.<br /><br />The Kalamazoo tragedy was particularly dramatic, but <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=bicyclist+killed&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjl2N7498D_AhXSlGoFHWcZB7wQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=1416&bih=952&dpr=1">the news is full of stories</a> of bicyclists killed by collisions with cars, almost all of which could have been avoided if bicycles were not allowed on roads. Bicycles are not allowed on freeways, where drivers can legally drive 70 miles per hour, so why should they be on roads where cars can travel 55 miles per hour?<br /><br />There are also many reasons why riding bicycles for transportation is impractical. Many people live too far away from work, and in many jobs, arriving sweaty and in bicycle gear would be frowned upon. Some people aren't physically capable of riding a bike (get on your bike, grandma!). Biking when it rains is unpleasant, not to mention dangerous when the "bicycle gutters" turn into ponds. During winter, temperatures are usually cold, and roads are often covered with snow (that gets plowed into the bicycle lanes), making bicycling impractical.<br /><br />Another problem with bicycles on streets is that they are an obstacle to drivers. Passing a bicycle often requires swerving into a lane of oncoming traffic. When this is not possible, an entire line of drivers will be limited to the speed of a bicycle, often around 10 mph.<br /><br />Another obstacle to drivers is the fact that Kalamazoo has been eliminating vehicle lanes in favor of bicycle lanes. This has happened on <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/02/michigan-avenue-losing-vehicle-lanes-adding-bike-lane-in-upcoming-project.html">Michigan Avenue</a>, Kalamazoo Avenue, <a href="https://wrkr.com/new-bike-lanes-on-westnedge-are-causing-confusion/">Westnedge and Park Avenue</a>, <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/02/new-bike-lanes-coming-to-kalamazoo-connecting-downtown-to-northside.html">Rose Street</a>, and elsewhere. Cork Street, a major thoroughfare (particularly when traffic is detoured from I-94), <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2019/09/car-lanes-will-be-removed-bike-lanes-added-in-65m-kalamazoo-road-project.html">was put on a "road diet"</a>. Specifically, it was reduced from four lanes to three (one each way with a turn lane).<br /><br />Perhaps the <a href="https://wincountry.com/2023/06/13/opposition-grows-to-citys-proposed-change-of-traffic-pattern-on-winchell-avenue/">craziest proposal yet</a> would <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/06/2-lanes-for-bikes-1-for-cars-street-proposal-would-force-oncoming-cars-to-share-lane.html">convert Winchell Avenue</a> to a single vehicle lane and two bicycle lanes. The single vehicle lane would somehow accommodate cars traveling in both directions, with drivers swerving into the bicycle lanes to avoid crashing into each other. Perhaps the city could save some money by pre-building the memorial to all the drivers and bicyclists who will get killed by this insanity.<br /><br />What is amazing about Kalamazoo's obsession with adding bike lanes is that almost nobody uses them. Driving around Kalamazoo, it is easy to observe that the bike lanes are almost always empty, except in the vicinity of Western Michigan University, where some students and employees use bikes to commute to campus. The number of travelers per unit area is far less in bicycle lanes than in vehicle lanes.<br /><br />There are some countries where biking to work is common, whether because people are too poor to afford cars, or just because of cultural differences. However, Kalamazoo citizens have not adopted this culture, despite the city planners' attempts to encourage them to do so. So what is driving the proliferation of bike lanes, if not public demand? It appears to be an ideology hostile to cars, driven by environmentalism and fear of <a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2008/06/truth-about-global-warming.html">global warming</a>.</p>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-8366435365574694792023-06-01T00:04:00.000-04:002023-06-01T00:04:37.008-04:00June 2023 Judiciary News<p><b>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</b></p><div><div><div><p><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/03/black-caucus-senate-dems-judges-00095159">Blue Slip</a>: The Congressional Black Caucus is pushing Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to eliminate the blue slip for district court judges. They called it a "Jim Crow practice", despite defending the practice when Trump was president. Many D Senators seem reluctant, as they realize it could be used against them under an R president.<br /><br /><a href="https://apnews.com/article/judges-feinstein-judiciary-committee-senate-a238ef9ba6ec7d13faa4f746fe433ab6">Feinstein</a>: Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) finally returned to the Senate long enough to cast votes in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Three controversial nominees, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-judicial-nominee-under-fire-lack-legal-knowledge-experience">Charnelle Bjelkengren</a>, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-kennedy-question-legal-procedure-stumps-kato-crews-biden-judicial-nominee-front-entire-senate-committee">Kato Crews</a>, and Marian Gaston were passed out of committee.</p><p><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-withdraws-appeals-court-nominee-michael-delaney-25636fed?st=mjine6ij5lbhejc&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">1st Circuit</a>: Michael Delaney, the nominee for the NH seat on the 1st Circuit, withdrew his nomination. He faced opposition from some leftist groups due to signing a brief defending a parental notification law on abortion and opposition from both the right and left due to his advocacy as an attorney for publicly disclosing the identity of a minor victim of sexual assault.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/watch-biden-nominee-stumbles-answers-sen-kennedy-grills-her-basic-legal-theory">9th Circuit</a>: Judge Ana de Alba (ED-CA) was unable to explain the Dormant Commerce Clause under questioning by Senator John Kennedy (R-LA).<br /><br /><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/senate-vote-biden-appeals-court-pick-after-manchin-opposes-2023-05-18/">11th Circuit</a>: The Senate confirmed Nancy Abudu to the 11th Circuit by a 49-47 vote. Notably, Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted no, his first vote against a Biden judicial nominee. This may explain the 16-month gap between Abudu's nomination and confirmation.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.djournal.com/news/state-news/colom-asks-hyde-smith-to-reverse-her-opposition-to-his-judicial-nomination/article_397cf23c-1045-5e23-a930-6282161c4f97.html">ND-MS</a>: Nominee Scott Colom wrote a letter to Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, disputing the reasons she has refused to return a blue slip. These include "opposition to legislation to protect female athletes" and support from George Soros.</p><p><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/23/second-biden-judicial-pick-withdraws-00098469">D-KS</a>: Jabari Wamble withdrew his nomination to D-KS. He was previously nominated to the 10th Circuit in August 2022, but never received an ABA rating, and the nomination expired in January. He was then <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/tenth-circuit-vacancy-holds-up-kansas-district-court-nomination">nominated to D-KS</a>, but he was expected to receive a 'not qualified' rating from the ABA. Wamble is the son-in-law of Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO).<br /></p><p>Nominations:<br />TBA</p><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/democratic-thuggery-and-double-standards-on-display-on-dobbs-leak-anniversary/">Ethics</a>: The D majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee held <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/once-again-judiciary-committee-democrats-discredit-themselves-rather-than-the-supreme-court/">two hearings</a> to attack the Supreme Court over ethics issues. However, R senators refuted their attacks.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/democrats-bills-are-about-supreme-court-harassment-not-ethics/">Ethics</a>: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced a bill to force recusal of Supreme Court justices who supposedly have conflicts. This would result in numerous complaints trying to recuse justices the complainants don't like.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/anncoulter/2023/05/03/how-to-bribe-the-supreme-court-n2622808?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&bcid=00ec0a028076ffbdcba8075df3af04a303ff6e076b3009bf8d8249ab2610ee43&pid=2622808 ">Thomas</a>: Ann Coulter argues that praise from left-controlled establishment institutions is more valuable than the free vacations that Justice Thomas took with Harlan Crow.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/liberal-scotus-justice-took-3m-from-book-publisher-didnt-recuse-from-its-cases">Sotomayor</a>: Justice Sotomayor received over 3 million dollars from publisher Penguin Random House and did not recuse herself from voting on whether to hear a case involving it.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/ilya-shapiro-on-false-abe-fortas-analogy/">Fortas</a>: Ilya Shapiro explains that <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/more-on-false-abe-fortas-analogy/">the corruption</a> that led to Abe Fortas' resignation in 1969 is not comparable to anything alleged against current justices.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://redstate.com/streiff/2023/05/17/director-of-clarence-thomas-and-brett-kavanaugh-smear-group-begs-for-mercy-after-releasing-confidential-documents-n747428">Fix the Court</a>: The leftist group Fix the Court accidentally revealed its donors, showing that almost all of its funding comes from three leftist foundations.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/paranoid-incidents-necessitate-newman-exam-fed-cir-says">Federal Circuit</a>: The complaint against Judge Pauline Newman claims that Newman is paranoid and unable to remember basic facts. The Federal Circuit panel hearing the claim denied a transfer to another circuit, despite what would seem to be an <a href="https://ipwatchdog.com/2023/05/17/moore-claims-shes-not-complainant-latest-special-committee-order-newman-investigation/id=160956/">obvious conflict of interest</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 95 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below.</div></div><div><div>D-HI: Leslie Kobayshi (Obama) 10/9/24 (senior)</div><div>ED-MI: Paul Borman (Clinton) 8/1/23 (senior)</div><div><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.wtnh.com/news/politics/sandra-slack-glover-withdraws-as-gov-ned-lamonts-connecticut-supreme-court-nominee/">Connecticut</a>: Governor Ned Lamont <a href="https://apnews.com/article/amy-coney-barrett-letter-2dab347caf728aee38b2d6248845c463">nominated</a> Sandra Slack Glover to the Connecticut Supreme Court. She is an attorney for D-CT who clerked for Richard Posner (7th Circuit) and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor of the U.S. Supreme Court. After being attacked by the left for signing a letter supporting the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, who she clerked with at the Supreme Court, Glover withdrew her nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/05/23/desantis-quietly-names-judge-meredith-sasso-to-the-florida-supreme-court/">Florida</a>: Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Meredith Sasso to the Florida Supreme Court. She was Chief Deputy General Counsel to Governor Rick Scott, who appointed her to the Fifth District Court of Appeal in 2019. She was transferred to the recently created Sixth District Court of Appeal, where she was chief judge. Sasso, age 40, is Cuban. She fills the seat of retired Justice Ricky Polston. She was one of the original three applicants for the seat, and <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/05/05/6-finalists-named-florida-supreme-court-seat-including-tampa-bay-names/">one of six finalists</a> after applications were reopened.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://idahocapitalsun.com/2023/05/02/a-bittersweet-decision-idaho-supreme-court-justice-announces-retirement-plans/">Idaho</a>: Idaho Supreme Court Justice John R. Stegner will retire on October 31. He was appointed to the court by Butch Otter in 2018. Governor Brad Little will get his second appointment to the court.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/governor/michael-noriega-is-murphys-pick-for-n-j-supreme-court/">New Jersey</a>: Governor Phil Murphy nominated Michael Noriega, an ACLU lawyer specializing in immigration. He would replace Barry Albin, who was age-limited in 2022. The seat is currently held by Jack Sabatino, a temporary appointee. The previous vacancy on the court lasted for 10 months due to an <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/vital-republican-becomes-vocal-champion-of-new-jersey-court-pick">extended dispute</a> with the state senate.</div><div><br /><a href="https://www.wral.com/story/nc-supreme-court-justice-michael-morgan-won-t-run-for-reelection-in-2024/20867634/">North Carolina</a>: North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan (D) will not seek reelection in 2024. He was first elected in 2016. He would only have been able to serve three years, as he would have been age-limited in 2027. Appeals Court Judge Jefferson Griffin (R) is running for the seat.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2023/05/pa-election-results-primary-2023-supreme-superior-commonwealth-court/">Pennsylvania</a>: The primary election for Pennsylvania Supreme Court was held on May 16. Pennsylvania Superior Court judge Daniel McCaffery (D) of Philadelphia defeated Deborah Kunselman 60-40. Carolyn Carluccio (R), the president judge of Montgomery County Court, defeated Patricia McCullough 54-46. The general election is on November 8, 2023.</div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-118.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2023-2024</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2023">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2023</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2023">Elections 2023</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/01/october-2022-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/18/2022-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/12/01/december-2022-judiciary-news/">December</a><br />2023: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/01/02/january-2023-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/02/01/february-2023-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/03/02/march-2023-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="May 2023 Judiciary News">May</a> </div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-86829617902936924362023-04-30T13:39:00.000-04:002023-04-30T13:39:58.292-04:00May 2023 Judiciary News<p><b>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</b></p><div><div><div><p><a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2023/04/20/the-feinstein-absence-is-not-the-democrats-biggest-problem/">Nominations</a>: Russell Wheeler analyzes the numbers of judicial nominations and confirmations by Biden and other recent presidents.<br /><br /><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/bidens-judicial-nominations-machine-slows-amid-new-hiccups">Nominations</a>: Biden's judicial confirmations have slowed due to the illness of Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/few-biden-judicial-nominees-senate-hearing-blue-slip-concerns-loom-2023-03-22/">lack of blue slips</a> from R senators.<br /><br /><a href="https://apnews.com/article/dianne-feinstein-senate-resignation-khanna-california-e50d4f459445b0773fbc5f0d58cd022f">Feinstein</a>: Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) is facing calls to resign due to her age and ailments. She has offered to temporarily relinquish her seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is unable to process controversial nominations in her absence. However, R senators refused to go along with the plan.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-judicial-nominee-michael-delaney-abortion_n_64232fa9e4b0512ca9212079">1st Circuit</a>: Michael Delaney, the nominee for the NH seat on the 1st Circuit, is facing opposition from some leftist groups due to signing a brief defending a parental notification law on abortion. Several D senators on the Judiciary Committee have not endorsed Delaney. There is also <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/10/liberal-groups-concerns-biden-delaney-00086608">opposition</a> from both the right and left due to his advocacy as an attorney for publically disclosing the identity of a minor victim of sexual assault.<br /><br /><a href="https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2023/03/22/biden-judicial-nominee-thinks-a-brady-motion-a-key-issue-in-j6-prosecutions-has-to-do-with-second-amendment-n719903">D-CO</a>: Magistrate Judge Kato Crews was stumped by the question "Do you know what a Brady motion is?" The question from Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) came during Crews' confirmation hearing.<br /></p><p><a href="https://rollcall.com/2023/04/04/mississippi-senator-plans-to-block-biden-judicial-nominee/">ND-MS</a>: Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith refused to return a blue slip for nominee Scott Colom, citing his "opposition to legislation to protect female athletes" and support from George Soros.</p><p>Nominations:<br />TBA</p><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/justice-thomas-and-the-plague-of-bad-reporting-propublica-washington-post-disclosure-court-safety-def0a6a7?st=z6s1386ssg0moni&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">Thomas</a>: A ProPublica <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/propublica-cherry-picks-ethics-experts-on-justice-thomass-alleged-disclosure-obligation/">article attacked</a> Justice Thomas for vacationing with his longtime friend Harlan Crow. However, Thomas did not break any existing ethics rule, and other justices have gone on similar trips. Several media reports contained errors or hyped minor misstatements to create the appearance of a scandal.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/apr/25/justice-neil-gorsuchs-real-estate-sale-didnt-discl/">Gorsuch</a>: Politico criticized Justice Gorsuch for selling his joint ownership in a piece of property, even though the buyer is a liberal, and Gorsuch <a href="https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/are-you-there-god-its-me-the-lemon-test/">did nothing wrong</a>.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-justice-alito-says-has-pretty-good-idea-who-leaked-dobbs-draft-decision">Alito</a>: The Wall Street Journal interviewed Justice Alito said regarding the leak of his draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. He said, "I personally have a pretty good idea who is responsible, but that’s different from the level of proof that is needed to name somebody". Alito stated that the leak risked the lives of the justices, and dismissed the theory that the leak came from someone on the right.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/crybullies-at-stanford-law-school-threaten-free-speech/">5th Circuit</a>: Judge Kyle Duncan of the 5th Circuit was shouted down by protesters at Stanford University and condemned in a speech by the DEI dean. The college <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/stanford-president-and-law-school-dean-apologize-to-judge-duncan/">later apologized</a> and <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/stanford-law-deans-letter-responding-to-student-complaints-part-1/">released a letter</a>. The DEI dean was <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/stanford-law-dean-stands-by-apology-to-judge-suspends-colleague-who-disrupted-lecture/?utm_source=recirc-desktop&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=right-rail&utm_content=top-stories&utm_term=third">put on leave</a>, and <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/stanford-dei-dean-escalates-battle-against-law-school-dean/">sniped back</a>. No <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/what-punishments-must-stanford-impose/">punishment will be imposed</a> on the students.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/ce9/2023/Leavy_Edward_Obit.pdf">9th Circuit</a>: Judge Edward Leavy died on March 12 at age 93. He was appointed to D-OR in 1984 and the 9th Circuit in 1987 by Reagan. He took senior status in 1997.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/federal-circuit-probe-of-judges-fitness-risks-protracted-battle">Federal Circuit</a>: Federal Circuit Chief Judge Kimberly Moore "has filed a judicial complaint against Judge Pauline Newman under the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act" <a href="https://ipwatchdog.com/2023/04/12/chief-judge-moore-petitioning-oust-judge-newman-federal-circuit/id=159393/">claiming</a> that Newman is unable to fulfill her duties due to slow issuance of opinions and concerns of colleagues. Newman is contesting the claim, and other colleagues object to the filing. Newman is 95 and was appointed by Reagan in 1984. Moore was appointed by W in 2006.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 105 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below.</div></div><div><div>SD-TX: Lynn Hughes (Reagan) 2/12/23 (senior)</div><div>D-OR: Marco Hernandez (Obama) 8/21/24 (senior)</div><div>WD-NY: Frank P. Geraci Jr. (Obama) 4/1/23 (retired)<br />ND-IL: Thomas Durkin (Obama) 12/26/23 (senior)</div><div>D-NJ: John Vasquez (Obama) 9/8/23 (resigned)</div><div>WD-TX: Earl Yeakel (W) 5/1/23 (senior)</div><div>ND-TX: Barbara Lynn (Clinton) 5/15/23 (senior)<br />D-ME: Jon Levy (Obama) 5/6/24 (senior)</div><div><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://ctmirror.org/2023/03/09/ct-maria-kahn-judge-2nd-circuit-appellate-court/">Connecticut</a>: The US Senate confirmed Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Maria Araújo Kahn to the 2nd Circuit by a 51-42 vote. Governor Ned Lamont will make his second appointment to the Connecticut Supreme Court.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.wdel.com/news/gov-carney-makes-2-nominations-to-del-supreme-court/article_829f3700-da4b-11ed-a093-1fae26bea946.html">Delaware</a>: Governor John Carney nominated Superior Court Judge Abigail LeGrow and lawyer N. Christopher Griffiths to the Delaware Supreme Court. They will replace Justice James Vaughn, Jr. (D), who is retiring, and Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves (D), who was confirmed to the 3rd Circuit. The Delaware Supreme Court cannot have more than 3 of 5 justices from the same party.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/596689-justice-ricky-polston-resigns-from-florida-supreme-court/">Florida</a>: Justice Ricky Polston resigned from the Florida Supreme Court on March 31. Polston, age 67, is a conservative who was appointed by Charlie Crist in 2008. Governor Ron DeSantis will appoint a replacement from a list selected by the Judicial Nominating Commission. Initially, there were <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/editorials/fl-op-edit-florida-supreme-court-polston-replacement-20230410-xix3wusqjnhc7mbrircajalj6y-story.html">only three applicants</a>, so nominations were reopened and <a href="https://thecapitolist.com/vacant-florida-supreme-court-seat-draws-15-candidates/">15 candidates</a> were selected for interviews.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2023/03/new-chief-judge-shortlist-features-three-current-court-appeals-judges-no-latinos/384422/">New York</a>: Governor Kathy Hochul nominated Justice Rowan Wilson to become Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals. Wilson, age 62, is a black liberal whose nomination follows the rejection of moderate Hector LaSalle in February. The <a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2023/03/new-chief-judge-shortlist-features-three-current-court-appeals-judges-no-latinos/384422/">list of finalists</a> included three current justices, Anthony Cannataro, Shirley Troutman, and Rowan Wilson, and had only two common nominees with the previous list. Hochul also nominated former NY solicitor general Caitlin Halligan, age 56, to replace Wilson. She was nominated to the DC Circuit by Obama in 2010-13, but filibustered by R senators.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.abc27.com/pennsylvania/whos-running-for-supreme-court-in-pennsylvania/">Pennsylvania</a>: The primary election to fill the seat of the late Justice Max Baer (D) is on May 16. Pennsylvania Superior Court judge Daniel McCaffery of Philadelphia was endorsed by the PA dems over judge Deborah Kunselman of Beaver County. Carolyn Carluccio, the president judge of Montgomery County Court, was <a href="https://www.wesa.fm/courts-justice/2023-02-05/republicans-endorse-carolyn-carluccio-for-seat-on-pennsylvania-supreme-court">endorsed by the PA GOP</a> over Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judge Patricia McCullough. The general election is on November 8, 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/12/wisconsin-supreme-court-advice-abortion-00091768">Wisconsin</a>: On April 4, leftist Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz won 56% to 44% for conservative former justice Dan Kelly. Kelly ran a lackluster campaign and was significantly outspent. Leftists will have a 4-3 majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the first time since 2008.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>History:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Ed Whelan has a new Substack, "<a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/">Confirmation Tales</a>", where he tells his stories of working on judicial confirmation battles. The first few entries deal with his work for Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Bill Clinton's nomination of Ruth Bader Ginsberg.</div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/introducing-confirmation-tales">Introducing Confirmation Tales</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/signing-on-with-senator-orrin-hatch">Signing On With Senator Orrin Hatch</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/that-sure-wasnt-in-my-talking-points">*That* Sure Wasn’t In My Talking Points</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/why-hatch-was-eager-to-help-clinton">Why Orrin Hatch Was Eager to Help Bill Clinton</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/5-clintons-tortuous-86-day-selection">Clinton’s Tortuous 86-Day Selection Process</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/6-mar-9-bill-clintons-litmus-test">Bill Clinton’s Litmus Test on Roe v. Wade</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/why-ginsburgs-age-didnt-doom-her">Why Ginsburg's Age Didn't Doom Her Candidacy</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/the-supreme-court-nominee-who-would">The Supreme Court Nominee Who Would Abolish Mother’s Day</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/ruth-bader-ginsburgs-inexorable-zero">Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s “Inexorable Zero” of Black Employees</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/joe-biden-embarrasses-elena-kagan">Joe Biden Embarrasses Elena Kagan (and I Console Her)</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/no-forecasts-no-hints">"No Forecasts, No Hints"</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/judge-jose-cabranes-recounts-his">Judge José Cabranes Recounts His Supreme Court Candidacy</a></div><div><a href="https://www.confirmationtales.com/p/12-apr-27-clinton-pledges-to-change">Clinton Pledges To "Change The Face" Of The Lower Courts</a></div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-118.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2023-2024</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2023">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2023</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2023">Elections 2023</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/01/october-2022-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/18/2022-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/12/01/december-2022-judiciary-news/">December</a><br />2023: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/01/02/january-2023-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/02/01/february-2023-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/03/02/march-2023-judiciary-news/">March</a></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-9417356660210632182023-04-07T22:31:00.000-04:002023-04-07T22:31:14.283-04:00The Downtown Arena Returns<p>The proposal to build an arena/convention center in downtown Kalamazoo has returned after a decade of dormancy.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/03/plans-revealed-for-new-arena-in-downtown-kalamazoo.html">Plans revealed for new arena in downtown Kalamazoo<br /></a><a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/03/residents-excited-concerned-over-300m-event-center-planned-for-kalamazoo.html#:~:text=KALAMAZOO%2C%20MI%20%2D%2D%20Excitement%2C%20anticipation,said%20developer%20Catalyst%20Development%20Co.">Residents excited, concerned over $300M event center planned for Kalamazoo</a><br /><a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/03/10-things-to-know-about-the-new-300m-arena-planned-for-downtown-kalamazoo.html">10 things to know about the new $300M arena planned for downtown Kalamazoo</a><br /><a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/04/a-dream-that-hasnt-come-true-why-prior-plans-to-build-a-downtown-kalamazoo-arena-flopped.html">‘A dream that hasn’t come true’: Why prior plans to build a downtown Kalamazoo arena flopped</a><br /></u></span><a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/04/county-finalizes-land-sale-for-300m-arena-in-downtown-kalamazoo.html">County finalizes land sale for $300M arena in downtown Kalamazoo</a></p><p>The idea originated decades ago as one of a series of plans to revitalize downtown Kalamazoo. In the 1990s, downtown was legitimately struggling, with several major retailers and employers leaving the area. Converting the Kalamazoo Mall to a one-way street and uncovering Arcadia Creek were implemented to mixed results. The revitalization of downtown wasn't due to these government projects, however, but to conversion of old buildings to apartments, allowing more people to live downtown.<br /><br />The good news is that this proposal will not be funded by tax dollars. Previous versions of the proposal would have imposed a tax on local hotels. This was never implemented due to bipartisan opposition to corporate welfare.<br /><br />Questions remain about some aspects of the proposal. WMU's hockey and basketball games and Kalamazoo Wings hockey would move to the arena, despite <a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2009/06/arena-of-conflict.html">attendance figures</a> that don't require a larger venue. WMU will likely need buses to bus students to the arena to avoid dropoff in student attendance for their games.<br /><br />Another question is whether there is sufficient parking for events that actually do fill the arena to capacity. (The proposal does include a parking ramp.)<br /><br />The most notable aspect of the new proposal is that it includes <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2023/03/plans-revealed-for-new-arena-in-downtown-kalamazoo.html">giveaways to minority activists</a>. It gives $6 million to the Northside Association, and includes set-asides for minority businesses. The proposal originally referenced BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and Persons of Color), but this was replaced with "underserved and historically underrepresented" people. With the Supreme Court likely to strike down affirmative action soon, racial giveaways could cause problems for this proposal.<br /><br />This blog has plenty of coverage of previous versions of this proposal.<br /><u style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2009/05/forum-of-discontent.html">Forum of Discontent<br /></a></u><u style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2009/06/arena-of-conflict.html">Arena of Conflict<br /></a></u><u style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2009/08/dome-of-deceit.html">Dome of Deceit<br /></a></u><u style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2009/11/mackinac-center-on-arena.html">Mackinac Center on the Arena<br /></a></u><u style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2009/12/kitchens-tossed-salad.html">Kitchens' Tossed Salad<br /></a></u><u style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2010/02/who-supports-arena.html">Who Supports the Arena?<br /></a></u><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2010/02/gazette-supports-arena.html">Gazette Supports the Arena</a><br /><u style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2010/05/no-arena-for-now.html">No Arena, for Now<br /></a></u><u style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2010/05/rejecting-arena.html">Rejecting the Arena<br /></a></u><u style="color: #0000ee;"><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2012/09/bad-ideas-never-go-away.html">Bad Ideas Never Go Away</a></u></p>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-33571915265353379042023-03-02T17:11:00.001-05:002023-04-04T10:09:08.011-04:00March 2023 Judiciary News<p><b>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</b></p><div><div><div><p><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/first-circuit-nominee-excoriated-at-hearing/">1st Circuit</a>: Michael Delaney, the nominee for the NH seat on the 1st Circuit, was grilled by R senators due to his advocacy as an attorney for publically disclosing the identity of a minor victim of sexual assault.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/state/2023/02/23/joe-biden-to-nominate-jabari-wamble-to-kansas-u-s-district-court/69934251007/">D-KS</a>: President Biden nominated Jabari Wamble to D-KS. He was previously nominated to the 10th Circuit in August 2022, but never received an ABA rating, and the nomination expired in January. No explanation has been given for the downgrade.<br /><br />Nominations:<br />TBA</p><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/confused-clamor-over-supreme-court-ethics/">Ethics</a>: Various leftist groups are attacking the Supreme Court for not having a code of ethics. Ed Whelan explains the problems with this idea.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/measuring-the-quality-difference-between-trumps-and-bidens-judges/">Biden judges</a>: Carrie Severino argues that Trump's judicial appointees are better qualified that Biden's based on their clerkships and law school honors.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/senator-wydens-vile-attack-on-federal-judiciary/">ND-TX</a>: Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/judge-kacsmaryk-the-latest-target-of-judicial-intimidation/">attacked</a> judge Matthew Kacsmaryk (ND-TX) along with the Fifth Circuit, and the Supreme Court due to the possibility that Kacsmaryk might issue an injunction against FDA approval of the abortion drug mifepristone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 110 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below.</div></div><div><div>D-MN: John Tunheim (Clinton) TBD (senior)</div><div>D-HI: Michael Seabright (W) 1/30/24 (senior)</div><div>3rd Circuit: Joseph Greenaway (Obama) 6/15/23 (retired)</div><div><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.civilbeat.org/beat/judicial-commission-releases-list-of-supreme-court-contenders/">Hawaii</a>: Justices Michael Wilson and Paula Nakayama will leave the court soon, as they are age-limited in April and October, respectively. Wilson was appointed by Neil Abercrombie in 2014, and Nakayama was appointed by John D. Waiheʻe III in 1993. There are 13 applicants for the two positions.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/2023-02-16/york-county-judge-confirmed-for-maine-supreme-court-vacancy">Maine</a>: Maine Supreme Court Justice Thomas Humphrey retired last year. Governor Janet Mills appointed York County judge Wayne Douglas to the court. He is 71, and was appointed to the district court in 2002 by Angus King.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/new-york-state-senate-rejects-hector-lasalle-chief-judge-state-court-of-appeals/">New York</a>: Governor Kathy Hochul's nomination of Hector LaSalle to be Chief Judge on the New York Court of Appeals was rejected by the New York State Senate by a 39-20 vote. Hochul will make a new nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2023/02/15/united-state-senate-confirms-oregon-justice-adrienne-nelson-federal-bench/">Oregon</a>: The US Senate confirmed Oregon Supreme Court Justice Adrienne Nelson to D-OR by a 52-46 vote. Governor Tina Kotek will appoint her replacement.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.abccolumbia.com/2023/02/08/south-carolina-becomes-only-state-with-all-male-high-court/">South Carolina</a>: The South Carolina legislature elected Judge Gary Hill to the South Carolina Supreme Court. Hill clerked for Billy Wilkins, a Reagan appointee to the 4th Circuit, and has been a judge since 2000. He replaces Justice Kaye Gorenflo Hearn, author of a controversial 3-2 decision protecting abortion. His election spurred some criticism that the court would be the only state supreme court without a woman. The other two (female) nominees <a href="https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article271299182.html">dropped out of contention</a>, seemingly due to a lack of support in the legislature.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/02/dwight-tarwater-former-haslam-counsel-tapped-for-tennessee-supreme-court/69867987007/">Tennessee</a>: Governor Bill Lee (R) appointed Dwight Tarwater to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Tarwater was general counsel to then Governor Bill Haslem (R). He will replace Justice Sharon Lee (D), who retires in August 2023. The position had to go to a resident of East Tennessee.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meetthepressblog/turnout-spikes-wisconsin-supreme-court-primary-rcna72052">Wisconsin</a>: On February 21, Leftist Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz won 46% to 24% for conservative former justice Dan Kelly. Conservative judge Jennifer Dorow trailed with 22%, and liberal judge Everett Mitchell was last with 8%. Protasiewicz and Kelly advance to the general election on April 4.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-118.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2023-2024</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2023">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2023</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2023">Elections 2023</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/01/october-2022-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/18/2022-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/12/01/december-2022-judiciary-news/">December</a><br />2023: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/01/02/january-2023-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/02/01/february-2023-judiciary-news/">February</a></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-70666625129805332992023-02-01T22:58:00.000-05:002023-02-01T22:58:19.591-05:00February 2023 Judiciary News<p><b>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</b></p><div><div><div><p><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/some-perspective-on-bidens-judicial-nominations/">Biden judges</a>: Carrie Severino surveys the impact of President Biden's appointees on the federal judiciary.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/09/politics/biden-judges-south/index.html">Nominations</a>: In this article lamenting that southern R senators aren't giving President Biden judges in their states, it is mentioned that Biden and Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) are at odds over a successor to retired Judge Diana Motz of the 4th Circuit.<br /><br /><a href="https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2023/01/26/watch-sen-john-kennedy-stumps-a-biden-judicial-nominee-with-some-basic-questions-n694136">ED-WA</a>: Nominee Charnelle Bjelkengren was unable to identify article II and V of the US Constitution under questioning by Senator John Kennedy (R-LA).<br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_the_Judiciary">Senate Judiciary Committee</a>: All returning senators kept their seats on the committee. Rs lost one seat, that of Ben Sasse, while Ds replaced retired senator Pat Leahy with Peter Welch.</p><p>Nominations:<br />TBA</p><div><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/19/supreme-court-could-not-identify-who-shared-draft-abortion-opinion-00078602">Supreme Court</a>: The investigation into the leak of the draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization concluded without identifying the leaker.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/on-mark-sterns-smear-of-clarence-thomas/">Thomas</a>: Mark Paoletta debunks another smear of Justice Thomas by Mark Joseph Stern.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 115 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below.</div></div><div><div>D-DE: Richard G. Andrews (Obama) 12/1/23 (senior)</div><div>9th Circuit: Paul Watford (Obama) 5/31/23 (resigned)</div><div>D-SD: Karen Schreier (Clinton) TBD (senior)<br />ND-CA: William Orrick (Obama) 5/17/23 (senior)</div><div><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/state-court-battles-over-pro-life-laws-have-begun/">Abortion</a>: The battle over abortion continues in state courts. The South Carolina Supreme Court <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/on-the-mixed-results-in-state-abortion-cases/">issued a 3-2 ruling</a> declaring a right to abortion, while the Idaho Supreme Court ruled 3-2 against such a right. All the judges on both courts were appointed by Republicans.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.kfsk.org/2023/01/20/sitka-superior-court-judge-jude-pate-appointed-to-alaska-supreme-court/">Alaska</a>: Governor Mike Dunleavy appointed Sitka Superior Court Judge Jude Pate to the Alaska Supreme Court. He replaces Chief Justice Daniel Winfree, who is age-limited in February.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/01/05/michigan-supreme-court-clerk-resigns-after-justices-criticism/69781659007/">Michigan</a>: Newly appointed justice Kyra Harris Bolden (D) hired a clerk who served 14 years in prison for robbing a convenience store and shooting at police officers. Fellow justice Richard Bernstein (D) blasted the hire, while former Chief Justice Bridget McCormack (D), who Bolden replaced, defended the hire. The clerk resigned shortly thereafter, and Bernstein later apologized.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/politics/new-york-hector-lasalle-hochul/index.html">New York</a>: Governor Kathy Hochul's nomination of Hector LaSalle to be Chief Judge on the New York Court of Appeals was rejected by the New York State Senate Judiciary Committee. Hochul is still supporting the nomination, and has threatened legal action if the full senate does not vote on it. Progressives senators view LaSalle as insufficiently progressive.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/north-dakota-supreme-court-not-about-personal-beliefs-new-justice-says/article_f2980ec0-9cbf-11ed-8a33-0f47cdd1406d.html">North Dakota</a>: Justice Gerald VandeWalle retired on January 31 at age 89. He was appointed in 1978 by Governor Arthur Link (D) and served 44 years on the court. Governor Doug Burgum appointed Douglas Bahr to fill the vacancy. He was an assistant attorney general (1991-2001), North Dakota Solicitor General (2000-2016), and has been a district judge since 2018.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230114011720/https://www.postandcourier.com/news/sc-supreme-court-justice-replacement-abortion-ruling-brings-new-scrutiny-on-the-3-candidates/article_9434188c-928e-11ed-b142-83641634935a.html">South Carolina</a>: The choice to replace age-limited Justice Kaye Gorenflo Hearn has become contentious due to Hearn's authorship of a 3-2 protecting abortion in South Carolina. Some legislators questioned whether the three nominees were sufficiently conservative, while others advocated appointing one of them since Hearn will remain until another justice is selected. Then two of the three nominees <a href="https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article271299182.html">dropped out of contention</a>, leaving only Judge Gary Hill remaining. Hill clerked for Billy Wilkins, a Reagan appointee to the 4th Circuit, and has been a judge since 2000.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/01/04/gov-bill-lee-to-choose-between-three-for-next-supreme-court-justice/69779450007/">Tennessee</a>: The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments narrowed the list of choices for Tennessee Supreme Court to Kristi M. Davis, Tom Greenholtz and Dwight Tarwater. Davis and Greenholtz are both appeals court judges, while Tarwater was general counsel to then Governor Bill Haslem (R). Governor Bill Lee (R) will choose a replacement for Justice Sharon Lee (D), who retires in August 2023. The position must go to a resident of East Tennessee.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2023/01/30/murphys-law-a-right-wing-war-in-high-court-race/">Wisconsin</a>: The election for Wisconsin Supreme Court is getting heated amongst conservatives. Former justice Dan Kelly and Waukesha County Circuit Court judge Jennifer Dorow are competing for the votes of conservatives, and they and their supporters are trading attacks on ideology and electability. The nonpartisan primary is on February 21, and the top two candidates advance to the general election on May 4. Dane County Circuit Court Judge Everett Mitchell and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz are competing for the support of liberals.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>History:</b></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://lawliberty.org/features/the-mystery-of-richard-posner/">Posner</a>: Corbin Barthold surveys the career of former 7th Circuit judge Richard Posner, including his "pragmatist" philosophy.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-118.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2023-2024</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2023">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2023</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2023">Elections 2023</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/01/october-2022-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/18/2022-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/12/01/december-2022-judiciary-news/">December</a><br />2023: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2023/01/02/january-2023-judiciary-news/">January</a> </div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-73375653113733947182023-01-02T23:36:00.000-05:002023-01-02T23:36:44.140-05:00January 2023 Judiciary News<b>2022 in Review:</b> <div><br /></div><div>Breyer retired, and was replaced by Ketanji Brown Jackson. </div><div><br /></div><div>Circuit judges: Biden has filled 17 circuit court seats in 2022, for a total of 28 overall. Only 4 of the 28 replaced R appointees (all moderate to liberal). There are 9 more nominees who were not confirmed and will presumably be renominated this year. There are 5 more vacancies without nominees. There are 15 more D-appointed circuit court judges who are eligible for senior status but have not yet taken it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Three nominees are in red states (TN, IN, LA) and one in a purple state (PA). Two (IN, LA) had support from home state R senators, and two (TN, PA) did not. Only 2 of 28 circuit appointees is a white male. This compares to President Trump’s appointment of 30 Circuit judges in his first two years. </div><div><br /></div><div>The most votes for a circuit judge was 67 for Roopali Desai (one of the more radical nominees), and the smallest margin was 1 for Andre Mathis, along with Jennifer Sung in 2021. Biden’s biggest impact is on the 9th Circuit, where he has appointed six judges. </div><div><br /></div><div>District Judges: Biden appointed 39 district judges, for a total of 68 overall. This compares to President Trump’s appointment of 53 District judges in his first two years. Biden’s larger number of district judges is due to a rule change that reduced the number of hours of debate on district judges from 30 to 2. </div><div><br /></div><div>Two district judges were confirmed by voice vote, Stephen Locher (SD-IA) and Jennifer Rearden (SD-NY). Aside from them, the most votes was 64 for Jeffery P. Hopkins (SD-OH). Four judges were confirmed by 2-vote margins (John Chun, Anne Traum, Charlotte Sweeney, Kay Behm). One (IA) appointee is in a red state, and 8 (4 OH, 4 PA) are in purple states. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://vettingroom.org/2022/12/31/judicial-nominations-2022-year-in-review/">Review</a>: Harsh Voruganti of the Vetting Room gives his year in review. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</b> </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2022/12/06/bidens-record-setting-judicial-confirmation-efforts-face-three-challenges-in-2023-2024/">Nominations</a>: Brookings looks at how Biden's appointments so far compare to those of previous presidents, and the prospects of future appointments over the next two years. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/judicial-appointments-in-the-117th-congress/">Nominations</a>: President Biden has continued to fill vacancies, though Republican opposition to his nominees has increased. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://vettingroom.org/2022/11/23/the-unexpected-opportunity-assessing-the-landscape-of-judicial-vacancies/">Vacancies</a>: Harsh Voruganti of the Vetting Room surveys the existing judicial vacancies and prospects to fill them, now that Ds have held the Senate. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2022/12/19/the-biden-nominees-who-remain-in-confirmation-limbo/">Nominees</a>: Several Biden nominees, including Nancy Abudu and Dale Ho, remain in limbo. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/chuck-schumer-judges-appeals-courts_n_639374a8e4b019c69621f85a">Schumer</a>: Senator Chuck Schumer hopes to ‘achieve balance’ on every appeals court. It isn't clear how he plains to do that on the 8th Circuit, which has 10 R-appointed judges, one D-appointed judge, and no vacancies. </div><div><br /></div><div>Nominations: </div><div>D-NJ: Michael E. Farbiarz--clerk for José Cabranes (2nd Circuit), Michael Mukasey (SD-NY), Port Authority of NY/NJ, AUSA (SD-NY) </div><div>D-NJ: Robert Kirsch--clerk for William Zloch (SD-FL), judge, New Jersey Superior Court, AUSA (D-NJ) </div><div>SD-IN: Matthew P. Brookman--Magistrate Judge (SD-IN), AUSA (SD-IN) </div><div>SD-CA: Marian Gaston--judge, Superior Court of California </div><div>CD-CA: Wesley Hsu--clerk for Mariana Pfaelzer (CD-CA), judge, Los Angeles County Superior Court, AUSA (CD-CA) </div><div>CD-CA: Mónica Ramírez Almadani--clerk for Warren J. Ferguson (9th Circuit), AUSA (CD-CA) </div><div><br /></div><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong> </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/watch-jim-jordan-annihilate-a-lying-witness/?utm_source=recirc-%5BSCREENSIZE%5D&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=right-rail&utm_content=corner&utm_term=second">Alito</a>: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) destroyed the credibility of Reverend Robert Schenck, who claimed that Justice Alito leaked the result of a Supreme Court decision in 2014. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/ruth-marcuss-critique-of-originalism-is-bunk/">Originalism</a>: Ed Whelan debunks Ruth Marcus’s attack on originalism. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/12/federalist-society-judge-william-pryor-interview.html">11th Circuit</a>: Chief Judge William Pryor granted an interview to progressive legal writer Mark Joseph Stern. Pryor had joked about Stern after Stern's hyperbolic attacks on conservatives. Pryor defends the role of the Federalist Society within the legal community in a very civil interview. </div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 113 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below. </div><div>ND-IL: Gary Feinerman (Obama) 12/31/22 (resigned) </div><div>ED-LA: Carl Barbier (Clinton) 1/1/23 (senior) </div><div>MD-FL: Charlene Edwards-Honeywell (Obama) 12/4/23 (senior) </div><div>D-MD: George Hazel (Obama) 2/24/23 (senior) </div><div>D-MT: Dana Christensen (Obama) TBD (senior) </div><div>D-DC: Amy Berman Jackson (Obama) 5/1/23 (senior) </div><div><br /></div><div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong> </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/the-state-supreme-court-elections-in-ohio-and-north-carolina-were-consequential/">Elections</a>: Carrie Severino highlights the significance of Republican victories in judicial elections in North Carolina and Ohio. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.adn.com/politics/2022/12/06/alaska-judicial-council-nominates-four-for-upcoming-vacancy-on-state-supreme-court/">Alaska</a>: The Alaska Judicial Council advanced four nominees for the seat to be vacated by Chief Justice Daniel Winfree in February 2023. The council once again rejected Judge <a href="https://alaskawatchman.com/2022/12/06/prominent-conservative-judge-blocked-from-alaska-supreme-court-nomination/">Paul Roetman</a>, a conservative judge who is highly respected. The appointment will be made by governor Mike Dunleavy. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/577595-gov-desantis-appoints-ousted-judge-who-blocked-teens-abortion-to-new-appeals-district/">Florida</a>: Governor Ron DeSantis appointed three new judges to the 6th District Court of Appeal and <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/576906-gov-desantis-appoints-four-appellate-judges-after-florida-supreme-court-rejects-challenge/">four new judges</a> to the 5th District Court of Appeal. The 6th District Court of Appeal was created by a new bill to cover the Tampa Bay area. The appointments were delayed by a lawsuit challenging the eligibility of some of the nominees due to their living outside the districts. The Florida Supreme Court ruled they were eligible if they lived in the districts at the time of appointment. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://nypost.com/2022/12/22/kathy-hochul-taps-ex-prosecutor-hector-lasalle-to-be-nys-chief-judge/">New York</a>: Governor Kathy Hochul nominated Hector LaSalle to be Chief Judge on the New York Court of Appeals. He is the presiding judge in the state Supreme Court’s Second Department in Brooklyn, and a former prosecutor. The position was vacated by Janet DiFiore, one of a <a href="https://www.nysfocus.com/2022/07/07/court-of-appeals-conservative-bloc/">group of four 'conservative'</a> (non-leftist) judges (along with Cannatarro, Garcia, and Singas) on the court. Progressives <a href="https://www.nysfocus.com/2022/12/22/chief-judge-court-of-appeals-hochul-picks-hector-lasalle/">are mad</a> about the nomination, so LaSalle may join that group. The nomination must still be approved by the New York state senate, where some progressive senators have vowed to oppose it. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nbc4i.com/news/your-local-election-hq/sources-dewine-taps-prosecutor-joe-deters-for-open-seat-on-ohio-supreme-court/">Ohio</a>: Governor Mike DeWine appointed Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters (R) to the Ohio Supreme Court. He was elected in 2004 after being Ohio Treasurer 1998-2004. He is 65. The seat is open after Justice Sharon Kennedy was elected chief justice, replacing Maureen O’Connor. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2022/12/gov-kate-brown-appoints-5-judges-including-2-to-oregon-supreme-court.html">Oregon</a>: Governor Kate Brown appointed Multnomah County Circuit Judge Stephen Bushong and Oregon Court of Appeals Judge Bronson James to the Oregon Supreme Court. They replace Chief Justice Martha Walters and Justice Thomas Balmer, who both retired on December 31. The retirements seemed to be timed to occur before the election. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.abc27.com/pennsylvania/whos-running-for-supreme-court-in-pennsylvania/">Pennsylvania</a>: The race to fill the seat of the late Justice Max Baer (D) is well underway. Pennsylvania Superior Court judges Deborah Kunselman of Beaver County and Daniel McCaffery of Philadelphia are seeking the D nomination. Carolyn Carluccio, the president judge of Montgomery County Court, is seeking the R nomination. The general election is on November 8, 2023. Outgoing Governor <a href="https://www.goerie.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/12/08/pa-gov-tom-wolf-state-supreme-court-justice-replacement-options/69707956007/">Tom Wolf</a> has not made a nomination to fill the seat. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.scstatehouse.gov/JudicialMeritPage/Media%20Release%20Announcing%20Judicial%20Candidates%20Found%20Q%20and%20N%2011-17-22.pdf">South Carolina</a>: Justice Kaye Gorenflo Hearn was age-limited at the end of 2022. She was appointed to the court in 2010. Three judges have applied for the seat. Her replacement will be appointed by the South Carolina legislature. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Carolina_Supreme_Court">South Carolina</a> and Virginia are the only two states where the legislature appoints supreme court justices. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/5-apply-upcoming-vacancy-tennessee-supreme-court">Tennessee</a>: Five lawyers from East Tennessee have applied for a vacancy on the Tennessee Supreme Court due to the retirement of Justice Sharon Lee (D) in August 2023. They will be interviewed on January 4. Governor Bill Lee (R) will get his second appointment to the court. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://isthmus.com/news/news/most-friction-between-conservative-candidates-vying-for-wisc/">Wisconsin</a>: There will be an election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court seat held by Justice Patience Roggensack (R), who is retiring at age 82. The nonpartisan primary is on February 21, and the top two candidates advance to the general election on May 4. Former justice Dan Kelly and Waukesha County Circuit Court judge Jennifer Dorow are competing for the votes of conservatives. Kelly was appointed to the court in 2016, but lost election 45-55 in 2020. Dorow presided over the high-profile trial of Darrell Brooks, who murdered six people with a car. Dane County Circuit Court Judge Everett Mitchell and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz are competing for the support of liberals. </div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Numbers and Trivia:</strong> </div><div><br /></div><div>Chief Judges: The Presidents who appointed chief judges of the 13 appeals courts are Clinton (4), W (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, Fed), and Obama (1, 9, DC). There is one chief judge that will change in 2023. This is expected to be
4th Circuit (July 8) Roger Gregory (Clinton) -> Albert Diaz (Obama) </div><div><br /></div><div>Here are the numbers of senior status declarations/retirements for federal judges (circuit judges) for the past year. </div><div>13 (4) January 2022 </div><div>4 (0) February </div><div>3 (2) March </div><div>6 (0) April </div><div>5 (0) May </div><div>5 (2) June </div><div>3 (0) July </div><div>5 (0) August </div><div>3 (0) September </div><div>6 (0) October/November </div><div>6 (0) December 2022 </div><div><br /></div><div>59 (8) Total (2022) </div><div>99 (30) Total (2021) </div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong> </div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a> </div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a> </div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a>
<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> </div><div><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-117.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2021-2022</a> </div><div>Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a> </div><div><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a> </div><div><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a> </div><div>BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a> </div><div>Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2023">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2023</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_elections,_2023">Elections 2023</a> </div><div><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a>
2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a>
2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a>
2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/01/october-2022-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/18/2022-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/12/01/december-2022-judiciary-news/">December</a></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-1545321697244045732022-12-01T00:04:00.000-05:002022-12-01T00:04:09.717-05:00December 2022 Judiciary News<p>November is over.</p><div><div><div><p><strong>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</strong></p><div><a href="https://vettingroom.org/2022/11/23/the-unexpected-opportunity-assessing-the-landscape-of-judicial-vacancies/">Vacancies</a>: Harsh Voruganti of the Vetting Room surveys the existing judicial vacancies and prospects to fill them, now that Ds have held the Senate.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/bidens-minor-impact-on-ideological-composition-of-federal-appellate-courts/">Circuit courts</a>: President Biden has appointed 25 Biden nominees to circuit courts so far. However, most replace previous D appointees, with only four replacing R appointees. Those four were all moderate to liberal.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/biden-pays-back-liberal-dark-money-groups-with-rikelman-nomination/">1st Circuit</a>: Carrie Severino exposes the radical views of pro-abortion activist Julie Rikelman, nominated to the 1st Circuit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nominations:</div><div><div>TBA</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Affirmative action: The cases challenging affirmative action policies at University of North Carolina and Harvard were argued on October 31. <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/kbjs-not-so-excellent-questioning-in-unc-case/">Justice Jackson</a> and <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/stimulating-a-justice/">Justice Sotomayor</a> made poor arguments and asked foolish questions. Harvard's <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/harvard-fails-to-refute-pervasive-discrimination-against-asian-american-applicants/">arguments</a> were unpersuasive.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3703025-thomas-kavanaugh-roberts-conservatives-dominate-supreme-court-but-lack-clear-leader/">Supreme Court</a>: The Hill asks who is the leader of the conservatives on the Supreme Court, but doesn't explain why they would need a leader.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/a-partisan-hit-job-from-nonpartisan-watchdog-fix-the-court/?utm_source=blog-landing&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=continue-reading">Disclosure</a>: Carrie Severino exposes the bias in a report from Fix the Court that implies that conservative justices are inappropriately influenced by their spouses' work.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/citing-concern-for-free-speech-12-federal-judges-say-they-wont-take-clerks-from-yale-law-school/">Yale</a>: Last month, 5th Circuit judge James Ho announced that he will no longer hire clerks from Yale due to harassment of conservative speakers and students. An additional 12 judges have anonymously joined the boycott, along with Judge <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/10/exclusive-another-federal-judge-joins-boycott-of-yale-law/">Elizabeth Branch</a> (11th Circuit). However, Judge Jerry Smith (5th Circuit) opposes the boycott.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/laurence-silberman-1935-2022/">DC Circuit</a>: Judge Laurence Silberman died on October 2 at age 86. He served in the Nixon/Ford administration, and was appointed to the court by Reagan in 1985. He went senior in 2000, and served in that capacity until his death. Justice Amy Coney Barrett was one of his many clerks who later became judges.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_10-03-22">ND-IL</a>: Judge Robert Dow has been appointed "Counselor to the Chief Justice" John Roberts, and will serve as his chief of staff. Dow was appointed by W in 2007. This creates an open seat on ND-IL, though Dow can return to the bench later.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/liberal-law-professors-and-stare-decisis/">Law professors</a>: Mark Joseph Stern claims that liberal law professors are having a hard time adapting “intellectually, pedagogically, and emotionally” to a constitutionalist Supreme Court. Ed Whelan shows the absurdity of this, as leftist law professors were eager to overturn precedents when they thought the left would control the court.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 119 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below.</div></div><div><div>ND-IL: Robert Dow (W) 12/5 (counselor to John Roberts)</div><div>ND-IL: Charles Norgle (Reagan) 10/4 (senior)</div><div>WD-TX: Frank Montalvo (W) 12/1 (senior)</div><div>MD-FL: Brian Davis (Obama) 12/30/23 (senior)</div><div>D-NJ: Kevin McNulty (Obama) 10/31/23 (senior)</div><div>ED-MO: John Andrew Ross (Obama) 6/9/23 (senior)</div><div><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/trials-appeals-compensation/1239684/what-florida39s-new-sixth-district-court-of-appeal-means-for-you">Florida</a>: Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill to create a 6th District Court of Appeal in Florida, covering the Tampa Bay area. The boundaries of the 1st, 2nd, and 5th districts are modified to accommodate this, and some judges have been reassigned to new circuits. The bill creates three new judgeships in the 6th district and four new judgeships in the 5th district for DeSantis to fill.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2022/11/22/gov-gretchen-whitmer-makes-historic-pick-for-michigan-supreme-court-kyra-harris-bolden/69670599007/">Michigan</a>: Governor Whitmer appointed state rep (18-22) Kyra Harris Bolden (D) to the Michigan Supreme Court. Bolden is a black woman who is only 34 and has little to distinguish her career. She succeeds Chief Justice Bridget McCormack (D), who retired on November 22. Bolden will face a special election in 2024. The court currently has 4 D and 3 R nominees.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/first-black-woman-asian-american-named-to-states-high-court-2680450/">Nevada</a>: Governor Steve Sisolak appointed attorney Patricia Lee to the Nevada Supreme Court. She is part black and part Asian. She replaces Justice Abbi Silver, who retired.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://nypost.com/2022/11/25/kathy-hochul-must-pick-1-of-7-to-be-ny-court-of-appeals-chief-judge/">New York</a>: Seven candidates to fill the position of Chief Judge on the New York Court of Appeals have been announced. The position was vacated by Janet DiFiore, one of a <a href="https://www.nysfocus.com/2022/07/07/court-of-appeals-conservative-bloc/">group of four 'conservative'</a> (non-leftist) judges (along with Cannatarro, Garcia, and Singas) on the court. Judge Anthony Cannataro, currently the acting chief judge, is one of the candidates. If he is selected by Governor Kathy Hochul, she will have to make another appointment to fill his seat.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2022/10/18/oregon-supreme-court-justice-martha-walters-retierment/">Oregon</a>: Chief Justice Martha Walters and Justice <a href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/oregon-supreme-court-justice-retiring-dec-31-giving-gov-brown-another-court-pick/">Thomas Balmer</a> will both retire on December 31. Walters was appointed in 2006 by Ted Kulongoski, and Balmer was appointed in 2001 by John Kitzhaber. Governor Kate Brown will appoint both replacements before she leaves office in January. The retirements seemed to be timed to avoid the possibility that they could be replaced by a Republican (the election was won by another D).</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2022/11/15/tennessee-supreme-court-justice-sharon-lee-announces-retirement/69651019007/">Tennessee</a>: Justice Sharon Lee is retiring from Tennessee Supreme court in August 2023. She is the last D on the court, and was appointed in 2009 by Phil Bredesen. Governor Bill Lee (R) will get his second appointment to the court. The replacement must be from East Tennessee.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-117.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2021-2022</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2022">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2022</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2022">Elections 2022</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/01/october-2022-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/10/18/2022-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-70760325449042232662022-11-20T20:48:00.001-05:002022-11-20T20:49:48.542-05:00The Michigan GOP is a DisasterThe 2022 election was a calamity for Michigan Republicans. This was partly due to the national environment, but there were major blunders by both the GOP establishment and grassroots.<br /><br /><div>The problems began with the governor's race. Surprisingly, no top Republican ran for governor. The GOP actually has a decent bench, but most seem unwilling to run for any race that is less than a sure thing. There are former statewide office holders (Miller, Cox, Land, Schuette, Johnson), congressmen (Hoekstra, Camp, Rogers, Trott, Huizenga, Moolenaar, McClain), and state senators, almost all of whom would have been better than anyone who ran this year.</div><div><br /></div><div>The nominal front-runner was former Detroit police chief James Craig, but he seemed unwilling to actually campaign and was unable to secure his own campaign launch against protesters. Without a strong front-runner, a bunch of lightweights, nuts, and random rich dudes entered the race, resulting in an absurd 10-candidate field.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyone running for governor needs a large number of signatures, and voters are not allowed to sign for more than one candidate. It was obviously impossible for all the candidates to get legitimate signatures, and many turned to crooked signature collection firms, who took their money in exchange for fake signatures. Five of the ten candidates were disqualified, including Craig and self-proclaimed "quality guru" Perry Johnson. Shady political consultant John Yob had the non-distinction of working for both Craig and Johnson while failing to get either of them on the ballot.</div><div><br /></div><div>Most of the remaining five candidates spent much of the primary seeking Donald Trump's endorsement. This led to them embracing the Stop the Steal election conspiracies, which were poison in the general election. The best of the bunch was probably Tudor Dixon, who eventually got support from both Trump and the DeVos family, and won the primary. It isn't clear why rich car dealer Kevin Rinke never caught on with major party insiders. The fact that January 6 rioter Ryan Kelley, who was arrested mid-campaign, was taken seriously as a candidate says a lot about how out of touch with reality some primary voters were.</div><div><br /></div><div>After winning the primary in August, Dixon was broke. Somehow, she was never able to turn grassroots anger at Governor Whitmer into substantial fundraising. Major funders on the right didn't see her as viable, and mostly avoided donating to her. Meanwhile, Whitmer had been raising tens of millions of dollars. She used it to hammer Dixon on abortion and Stop the Steal. Dixon was mostly unable to respond, and her campaign had no clear message. A few late polls showed the race close, but this turned out to be a mirage, and Dixon lost by over 10%.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, the AG and SOS nominees were selected by GOP precinct delegates, unofficially at an endorsement convention in April and officially at a convention in August. Traditionally, GOP delegates are a good mix of establishment Republicans and grassroots activists who carefully vetted candidates and had a history of picking strong nominees. Over the past few years, however, these positions have increasingly been taken by Trump-loving MAGA types who knew little about what it takes to win a general election.</div><div><br /></div><div>Most of these activists embraced 2020 election conspiracies that inspired the Stop the Steal movement. These lies have been repeatedly <a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2021/01/voter-fraud-conspiracy-nonsense.html">been debunked, both by me and by serious Republican elected officials</a>. However, there was no reasoning with the MAGA crowd, who believed Trump and refused to listen to evidence to the contrary.</div><div><br /></div><div>Trump endorsed the most fringe candidates for both AG and SOS. For AG, he went with Matt DePerno, a trail lawyer of no distinction. DePerno has been involved in many ethical controversies, and is under criminal investigation related to the Stop the Steal investigation of voting machines. He had <a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2022/04/matt-depernos-questionable-record.html">no history of involvement with the conservative movement prior to the Stop the Steal movement</a>. He <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2022/03/25/matt-deperno-asked-report-election-fraud-fundraising/7139931001/">raised a bunch of money</a> from gullible MAGA voters, and of course didn't Stop the Steal.</div><div><br /></div><div>For SOS, Trump endorsed Kristina Karamo, a low-level GOP activist who teaches a "welcome to college" class at a community college. She had absolutely no qualifications for running elections. It appears that Karamo's website was never updated after the endorsement convention. It <a href="https://kristinakaramo.com/endorsements">features endorsements from Trump, General Flynn, and a bunch of R county chairs and precinct delegates</a>. Karamo appeared to limit her campaign to Republicans, ignoring swing voters. She <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/editorials/2022/11/04/editorial-why-we-endorsed-the-way-we-did/69617043007/">refused to meet</a> with the (mildly conservative) Detroit News, which later endorsed her opponent. She also filed a lawsuit the week before the election to halt the count of Detroit absentee ballots, which was <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/11/07/kristina-karamo-detroit-absentee-ballot-voters-lawsuit/69607202007/">laughed out of court</a>. Karamo lost by almost 14%.</div><div><br /></div><div>The trouble continued in the 3rd congressional district, where Trump endorsed John Gibbs over Peter Meijer, who had voted for impeachment. Gibbs had no ties to the district, and had made a bunch of impolitic statements that <a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2022/04/bellwether-counties-revisited.html">played poorly</a> in a district that was gerrymandered to favor democrats. The other R candidates for congress in competitive seats performed respectably. John James won a narrow victory, Tom Barrett did as well as could be expected, and Paul Junge was a respectable candidate in a district where no top R candidates ran.</div><div><br /></div><div>The legislative caucuses seemed to do reasonably well with the hand they were dealt. The redistricting commission gerrymandered the maps to help the democrats, but even with the disaster at the top of the ticket, dems only won one seat more than 50% in both chambers. When there is a close loss, it is easy to speculate that another candidate would have done better. However, none of the candidates in competitive seats were obvious disasters.</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of the redistricting commission, the GOP failed to stop it from passing in 2018, and seemed to not even try. Its effort to influence the commission was unfocused, mostly just telling activists to give whatever opinion they wanted. Meanwhile, the dems gave their activists clear talking points that were repeated again and again. Fixing the commission should be a top goal of the GOP in the future.</div><div><br /></div><div>That brings us to the Michigan GOP itself. The chair is currently Ron Weiser, a businessman who has led the party in the 2010, 2018, and 2022 cycles. Weiser has had some success at fundraising (particularly when he writes the checks himself) but by now it seems clear that he isn't a good leader. Back in 2010, the August convention overseen by Weiser was a fiasco, as the party botching the credentialing process led to <a href="http://republicanmichigander.blogspot.com/2010/08/michigan-republican-convention-8-28.html">an hour-long line half way around the Breslin Center</a>. The vice-chair of the Michigan GOP is Meshawn Maddock, the wife of MAGA state rep Matt Maddock. Her main contribution seems to be to occasionally make inflammatory comments.</div><div><br /></div><div>While the election results in 2010 were excellent, the same can't be said for 2018 or 2022. It can be difficult to evaluate the performance of a state party, since there are many factors other than its actions that contribute to victory or defeat. One area where the state party absolutely be involved is vetting candidates. In a 2022 special election, the GOP nominated Robert Regan, who had expressed many controversial opinions, <a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/robert-regan-under-fire-rape-comments-also-espoused-qanon-violence">including that the war in Ukraine wasn't real</a>. This came out shortly after the primary, presumably due to democrat opposition research. Regan lost an otherwise safe seat, and made it harder for Republicans to win the redrawn district in November. While the Michigan GOP should not attempt to pick a winner in every race, it should vet candidates and attempt to expose any crooks or cranks before they lose any more winnable seats.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Michigan GOP has a choice. It could continue to embrace conspiracy nonsense and use MAGA messaging that only speaks to the activist base. Or it can face reality and appeal to winnable voters with a conservative platform that speaks to their concerns. A test of which direction the party will choose will come at the next Michigan GOP convention in February, which will elect the new party leadership. <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2022/11/14/attorney-matt-deperno-michigan-republican-party-chair-donald-trump/69647962007/">Matt DePerno</a> is already running for Michigan GOP chair, and James Craig and <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2022/11/13/insider-tudor-dixon-weighs-campaign-for-michigan-gop-chair/69640652007/">Tudor Dixon</a> are considering the race. Someone better is needed to turn the party around.</div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-36039958019826294662022-11-13T19:02:00.000-05:002022-11-13T19:02:38.628-05:00Michigan 2022 Election Results
The candidate names and percentages were copied from a <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/11/11/michigan-bloodbath-2022/#comment-744364">post by Republican Michigander</a>. <div><br /></div><div>Governor: Whitmer 54.47%, Dixon 43.94% For comparison, Whitmer won by 9.5% in 2018. In retrospect, this was never close. Dixon, tried, but she was a weak candidate. <div>SOS: Benson 55.86%, Karamo 41.93% Karamo was a disaster. </div><div>Attorney General: Nessel 53.15%, DePerno 44.55% Nessel was the weakest of the three D incumbents.</div><div><br /></div><div>Congress. The congressional delegation will be 6R, 7D. The current delegation is 7R, 7D. A gerrymandered map helped Ds win districts 3 and 8.</div><div><br /></div><div>1. 60-37 for Jack Bergman </div><div>2. 64-34 for John Moolenaar </div><div>3. John Gibbs 41.94% Hillary Scholten 54.84% This seat was gerrymandered to elect a D. Gibbs was a very weak candidate who won thanks to Trump's endorsement. Peter Meijer might have kept it close, but it still would have been tough. </div><div>4. Bill Huizenga 54.59% Joseph Alfonso 42.23% </div><div>5. 63-35 for Tim Walberg </div><div>6. 34-66 for Debbie Dingell </div><div>7. Tom Barrett 46.38% Elissa Slotkin 51.67% Barrett ran a good campaign, but it wasn't enough to overcome the drag at the top of the ticket. </div><div>8. Paul Junge 42.83% Dan Kildee 53.09% This is still a D district, though moving right. </div><div>9. 64-33 for Lisa McClain </div><div>10. John James 48.80% Carl Marlinga 48.31% This was unexpectedly tight, perhaps due to infighting in Macomb County. </div><div>11. 39-61 for Haley Stevens </div><div>12. 26-71 for Rashida Tlaib </div><div>13. 24-71 for Shri Thanedar </div><div><br /></div><div>State Senate. The senate will be 18R, 20D. This is the first D majority since 1983. The current delegation is 22-16. A gerrymandered map helped Ds win extra districts in Lansing, Ann Arbor, and the tri-cities areas.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. Houston James 44.66% Darrin Camilerri 55.34% Downriver may realign some day, but not yet.</div><div>9. Mike Webber 50.35%, Padma Kuppa 49.65% (795 vote margin) Finally, a close win.</div><div>11. Mike MacDonald 47.32% Veronica Klinefelt 52.68% Loss in a gerrymandered district.</div><div>12. Pam Hornberger 49.87% Kevin Hertel 50.13% (313 vote margin) Surprise loss in a district won by Trump.</div><div>13. Jason Rhines 42.83% Rosemary Bayer 57.17%</div><div>14. Tim Golding 44.11% Sue Shink 55.89%</div><div>28. Daylen Howard 41.95% Sam Singh 55.81%</div><div>30. Mark Huizenga 49.19%, David LaGrand 48.87% (405 vote margin) Close win in Grand Rapids, which is trending D.</div><div>32. Jon Bumstead 52.83%, Terry Sabo 47.17%</div><div>35. Annette Glenn 46.63% Kristin McDonald Rivet 53.37% Tough loss in a gerrymandered district.</div><div>37. John Damoose 55.33%, Barbara Conley 42.94% </div><div><br /></div><div>State House. The house will be 54R, 56D. This is the first D majority since 2010. In 2020, the elected delegation was 58R, 52D. A gerrymandered map helped Ds win extra districts in Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Grand Rapids.</div><div><br /></div><div>20. Albert Mansour 43.36% Noah Arbit 56.64% </div><div>21. David Staudt 42.27% Kelly Breen 56.43%</div><div>22. Cathryn Neracher 45.75% Matt Kolezar 54.25%</div><div>27. Bob Howey 49.22% Jamie Churches 50.78% (640 vote margin)</div><div>28. Jamie Thompson 50.99%, Robert Kull 49.01% (745 vote margin)</div><div>29. James DeSana 51.48%, Alex Garza 48.52% This was the only defeat of a D incumbent.</div><div>31. Dale Biniecki 47.74% Reggie Miller 52.26%</div><div>The four Wayne/Monroe districts (27, 28, 29, 31) split 2R, 2D. The attempted gerrymander didn't completely work here.</div><div>38. Kevin Whiteford 49.48% Joey Andrews 50.52% (398 vote margin) Whiteford overperformed, but the absurd lakeshore gerrymander did its job.</div><div>40. Kelly Sackett 41.37% Christine Morse 58.63% Kalamazoo's suburbs continue to move left.</div><div>42. Matt Hall 54.99% Justin Mendoza 45.01% Hall will be the house minority leader.</div><div>44. Dave Morgan 47.75% Jim Haadsma 52.25% A third loss for Morgan, who got 48-49% in the previous two elections. Perhaps Rs should run a different candidate here?</div><div>46. Kathy Schmaltz 54.37% Maurice Imhoff 45.63% Imhoff was disowned by the Ds, but still was competitive.</div><div>48. Jason Woolford 45.80% Jennifer Conlin 53.08% Weak candidate in a swing district.</div><div>49. Ann Bollin 55.78%, Christina Kafkakis 44.22%</div><div>51. Matt Maddock 57.94%, Sarah May Seward 42.06%</div><div>54. Donni Steele 51.17% Shadia Martini 48.83% Rs had the right candidate in a district drawn well for the GOP.</div><div>55. Mark Tisdel 51.80% Patricia Bernard 48.20%</div><div>56. Mark Gunn 42.07% Sharon MacDonell 57.93%</div><div>57. Thomas Kuhn 52.64% Aisha Farooqi 47.36% </div><div>58. Michelle Smith 48.67% Nate Shannon 51.33% Smith should try again here.</div><div>61. Mike Aiello 47.98% Denise Mentzer 52.02% This area is moving right.</div><div>62. Alicia St Germaine 53.42% Michael Brooks 46.58% </div><div>68. David Martin 54.73% Cheri Hardmon 45.27% Nice margin in a district that would have been close to safe D a decade ago.</div><div>69. Jesse Couch 41.04% Jasper Martus 56.31% Surprisingly close in a district that is moving right.</div><div>71. Brian BeGole 57.74% Mark Zacharda 42.26%</div><div>73. Norm Shinkle 42.67% Julie Brixie 57.33%</div><div>76. Jeremy Whittum 44.78% Angela Witwer 55.22% Whittum barely raised any money.</div><div>80. Jeffrey Johnson 43.70% Phil Skaggs 56.30%</div><div>81. Lynn Afendoulis 44.33% Rachel Hood 55.67%</div><div>83. Lisa DeKryger 44.64% John Fitzgerald 52.76%</div><div>84. Mike Malinowski 44.45% Carol Glanville 55.55%</div><div>The Grand Rapids area is gerrymandered to have 5 D districts, instead of the 2-3 D districts a fair map would have. Note that the R percentages in 80, 81, 83, and 84 are all 43-44%--drawn to be just out of reach.</div><div>86. Nancy DeBoer 56.19% Larry Jackson 43.81%</div><div>88. Greg VanWoerkom 56.17% Christine Baker 41.87%</div><div>92. Jerry Neyer 55.49% Anthony Feig 42.45%</div><div>96. Timothy Beson 55.32% Kim Coonan 44.68%</div><div>103. Jack O’Malley 48.47% Betsy Coffia 49.84% (765 vote margin) This was the only loss by an R incumbent. The seat was gerrymandered to elect a D.</div><div>107. Neal Friske 56.59% Jodi Decker 43.41%</div><div>109. Melody Wagner 47.02% Jenn Hill 52.98% This district is drifting right, but not quite there yet. Considering this is Wagner's fourth loss, perhaps a new candidate would help.</div><div><br /></div><div>Supreme Court: 34% Bernstein (D), 24% Zahra (R), 22% Bolden (D), 13% Hudson The two incumbents win reelection. Ds hold a 4-3 majority on the court.<br />State Board of Education: Ds took both slots, with a 74K vote margin between the second and third candidates.<br />University of Michigan: Ds took both slots, with a 52K vote margin between the second and third candidates.<br />Michigan State: Ds took both slots, with a 11K vote margin between the second and third candidates.<br />Wayne State: Ds took both slots, with a 64K vote margin between the second and third candidates.</div><div><p>My ratings turned out to be pretty accurate, though slightly too R. Every race I had at safe for a party was won by that party. The only lean race I missed was senate 12. For congress, the tossups had margins of -5 and -10. For senate, the tossups had margins of -5 and -7. The lean Ds had margins of -10 to -14, and the lean Rs had margins of -0.3 to 6.<br />Rs lost all tossups except house 28 and 29. My state house tossups had margins from -11 to 3. My lean R races had margins from 2 to 13. My lean D races had margins from -4 to -17. The closest margins in race I had at safe were 12 (senate 37) and 10 (house 42). My lean ratings for Congress had margins of 6, 16, 3.6.</p></div></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-47565239388206961312022-10-30T17:06:00.002-04:002022-10-30T21:15:49.333-04:002022 Michigan State House Races<p>Last updated October 30, 2022.</p><div class="separator"><div class="separator">All 110 seats in the Michigan Senate are up for election in 2022. Republicans won a 58-52 majority in 2020, unchanged from 2018. Rs have controlled the house since 2010. </div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator">Michigan has a new state house map, thanks to the Michigan's Independent Redistricting Commission. The commission drew lines that split many counties and split Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and the Lansing area to benefit Ds. Other districts have strange shapes for no clear reason.</div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator">The existing map has ten black-majority districts based in Detroit, plus one in Southfield and one in Flint. This map has only six black-majority districts based in Detroit/Southfield (4, 5, 6, 9, 16, 18), and one in Flint (70). There are nine districts between 40% and 50% black (1, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17). There are 15 districts that are partly but not wholly contained in Detroit, up from 7 in the existing map. No district is completely in Detroit.<br /><br /><a href="https://wmugop.blogspot.com/2022/02/michigan-redistricting-state-house-map.html">Michigan Redistricting: State House Map Approved</a></div></div><div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbZGMCXYHRGAF3w5YWkSzVgVmAexU54GTB1Zw0JF51qQioYHeFegCKPeyL1qJLdzYMUol8Zr0yibz1Wn79RwZxa1DrKXrUquJObOCtJ5WXXYXDy5pVLLLqRMnz16gzJ4jEWOyuFbBXXNmnzXI7sfM4M3ZJep9wrWviYKfk4dhPTelmqdTaHA=s528" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbZGMCXYHRGAF3w5YWkSzVgVmAexU54GTB1Zw0JF51qQioYHeFegCKPeyL1qJLdzYMUol8Zr0yibz1Wn79RwZxa1DrKXrUquJObOCtJ5WXXYXDy5pVLLLqRMnz16gzJ4jEWOyuFbBXXNmnzXI7sfM4M3ZJep9wrWviYKfk4dhPTelmqdTaHA=w398-h400" width="398" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSz5khQVOws2qApuP7ShRlucZxtLZ1F8mR0OuygCMFtCCM3wZjvvqTOTiVtD6VQdFisE7N88II_V0gwsj8F8pjs3bR2Qw_VBsizTcP8GZQbKPpFmOpDKQlx2PzuLaM0n-w8LYEucmQipdnDY91lwtRvMvkq7wMrXU9WY9SgpI0CbDcFUTftQ=s1015" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="1015" height="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSz5khQVOws2qApuP7ShRlucZxtLZ1F8mR0OuygCMFtCCM3wZjvvqTOTiVtD6VQdFisE7N88II_V0gwsj8F8pjs3bR2Qw_VBsizTcP8GZQbKPpFmOpDKQlx2PzuLaM0n-w8LYEucmQipdnDY91lwtRvMvkq7wMrXU9WY9SgpI0CbDcFUTftQ=w640-h405" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjDUGBKv_DDZsZCWb_EsApAxsk9Slsd_gAQ4DX7lRxrOKjoaW9QrD3Hoce4jpA6GHYjgD6Vp3t-DdH7GeSVjU1ZpnLiGJO6OGohULol4E-WPJ_1cYke5CjlB5plE7CevFnpt5wbJTG-w5-rK4BnOJKa0vlugBOMWuWzLChE9rNibVUmYhyDg=s632" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="573" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjDUGBKv_DDZsZCWb_EsApAxsk9Slsd_gAQ4DX7lRxrOKjoaW9QrD3Hoce4jpA6GHYjgD6Vp3t-DdH7GeSVjU1ZpnLiGJO6OGohULol4E-WPJ_1cYke5CjlB5plE7CevFnpt5wbJTG-w5-rK4BnOJKa0vlugBOMWuWzLChE9rNibVUmYhyDg=w581-h640" width="581" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Interactive versions of the map are available at Dave's Redistricting and MICRC.</div><p><a href="https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::097dfa70-8e5e-4e3a-9c00-3a7b129f0d10">Michigan State House Map-Dave's Redistricting</a><br /><a href="https://michigan.mydistricting.com/legdistricting/comments/plan/280/23">Michigan State House Map-MICRC</a><br /></p><div><div><a href="https://mielections.us/election/candlist/2022PRI_CANDLIST.html">2022 Candidate List (Michigan Secretary of State)</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Several incumbents had to move to avoid unfriendly districts or primaries with other incumbents. There are 53 open seats; 36 state reps are term-limited. A bunch of state reps are running for state senate or other offices, and two just retired. There was be one incumbent-v-incumbent primary. There will also be many interesting general election races. </div><div><br /></div><div>President Trump <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Endorsements_by_Donald_Trump">endorsed</a> eight candidates for Michigan state house. One (Maddock) is an incumbent, one (Rocha) was disqualified, and one (Bricker) is challenging an incumbent. His endorsees won in districts 43, 79, 99 and lost in 63, 71, 88. In addition, several candidates are tying themselves closely to Trump (a MAGA platform) and others are promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election (a Stop the Steal platform). One incumbent running in a substantially different district (97) lost a primary challenge.</div><div><br /></div><div>Consider the districts in detail. The election data for each district is the R candidates for President 2016 (P16), Attorney General 2018 (AG18), Governor 2018 (G18), and President 2020 (P20). (There was 1-5% of the vote for third party candidates in these races.) Additional information on the races comes from <a href="https://www.gongwer.com/blog/index.cfm?start=4/24/2022">Gongwer</a> and <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/michigan-potentially-competitive-or-interesting-state-senate-and-state-house-seats/">RepublicanMichigander</a>.</div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsVH-qUgShskEMgWiPNYlUn72W--bQwzPluPNkRWVXkzrkXiHf7nNzCEuw7RBTtRfAZGeKnKuH5ecfSOlOk9wyZ6O-Hz4s21ndd3RJxgveoOnit1RjlRuB0QGKZ5T3FE_ZlkFMU7UPtsfrKflJdx9oSMJaJ6gKcYN_TaYtJ4KWsxMZUr40kg=s593" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="568" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsVH-qUgShskEMgWiPNYlUn72W--bQwzPluPNkRWVXkzrkXiHf7nNzCEuw7RBTtRfAZGeKnKuH5ecfSOlOk9wyZ6O-Hz4s21ndd3RJxgveoOnit1RjlRuB0QGKZ5T3FE_ZlkFMU7UPtsfrKflJdx9oSMJaJ6gKcYN_TaYtJ4KWsxMZUr40kg=w614-h640" width="614" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>1. [S Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 7 G18: 7 AG18: 8 P20: 11</div><div>This district has a strong claim to be the most diverse in Michigan, and has successively had black, Hispanic, Jewish, Muslim, Chinese, and black representatives. Tyrone Carter (D) was elected in 2018. Incumbent rep. (18-22) Cynthia Johnson (D) filed here, but was disqualified due to campaign finance problems. Paula Campbell is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>2. [Southgate, Allen Park] Safe D</div><div>P16: 43 G18: 37 AG18: 38 P20: 43</div><div>The downriver area has moved right under Trump, but is more D downballot. Tullio Liberati (D), younger brother of rep (14-20) Frank Liberati, was elected in 2020. Michael D'Onofrio won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>3. [central Dearborn, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 21 G18: 20 AG18: 20 P20: 21</div><div>Rep. (16-21) Abdullah Hammoud (D) was elected mayor of Dearborn in 2021. Attorney Jeffrey Pepper (D) won a 2022 special election to replace him, but will not seek a full term. Community organizer Alabas Farhat, who lost the 2022 special election primary to Pepper, won the D nomination. Ginger Shearer will be the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>4. [E Dearborn, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 6 G18: 5 AG18: 5 P20: 8</div><div>Community organizer Karen Whitsett (D) was first elected in 2018. She made headlines in 2020 after calling the house D leader racist and praising President Trump after recovering from coronavirus. She won renomination in 2020 with 45% against a split field. She has not attracted much attention in her second term, and won renomination with 55%. Tonya Renay Wells will be the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>5. [Birmingham, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 20 G18: 20 AG18: 21 P20: 21</div><div>This particularly absurd district is one of four that are thin strips from Detroit to Oakland County. It has a chunk of Detroit, slices through Oak Park to the mostly white suburb of Birmingham (with precincts from Southfield, Royal Oak, and Berkley). Berkley City Councilmember Natalie Price won the D nomination. Paul Taros won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>6. [Oak Park, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 16 G18: 16 AG18: 16 P20: 16</div><div>This is one of four districts that are thin strips from Detroit to Oakland County. Oak Park City Council Member Regina Weiss (D) was elected in 2020. Charles Villerot is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>7. [Royal Oak, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 16 G18: 16 AG18: 16 P20: 17</div><div>This is one of four districts that are thin strips from Detroit to Oakland County, gerrymandered to reduce the number of black-majority districts. Helena Scott (D), a legislative staffer, was elected in 2020. There is no R candidate.</div><div><br /></div><div>8. [Madison Heights, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 21 G18: 19 AG18: 20 P20: 23</div><div>This is one of four districts that are thin strips from Detroit to Oakland County, gerrymandered to reduce the number of black-majority districts. Hazel Park City Councilmember Mike McFall won the D nomination. Robert Noble won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>9. [E Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 5 G18: 6 AG18: 5 P20: 7</div><div>Hamtramck city commissioner Abraham Aiyash (D), a pro-Bernie Sanders progressive, was elected in 2020. Michele Lundgren won the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>10. [Grosse Pointes, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 32 G18: 32 AG18: 34 P20: 31</div><div>This district reunites the Grosse Pointes (a clear community of interest), but combines them with part of Detroit, making it unlikely that they can elect a candidate of their choice. Joe Tate (D) was elected in 2018, and is expected to be the next house D leader. Mark Corcoran is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>11. [St. Clair Shores, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 33 G18: 30 AG18: 31 P20: 33</div><div>This is one of five districts containing part of Detroit and Macomb County, gerrymandered to reduce the number of black-majority districts. Harper Woods Council Member Veronica Paiz won a 9-candidate primary for the D nomination with 18.9%. Mark Foster won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>12. [Eastpointe, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 31 G18: 26 AG18: 27 P20: 31</div><div>This is one of five districts containing part of Detroit and Macomb County, gerrymandered to reduce the number of black-majority districts. Roseville City Clerk Rich Steenland (D) was elected in 2020. Kimberly Edwards defeated Steenland for the D nomination in a major upset. Diane Saber is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>13. [E Warren, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 34 G18: 31 AG18: 32 P20: 35</div><div>This is one of five districts containing part of Detroit and Macomb County, gerrymandered to reduce the number of black-majority districts. Lori Stone (D) was elected in 2018 to a district covering most of Warren. Ronald Singer is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>14. [W Warren, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 27 G18: 24 AG18: 25 P20: 29</div><div>This is one of five districts containing part of Detroit and Macomb County, gerrymandered to reduce the number of black-majority districts. It combines territory from the districts of Shri Thanedar (D), who is leaving to run for congress, and Lori Stone, who is running in an adjacent district. Activist Donavan McKinney won the D nomination. Wendy Jo Watters is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>15. [Dearborn Heights, W Dearborn] Safe D</div><div>P16: 39 G18: 34 AG18: 36 P20: 37</div><div>This district has a significant Middle Eastern population. Dearborn City Councilmember Erin Byrnes, won the D nomination. Steven Mackie is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>16. [SE Livonia, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 23 G18: 20 AG18: 21 P20: 23</div><div>This district is gerrymandered to include part of Detroit and some swing areas in Livonia. Stephanie Young (D) was elected to a district entirely within Detroit in 2020. Keith Jones won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>17. [NE Livonia, Detroit] Safe D</div><div>P16: 31 G18: 29 AG18: 30 P20: 31</div><div>This district is gerrymandered to include part of Detroit and some swing areas in Livonia. Laurie Pohutsky (D) is a progressive who was first elected to a swing district based in Livonia in 2018. Penny Crider, who lost a state house primary in 2020, is the R nominee. Her husband is the R nominee for state senate district 6.</div><div><br /></div><div>18. [Southfield, Farmington] Safe D</div><div>P16: 19 G18: 18 AG18: 19 P20: 20</div><div>Kyra Bolden (D), who was elected in 2018, is running for Michigan Supreme Court. Southfield City Councilman Jason Hoskins won the D nomination. Wendy Webster Jackson is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>19. [N Farmington Hills, S Bloomfield Twp] Safe D</div><div>P16: 33 G18: 32 AG18: 34 P20: 31</div><div>Farmington Hills City Council member Samantha Steckloff (D) was elected in 2020. This district changed shape significantly, but the partisan numbers didn't change much. Anthony Paesano is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>20. [W Bloomfield Twp.] Lean D</div><div>P16: 43 G18: 39 AG18: 41 P20: 43</div><div>Ryan Berman (R), first elected in 2018, did not seek reelection. He unsuccessfully sought the R endorsement for AG. This district added some of the current district of retiring rep. Mari Manoogian (D), moving significantly left. Political activist Noah Arbit won the D nomination. Realtor Albert Mansour won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>21. [Novi] Lean D</div><div>P16: 45.3 G18: 43.4 AG18: 45.9 P20: 42.4</div><div>Novi city councilmember Kelly Breen (D) flipped this historically conservative seat D in 2020. The new district moved several points left. Novi Mayor Pro Tem David Staudt won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>22. [W Livonia, Plymouth, Northville] Tossup</div><div>P16: 50 G18: 46.8 AG18: 49.7 P20: 47.2</div><div>Matt Koleszar (D) was first elected in 2018, flipping a historically R seat that moved left under Trump. This district moved several points right compared to Koleszar's old district. Businesswoman Cathryn Neracher is the R nominee. Livonia Councilman Rob Donovic filed here, but was disqualified due to residency issues. </div><div><br /></div><div>23. [E Ann Arbor, South Lyon] Safe D</div><div>P16: 35 G18: 35 AG18: 37 P20: 34</div><div>As part of an effort by the commission to elect more Ds in the Washtenaw County area, Ann Arbor was split into four pieces. This particularly absurd district has a slice of Ann Arbor, R-leaning Salem Township, South Lyon from Oakland County, and parts of Plymouth and Northville Townships in Wayne County. Washtenaw County Commissioner Jason Morgan is the D nominee. Richard Sharland is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>24. [Canton Twp] Safe D</div><div>P16: 41 G18: 37 AG18: 40 P20: 38</div><div>Ranjeev Puri (D) was elected in 2020. John Anthony is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>25. [Westland, Wayne] Safe D</div><div>P16: 40 G18: 34 AG18: 36 P20: 40</div><div>Kevin Coleman (D) was first elected in 2018. Scott Barlow is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>26. [Garden City, Inkster, N Romulus] Safe D</div><div>P16: 32 G18: 27 AG18: 28 P20: 34</div><div>Scandal-plagued rep. Jewell Jones (D) is term limited. Teacher Dylan Wegela won the D nomination. James Townsend will be the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>27. [Trenton, Grosse Ile] Tossup</div><div>P16: 51.5 G18: 44.6 AG18: 46.7 P20: 51.3</div><div>The downriver area has many working class voters who have moved right under Trump. Teacher Jaime Churches is the D nominee. Trenton City Councilmember Bob Howey lost a race for state house by less than 1% in 2016. Howey won the R nomination this year.</div><div><br /></div><div>28. [NE Monroe, Brownstown Twp] Tossup</div><div>P16: 51.5 G18: 43.4 AG18: 45.6 P20: 51.9</div><div>This is one of three districts that contain part of Wayne and Monroe Counties. It is gerrymandered to stretch from Taylor (D) in Wayne to rural R areas of Monroe. Veterans Affairs Director Robert Kull is the D nominee. Nurse Jamie Thompson won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>29. [Taylor, Huron] Tossup</div><div>P16: 51.6 G18: 44.3 AG18: 46.3 P20: 53</div><div>This is one of three districts that contain part of Wayne and Monroe Counties. It is gerrymandered to stretch from Taylor (D) in Wayne to rural R areas of Monroe. Alex Garza (D) was first elected in 2018. He lost an election for mayor of Taylor in 2021. Sales manager James DeSana won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>30. [S Monroe] Safe R</div><div>P16: 57 G18: 53 AG18: 55 P20: 60</div><div>Bedford Township trustee TC Clements, who was elected in 2020, lost a bid for state senate. Army veteran William Bruck won the R nomination. Suzanne Jennens is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>31. [N Monroe, Belleville] Lean D</div><div>P16: 47.4 G18: 42.1 AG18: 44.1 P20: 48.8</div><div>This is one of three districts that contain part of Wayne and Monroe Counties. It combines heavily D parts of Wayne with rural R areas of Monroe. Van Buren Township Trustee Reggie Miller won the D nomination. Truck driver Dale Biniecki won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>32. [Ypsilanti] Safe D</div><div>P16: 22 G18: 20 AG18: 21 P20: 22</div><div>Ronnie Peterson (D) is term limited. Ypsilanti Township Trustee Jimmie Wilson Jr. won the D nomination. Martin Church is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>33. [S Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Twp] Safe D</div><div>P16: 25 G18: 24 AG18: 26 P20: 23</div><div>As part of an effort by the commission to elect more Ds in the Washtenaw County area, this district combines part of Ann Arbor with rural townships. County Commissioner Felicia Brabec (D) was elected in 2020. The R nominee is Robert Borer III.</div><div><br /></div><div>34. [Lenawee] Safe R</div><div>P16: 57 G18: 53 AG18: 54 P20: 58</div><div>Bronna Khale (R) is term limited. State senator (14-22) Dale Zorn was previously a state rep (10-14). He is termed out of the state senate, but can still serve one more term in the state house. He is running in Lenawee County rather than in Monroe County, which he previously represented. He defeated retired fire chief Ryan Rank by only 17 votes for the R nomination. John Dahlgren is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>35. [Hillsdale, Branch] Safe R</div><div>P16: 69 G18: 64 AG18: 66 P20: 71</div><div>This district was almost unchanged, adding only the city of Hudson. Attorney Andrew Fink (R) was elected in 2020. He launched a leadership bid, but later dropped it. Fink defeated a MAGA challenger, farmer Steve Meckley, 57-43. The D nominee is Andrew Watkins.</div><div><br /></div><div>36. [St. Joseph, Cass] Safe R</div><div>P16: 63 G18: 59 AG18: 62 P20: 65</div><div>Steve Carra (R) was first elected in 2020. After congressman Fred Upton voted for impeachment, Carra announced a run against him, and was endorsed by President Trump. Redistricting took Carra out of the new district, and added the base of Congressman Bill Huizenga, who ran for the seat. President Trump then offered a "complete and total" endorsement of Huizenga. While not explicitly un-endorsing Carra, this served to push him out of the race, and he chose to run for reelection. Upton decided not to seek reelection.</div><div>While Carra was running for Congress, several other candidates launched campaigns for this seat. Carra won renomination with 40%. The other candidates, former Kalamazoo county commissioner and Kalamazoo GOP chairman Scott McGraw, Navy veteran Jack Coleman, and pastor Jerry Solis each got about 20%.</div><div><br /></div><div>37. [S Berrien, W Cass] Safe R</div><div>P16: 59 G18: 57 AG18: 58 P20: 60</div><div>This district lost the lakeshore and added more of interior Berrien County. Teacher Brad Paquette (R) was first elected in 2018. Naomi Ludman is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>38. [Berrien to Allegan lakeshore] Tossup</div><div>P16: 46.1 G18: 44.9 AG18: 46.5 P20: 44.6</div><div>This absurd district runs about 75 miles along the Lake Michigan shoreline from New Buffalo to Saugatuck. It is barely a mile wide at one point. Apparently, people who live close to a lake form a community of interest. This district promotes "partisan fairness" since it favors Ds.</div><div>The R nominee is accountant Kevin Whiteford, the husband of term-limited Allegan County state rep (16-22) Mary Whiteford. The D nominee is Joey Andrews, an AFL-CIO operative who lost a bid for state house in N Berrien in 2018.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4UlPlSvJRrgbLpYdKBIY2dxaVEmtWRzvhATUfSrmUUGXDDeOxFOV3ar4XOkBQ91l2xLXBp8uV7huZ6ShGOpBxXz-2RaEnHMoXOQWOaDMXrsxIka4K2P88-hlCoT5xVFM0YlEpdTkkUkijZ1vesTSFyGgdH34gkGz2xygN29-xqNNJzZSjqQ=s466" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="466" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4UlPlSvJRrgbLpYdKBIY2dxaVEmtWRzvhATUfSrmUUGXDDeOxFOV3ar4XOkBQ91l2xLXBp8uV7huZ6ShGOpBxXz-2RaEnHMoXOQWOaDMXrsxIka4K2P88-hlCoT5xVFM0YlEpdTkkUkijZ1vesTSFyGgdH34gkGz2xygN29-xqNNJzZSjqQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div>39. [Van Buren] Safe R</div><div>P16: 58 G18: 54 AG18: 57 P20: 60</div><div>This district lost the lakeshore of Van Buren and added parts of Berrien and Allegan. Pauline Wendzel (R), a businesswoman who was elected to a N Berrien district in 2018, is running here after her district was split into several pieces. She defeated Matt Nilson 57-43. Jared Polonowski is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>40. [Portage, Oshtemo, Texas] Lean D</div><div>P16: 42 G18: 41 AG18: 44.6 P20: 40</div><div>This area was R-held until 2020, when county commissioner Christine Morse (D) won an open seat. It has a lot of upscale suburban areas that have moved left under Trump. The new district loses R areas of Schoolcraft, Prairie Ronde, and Oshtemo precinct 1 and adds two precincts in Kalamazoo. The R candidate is Kalamazoo GOP vice-chair Kelly Sackett, who protested school mask mandates. This district is a long shot, but could be competitive if suburbs return to voting R.</div><div><br /></div><div>41. [Kalamazoo city] Safe D</div><div>P16: 23 G18: 22 AG18: 24 P20: 23</div><div>County commissioner Julie Rogers (D) was elected in 2020 after losing earlier bids in 2006 and 2008. The R candidates is Terry Haines.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnRkskpomfasl5wDpPmHDXzUSh7lnLRr7M2VG7EbZCmYjQtNIFNESu_wGXzmcssMtZXK0yXjj6BU1GCZfGAjhNaQTWc7fT0cVLXnam0hqLKFdiHFwehBe25zN9K2yp1pET2n2cQZaKJaUVrJvJtCWrEwMb9y6JOoxgta55jk4XX1HCqNSqAg=s482" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="482" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnRkskpomfasl5wDpPmHDXzUSh7lnLRr7M2VG7EbZCmYjQtNIFNESu_wGXzmcssMtZXK0yXjj6BU1GCZfGAjhNaQTWc7fT0cVLXnam0hqLKFdiHFwehBe25zN9K2yp1pET2n2cQZaKJaUVrJvJtCWrEwMb9y6JOoxgta55jk4XX1HCqNSqAg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div>42. [rural Kalamazoo, Plainwell] Safe R</div><div>P16: 52.9 G18: 49.4 AG18: 53.2 P20: 52.6</div><div>This district includes about half of the district currently represented by Matt Hall, along with parts of three other districts. Hall was first elected in 2018, defeating a moderate incumbent, and is now in line to be the R leader next term. He moved here from Calhoun County after being put in the same district as Sarah Lightner (R) of Jackson County. She refused to move, but eventually agreed to drop her own leadership bid and support Hall. The D nominee is Justin Mendoza.</div><div><br /></div><div>43. [Allegan, S Barry] Safe R</div><div>P16: 67 G18: 64 AG18: 67 P20: 69</div><div>This absurd district includes the majority of Allegan County, southern Barry County, one township from Eaton County, and part of a township in Ottawa County. Allegan incumbent reps Mary Whiteford and Steve Johnson are both term-limited. Martin Township Clerk Rachelle Smit won the R nomination due to the Trump endorsement and strong fundraising. Mark Ludwig is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>44. [Battle Creek, Albion] Tossup</div><div>P16: 48.1 G18: 44.4 AG18: 47.3 P20: 49.4</div><div>This district was drawn as a gerrymander to put the most D areas of Calhoun in one district to protect then-speaker Jase Bolger (R) in a neighboring district. Incredibly, the redistricting commission maintained this gerrymander. County commissioner Jim Haadsma (D) was elected to this open seat in 2018. For the third straight election, the R candidate is Dave Morgan, who lost with 48.2% in 2018 and 48.7% in 2020. Morgan was the Calhoun dem chairman and lost state house races in 2010 and 2014 as a D, before serving as Pennfield Township supervisor as an R 2016-20.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxGR6q_UtHMMF9bD_a0b9R8EDXYAse-Z1jj7wMafT97ivehb9RCSNZn3TcRo337coxQFfPVpxeccp6MB8XcJXQtXKTlS8QQm9HCu2kFeMKeASPGU5_0dsouQKFakbsIlTWtXGW-MbM_g7gJJrKQTSKEq23-JCA3GxoB9kVMs7Mto3J49yGtA=s657" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="657" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxGR6q_UtHMMF9bD_a0b9R8EDXYAse-Z1jj7wMafT97ivehb9RCSNZn3TcRo337coxQFfPVpxeccp6MB8XcJXQtXKTlS8QQm9HCu2kFeMKeASPGU5_0dsouQKFakbsIlTWtXGW-MbM_g7gJJrKQTSKEq23-JCA3GxoB9kVMs7Mto3J49yGtA=w400-h170" width="400" /></a></div><div>45. [S Calhoun, W Jackson] Safe R</div><div>P16: 64 G18: 59 AG18: 63 P20: 65</div><div>Sarah Lightner (R) was first elected in 2018 in a rural Jackson County district. The new district includes the majority of the current district represented by Matt Hall (R). Lightner refused to move, but eventually agreed to drop her own leadership bid and support Hall. The D nominee is Ron Hawkins, who has lost previous bids for state house in 2018 and 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div>46. [Jackson city] Lean R</div><div>P16: 48 G18: 44.4 AG18: 46.8 P20: 49.1</div><div>This district was gerrymandered by adding Chelsea in Washtenaw County and removing rural R townships. Julie Alexander (R) is term limited. Broadcaster Kathy Schmaltz won the R nomination. AFL-CIO staffer Maurice Imhoff, who is age 20, is the D nominee. He was disowned by the D establishment due to <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/10/21/jackson-democrat-maurice-imhoff-campaign/69581048007/">having made violent threats as a high school student</a>. He ended, then restarted, his campaign.</div><div><br /></div><div>47. [W Ann Arbor, SW Jackson] Safe D</div><div>P16: 37 G18: 34 AG18: 36 P20: 37</div><div>As part of an effort by the commission to elect more Ds in the Washtenaw County area, this absurdly gerrymandered district combines part of Ann Arbor with rural townships in Jackson County. Rep. Donna Lasinski (D) lives here, but is term limited. Social work lecturer Carrie Rheingans won the D nomination. Tina Bednarski-Lynch won the R nomination.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVHINrZ1kwjbV3hhpCOBQEn47g8BhhdsiXCJzsniD7kbxukWKOPmiV0OQeLuDdxEmHr3IHd270z-Ma8cLkOsYNSF1hBm0kdFO7rwpNzohXXqYSRqz2E8rxmncMW3nvMhKQBh-8fZgr7U3dVAG0b5ItCw41ugnM4lHAzGfW5TY15faztDYrPg=s730" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="730" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVHINrZ1kwjbV3hhpCOBQEn47g8BhhdsiXCJzsniD7kbxukWKOPmiV0OQeLuDdxEmHr3IHd270z-Ma8cLkOsYNSF1hBm0kdFO7rwpNzohXXqYSRqz2E8rxmncMW3nvMhKQBh-8fZgr7U3dVAG0b5ItCw41ugnM4lHAzGfW5TY15faztDYrPg=w400-h254" width="400" /></a></div><div>48. [N Ann Arbor, SC Livingston] Tossup</div><div>P16: 48.1 G18: 44.6 AG18: 46.5 P20: 46.6</div><div>As part of an effort by the commission to elect more Ds in the Washtenaw County area, this absurdly gerrymandered district combines part of Ann Arbor with rural townships in Jackson and Livingston Counties. Journalist Jennifer Conlin is the D nominee. Marine veteran and pastor Jason Woolford won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>49. [SE Livington, Wixom] Safe R</div><div>P16: 54.9 G18: 51.2 AG18: 53.7 P20: 53.2</div><div>Ann Bollin was first elected in 2018. Chase Turner, who lost bids for state house in Oakland County in 2018 and 2020, attempted to run here, but was disqualified due to campaign finance issues. The D nominee is Christina Kafkakis.</div><div><br /></div><div>50. [N, W Livingston] Safe R</div><div>P16: 65 G18: 59 AG18: 62 P20: 64</div><div>Former Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte (R) was elected in 2020. Glen Miller is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>51. [White Lake, Milford] Safe R</div><div>P16: 61 G18: 56 AG18: 58 P20: 59</div><div>Matt Maddock, an antiestablishment leader who has the Trump endorsement, was first elected in 2018. He has floated running for R leader. Sarah May-Seward is the D candidate.</div><div><br /></div><div>52. [Waterford, Independence] Safe R</div><div>P16: 59 G18: 53 AG18: 56 P20: 57</div><div>Police officer Mike Harris (R) was elected in a 2022 special election, following the death of Andrea Schroeder. Robin McGregor is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>53. [Pontiac, S Waterford] Safe D</div><div>P16: 30 G18: 28 AG18: 29 P20: 32</div><div>Brenda Carter (D) was first elected in 2018. Waterford Township Trustee Anthony Bartolotta is a surprisingly credible candidate for this seat. He previously lost the 2018 R primary for a state house seat to Andrea Schroeder.</div><div><br /></div><div>54. [N Bloomfield, Auburn Hills, Orion] Lean R</div><div>P16: 51.2 G18: 48.4 AG18: 50.8 P20: 48.3</div><div>This is a rare example of a good draw for Rs (though not very compact), which puts shaky territory in Bloomfield Township with more R Orion Township to the north. Orion Township Treasurer and realtor Donni Steele won the R nomination. Businesswoman Shadia Martini won the D nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>55. [Rochester Hills] Lean R</div><div>P16: 50.9 G18: 48.2 AG18: 51.1 P20: 48.1</div><div>This historically conservative wealthy suburban seat has trended left under Trump. Rochester Hills City Council member Mark Tisdell (R) won a highly competitive general election in 2020. Businesswoman Patricia Bernard won the D nomination.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQjKQNj4XnwRN0wCyoFP0lI6gnAuGLxbl5Pf6cWhRDDcRY_4GSw9dDUIGidD82IOM8NnfBoFdQbNno0SYtMeyU8Kwv3HVNPOG84nLaSfsDT2hjpMNy_t0UNMrchUdTVufwRzdhX7DyP36JRhzIBqEAIGPSooj1hDfk3bn7N0osfPdgr4Q7Rg=s734" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="734" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQjKQNj4XnwRN0wCyoFP0lI6gnAuGLxbl5Pf6cWhRDDcRY_4GSw9dDUIGidD82IOM8NnfBoFdQbNno0SYtMeyU8Kwv3HVNPOG84nLaSfsDT2hjpMNy_t0UNMrchUdTVufwRzdhX7DyP36JRhzIBqEAIGPSooj1hDfk3bn7N0osfPdgr4Q7Rg=w400-h325" width="400" /></a></div><div>56. [Troy] Lean D</div><div>P16: 45.1 G18: 42 AG18: 44.6 P20: 41.3</div><div>This wealthy suburban seat has trended left under Trump. Padma Kuppa (D), first elected in 2018, is running for state senate. The D nominee is marketing manager Sharon MacDonell. Businessman Mark Gunn is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>57. [W Sterling Heights] Lean R</div><div>P16: 52 G18: 46.4 AG18: 48.4 P20: 53.1</div><div>Diana Farrington (R) is term limited. Immigration lawyer Aisha Farooqi is the D nominee. Oakland County Commissioner and attorney Thomas Kuhn is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>58. [E Sterling Heights] Tossup</div><div>P16: 52.5 G18: 45.4 AG18: 48 P20: 52.1</div><div>This district is very oddly shaped for no clear reason. Nate Shannon (D) was first elected in 2018. He defeated a deeply flawed R opponent 53-47 in 2020. Businesswoman Michelle Smith won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>59. [Shelby Twp] Safe R</div><div>P16: 64 G18: 58 AG18: 61 P20: 63</div><div>State rep (18-21) Doug Wozniak won a 2021 special election for a Macomb-based state senate seat. Terence Mekoski, a retired police officer who finished third in the R primary won by Wozniak, then won the special election to replace him. Redistricting put Wozniak in the same district as Senator Ruth Johnson, and he chose to run for state house against Mekoski. Wozniak, an establishment R, defeated Mekoski, a Stop the Steal candidate, 52-34. James Diez is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>60. [Macomb Twp] Safe R</div><div>P16: 59 G18: 51.4 AG18: 55 P20: 58</div><div>Jeff Yaroch (R) is term limited. Former Clinton Townshp Trustee Joseph Aragona will be the R nominee. Stop the Steal activist Mellissa Carone moved to this district from Wayne County intending to run for state house, but she was disqualified from the ballot due to failure to file campaign finance reports. Linda Clor won the D nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>61. [Clinton Twp] Lean D</div><div>P16: 50.3 G18: 43.6 AG18: 45.8 P20: 49.5</div><div>This district moved slightly right, losing SW Clinton Township. William Sowerby (D) is term limited.</div><div>Mount Clemens City Commissioner Denise Mentzer is the D nominee. Chiropractor Mike Aiello won the R nomination after being disqualified when he ran for state house in 2016.</div><div><br /></div><div>62. [Harrison Twp] Lean R</div><div>P16: 52.8 G18: 46.1 AG18: 48.2 P20: 52.7</div><div>Compared to the old district containing Harrison Township, this district moved left a few points. Steve Marino (R) is term limited. His reputation was badly damaged by revelations that he had an affair with Rep. Mari Manoogian (D) and had made bizarre threats against her. He was removed from his committees, but was not charged with a crime. Alicia St. Germaine won the R nomination, defeating Steve's father Joe Marino. Michael Brooks is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>63. [Chesterfield Twp, S St. Clair] Safe R</div><div>P16: 64 G18: 56 AG18: 59 P20: 65</div><div>Pamela Hornberger is term limited and running for state senate. St. Clair County Clerk Jay DeBoyer won the R nomination. Democrat Kelly Noland is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>64. [E St. Clair] Safe R</div><div>P16: 58 G18: 49.5 AG18: 52.6 P20: 59</div><div>R incumbents Andrew Beeler (20-P) and Gary Eisen (18-P) both live here and ran here, even though there are several neighboring seats that are open, and either could have moved. Beeler won the R nomination 67-26. Charles Howell is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>65. [W St. Clair, E Lapeer] Safe R</div><div>P16: 70 G18: 62 AG18: 65 P20: 71<br />This district has pieces of the old districts of Gary Howell, Pamela Hornberger, and Jeff Yaroch, who are all term limited, and Gary Eisen, who lost renomination in a Port Huron area district. Navy veteran and Richmond City Councilmember Jaime Greene won the R nomination. Mark Lingeman won the D nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>66. [NE Oakland] Safe R</div><div>P16: 66 G18: 61 AG18: 63 P20: 65</div><div>Rep. John Reilly (R) is term limited. Teacher Josh Schriver won the R nomination with a libertarian-leaning platform. Emily Busch is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>67. [W Lapeer, NE Genesee] Safe R</div><div>P16: 58 G18: 50.2 AG18: 54 P20: 60</div><div>This district includes about half of the districts of Gary Howell (R), who is term limited, and David Martin (R), who lives in a neighboring district. In one of the few good draws for Rs, this district absorbs some D-leaning areas near Flint while remaining safe R. It also includes one township from Tuscola County, which happens to be where state rep (18-P) Phil Green (R) lives. Green, the son of senator (10-18) Mike Green, ran in this district, which is almost entirely new to him. Green won an 8-way R primary with 25.5%. Brian LaJoie is the D nominee.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div><div><br /></div><div>68. [Burton, Davison] Lean R</div><div>P16: 52.5 G18: 45.5 AG18: 49.9 P20: 52.3</div><div>This district contains the residences of Tim Sneller (D), who is term limited, and David Martin (R). Martin, a county commissioner from Davison who upset an incumbent D in 2020 in a NW Genesee district, ran here. This district is slightly to the right of Martin's old district, and the area has moved significantly right under Trump. Journalist Cheri Hardmon won the D nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>69. [W Genesee] Safe D</div><div>P16: 41 G18: 36 AG18: 40 P20: 42</div><div>State rep (18-22) John D. Cherry is running for state senate. Legislative staffer Jasper Martus won the D nomination. Jesse Couch is the R nominee.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIRml7bNTGUyJDTWxNHB0Kd9VOPwMo-dZX99Iv_dXWbgVU3NxePBP9i_iCjUEMY93B2nC-_K6KRS5p_uvO-H8-YBQqUA10Wzi5OI0EpA7lzllTXeruO7nWUy5Vg6_8qJdch5juFNrXQIEaba5PrclCMihnYAKLbYiqKFAqYFokgDqFqUr2vg=s601" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="492" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIRml7bNTGUyJDTWxNHB0Kd9VOPwMo-dZX99Iv_dXWbgVU3NxePBP9i_iCjUEMY93B2nC-_K6KRS5p_uvO-H8-YBQqUA10Wzi5OI0EpA7lzllTXeruO7nWUy5Vg6_8qJdch5juFNrXQIEaba5PrclCMihnYAKLbYiqKFAqYFokgDqFqUr2vg=s320" width="262" /></a></div><div>70. [Flint] Safe D</div><div>P16: 17 G18: 14 AG18: 16 P20: 19</div><div>Due to population loss in Flint, this district expanded from being contained within Flint to containing Flint and some suburban areas. It has a black majority. Cynthia Neeley (D) won a 2020 special election to replace her husband Sheldon Neeley after he was elected mayor of Flint. Tim Butler won the R nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>71. [Shiawassee] Safe R</div><div>P16: 57 G18: 50.4 AG18: 56 P20: 60</div><div>Ben Frederick (R) is term limited. Shiawassee County Sheriff Brian BeGole won the R nomination. Mark Zacharda is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>72. [Fenton, Grand Blanc] Safe R</div><div>P16: 55 G18: 49.6 AG18: 53 P20: 55</div><div>This district added some competitive areas near Flint. It shifted slightly left, but is still safe. Former police officer Mike Mueller (R) was first elected in 2018. Stacy Taylor won the D nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>73. [rural Ingham] Lean D</div><div>P16: 43 G18: 39 AG18: 43 P20: 44</div><div>This rural Ingham district loses Delhi Township and adds part of East Lansing. It is usually close, but never close enough for Rs to win. Julie Brixie (D) was elected in 2018 to a district based in East Lansing and Meridian Township. Norm Shinkle (R) was state senator (1982-90) from Monroe County. After relocating to the Lansing area, he served in many leadership positions in the local and state GOP, and is currently on the state board of canvassers. He surprisingly filed to run for this seat at the last minute.</div><div><br /></div><div>74. [S Lansing, Delhi Twp] Safe D</div><div>P16: 31 G18: 28 AG18: 31 P20: 31</div><div>As part of an effort by the commission to elect more Ds in the Lansing area, this district splits Lansing. Kara Hope (D) was elected to a largely rural and suburban district in 2018 but lives here. Jennifer Sokol is the R nominee.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbVxhAj_Nl-YOO9lG7HwTy3CFgX6KQT73gwufgdxxc3MxP4oU3CyYWWecZ_FbcpR9xaRu82BP0WjBwiwmwZJEsChsIarHKNpcU-x7kWlMpDlduHjE-ZBX5qTcckLYGLZbHcjpfDUA_XWk4f60ThhRUGuf0ZCPQRbdjT0trQSsvogCHiOK7cQ=s783" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="783" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbVxhAj_Nl-YOO9lG7HwTy3CFgX6KQT73gwufgdxxc3MxP4oU3CyYWWecZ_FbcpR9xaRu82BP0WjBwiwmwZJEsChsIarHKNpcU-x7kWlMpDlduHjE-ZBX5qTcckLYGLZbHcjpfDUA_XWk4f60ThhRUGuf0ZCPQRbdjT0trQSsvogCHiOK7cQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div>75. [Meridian Twp, SE Clinton] Safe D</div><div>P16: 39 G18: 35 AG18: 40 P20: 38</div><div>As part of an effort by the commission to elect more Ds in the Lansing area, this district splits East Lansing and absorbs rural R areas. Former Ingham County Commissioner Penelope Tsernoglou, who lost to Julie Brixie in the 2018 D primary for state house, won the D nomination. Chris Stewart is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>76. [Eaton] Tossup</div><div>P16: 47.9 G18: 42.9 AG18: 46.9 P20: 47.9</div><div>This district flipped several times over the past decade, and usually has close races. Angela Witwer (D) was first elected with 50.8% in 2018 and was reelected with 51.2% in 2020. Eaton County Commissioner Jeremy Whittum is the R nominee, but has raised little money.</div><div><br /></div><div>77. [N Lansing, SW Clinton] Safe D</div><div>P16: 37 G18: 33 AG18: 38 P20: 37</div><div>As part of an effort by the commission to elect more Ds in the Lansing area, this district splits Lansing and absorbs rural R areas of Clinton County. Sarah Anthony (D) lives here but is running for state senate, and Graham Filler (R) lived here, but moved north to a safe district. Leftist activist Emily Dievendorf won the D nomination. John Magoola is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>78. [Ionia, NE Barry] Safe R</div><div>P16: 62 G18: 56 AG18: 61 P20: 63</div><div>This is essentially the Ionia/Barry County seat of term-limited rep Julie Calley, but it includes small parts of Eaton and Kent Counties. Former Eaton County commissioner Christine Barnes and businesswoman Gina Johnsen faced off in the 2020 R primary for an Eaton County seat (Johnsen won the primary but lost the general). Johnsen won 42% over Barnes and two other candidates in the R primary. Leah Groves is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>79. [S Kent] Safe R</div><div>P16: 65 G18: 64 AG18: 67 P20: 63</div><div>This district has most of the southern tier of Kent, plus three townships from Barry and one from Allegan. Angela Rigas won the R nomination with help from a Trump endorsement. She unsuccessfully challenged rep Lisa Lyons in the 2014 R primary, and was on the capital grounds on January 6. The D nominee is Kimberly Kennedy-Barrington.</div><div><br /></div><div>80. [Kentwood, East Grand Rapids] Lean D</div><div>P16: 42.7 G18: 43 AG18: 46.1 P20: 39.8</div><div>As part of an effort by the commission to elect more Ds in the Grand Rapids area, this district lost several rural townships and added part of Grand Rapids. Kent County Commissioner Phil Skaggs won the D nomination. Attorney Jeffrey Johnson is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>81. [NE Grand Rapids, Ada Twp] Lean D</div><div>P16: 45.5 G18: 43.3 AG18: 46.6 P20: 41.8</div><div>As part of an effort by the commission to elect more Ds in the Grand Rapids area, this district lost several rural townships and added part of Grand Rapids. Rachel Hood (D), who was first elected to a peripheral Grand Rapids district, now lives here. Rep. Lynn Afendoulis (18-20), who lost a race for Congress in 2020, is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>82. [SE Grand Rapids] Safe D</div><div>P16: 24 G18: 25 AG18: 27 P20: 23</div><div>Rep. Dave LaGrand (D) is term limited and running for state senate. Grand Rapids school board member Kristian Grant won the D nomination. Ryan Malinoski won the R nomination.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKl1Fv5PhmlEaOSVVAplY1Nklljnhc6zdQfm_XNJk2SsHVEjI_VJy7jo9vw2TFl3ObTTLl0bXY4w_s1T4O8cwYDKvfNPAUAiuJB9l9_Uxai67v1v1KeKdnM8Q4K-byvP7CywwPiBuFxdPcXKhqRL2Wk2jdt7dvF7spSjfpheoy9UWYLIaQkA=s517" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="517" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKl1Fv5PhmlEaOSVVAplY1Nklljnhc6zdQfm_XNJk2SsHVEjI_VJy7jo9vw2TFl3ObTTLl0bXY4w_s1T4O8cwYDKvfNPAUAiuJB9l9_Uxai67v1v1KeKdnM8Q4K-byvP7CywwPiBuFxdPcXKhqRL2Wk2jdt7dvF7spSjfpheoy9UWYLIaQkA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div>83. [Wyoming, SW Grand Rapids] Lean D</div><div>P16: 46.2 G18: 43.6 AG18: 45.9 P20: 44</div><div>As part of an effort by the commission to elect more Ds in the Grand Rapids area, this district lost heavily R Byron Township and added part of Grand Rapids. Rep Tommy Brann (R) is term limited and running for state senate. Wyoming City Councilmember John Fitzgerald won the D nomination. Businesswoman Lisa DeKryger is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>84. [W Grand Rapids, Walker, Grandville] Tossup</div><div>P16: 47.5 G18: 43.8 AG18: 47.1 P20: 43.7</div><div>As part of an effort by the commission to elect more Ds in the Grand Rapids area, this district lost several rural townships and added part of Grand Rapids. Walker City Commissioner Carol Glanville (D) was elected 52-40 in a normally safe R district in a May 2022 special election after the election of Mark Huizenga to the state senate. The R nominee in that election was Robert Regan, who had made many controversial comments on rape, feminism, and Putin's war that came to light after the primary. Regan, who previously lost house races in 2014, 2018, and 2020, lost again this year. Loan officer Mike Milanowski, who ran as a write-in in the special, receiving about 8% of the vote, won the R nomination with 51% this time.</div><div><br /></div><div>85. [Jenison, Zeeland] Safe R</div><div>P16: 71 G18: 69 AG18: 72 P20: 67</div><div>Bradley Slagh was first elected in 2018. Todd Avery is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>86. [Holland] Safe R</div><div>P16: 51.7 G18: 51.4 AG18: 54.4 P20: 49.3</div><div>This Holland-area district has trended left, but is more R downballot. Former Holland Mayor Nancy De Boer won the R nomination. Larry Jackson, the D nominee, has been disowned by the D establishment due to <a href="https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/10/11/report-reveals-past-arrests-lewd-posts-from-86th-district-candidate-larry-jackson/69554580007/">a criminal past</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>87. [Muskegon city] Safe D</div><div>P16: 37 G18: 34 AG18: 37 P20: 39</div><div>This district is open, as Terry Sabo is term limited and running for state senate. Will Snyder, district director for Terry Sabo, won the D nomination. The R nominee is Michael Haueisen.</div><div><br /></div><div>88. [Grand Haven, Norton Shores] Safe R</div><div>P16: 54.5 G18: 51.7 AG18: 55.3 P20: 53.7</div><div>Greg VanWoerkom, son of state senator (02-10) Jerry VanWoerkom, was elected to the rural Muskegon district in 2018. That district was chopped into three pieces, and his home is in this district that contains much of the district of term-limited rep Jim Lilly. VanWoerkom won the R nomination with 63% over former missionary Mick Bricker, who got the Trump endorsement. Christine Baker won the D nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>89. [E Ottawa, SE Muskegon] Safe R</div><div>P16: 65 G18: 61 AG18: 64 P20: 66</div><div>This district adds a chunk of Muskegon County. Luke Meerman (R) was first elected in 2018. The D nominee is Sharon McConnon.</div><div><br /></div><div>90. [NC Kent] Safe R</div><div>P16: 60 G18: 57 AG18: 60 P20: 59</div><div>Bryan Posthumus (R) was first elected in 2020. He is the son of LG (1998-2002) Dick Posthumus and brother of Kent County Clerk Lisa Lyons. Meagan Hintz is the D nominee.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div><div><br /></div><div>91. [Montcalm] Safe R</div><div>P16: 64 G18: 58 AG18: 62 P20: 67</div><div>Pat Outman, the son of senator (18-P) Rick Outman, was first elected in 2020. Tammy DeVries won the D nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>92. [Isabella, N Gratiot] Lean R</div><div>P16: 50.8 G18: 46.4 AG18: 50.2 P20: 53</div><div>This district is drawn in the way most beneficial to Ds. While it keeps Isabella County whole, it includes northern Gratiot County, which is the most pro-D area in any of the five neighboring counties. Roger Hauck (R) is term limited and running for state senate. Farmer Jerry Neyer won the R nomination. CMU professor Anthony Feig is the D nominee. He previously lost the D primary for MI-4 in 2020.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNZBfW78jAF5rgLJbCXMf-QKEG8QkXPD43xRVJocwWZ3FTwethp8x-k3X9bzHl4JxH3xqJNMWstUjL2ZwmpUR40PZQ8yLz4Q9ghz5seanNp_9KOKykz65wUm4O5jdKf17as4Sl354qoMDO3Q9cp0FT6Pc-bxDrkmdVf1_dbkdiJK71lC93Ww=s390" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="359" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNZBfW78jAF5rgLJbCXMf-QKEG8QkXPD43xRVJocwWZ3FTwethp8x-k3X9bzHl4JxH3xqJNMWstUjL2ZwmpUR40PZQ8yLz4Q9ghz5seanNp_9KOKykz65wUm4O5jdKf17as4Sl354qoMDO3Q9cp0FT6Pc-bxDrkmdVf1_dbkdiJK71lC93Ww=s320" width="295" /></a></div><div>93. [W Saginaw, S Gratiot, N Clinton] Safe R</div><div>P16: 62 G18: 57 AG18: 62 P20: 64</div><div>Graham Filler (R) was first elected in 2018. He moved into this new district after his house was put into a D-heavy district as part of the gerrymander of the Lansing area. Jeffrey Lockwood is the D nominee.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div><div><br /></div><div>94. [Saginaw city] Safe D</div><div>P16: 31 G18: 29 AG18: 32 P20: 32</div><div>Saginaw County commissioner Amos O'Neal (D) was elected in 2020. James Shepler is the R nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>95. [Midland] Safe R</div><div>P16: 57 G18: 55 AG18: 57 P20: 57</div><div>State rep Annette Glenn (18-22) is running for state senate. Former DIA officer Bill G. Schuette, the son of former AG (10-18) Bill Schuette, won the R nomination. Matthew Dawson won the D nomination.</div><div><br /></div><div>96. [Bay County] Lean R</div><div>P16: 52.3 G18: 45.9 AG18: 48.8 P20: 53.7</div><div>Bay County was long a D stronghold, but it has been moving right. Bangor Township School Board member Timothy Beson (R) defeated a D incumbent in an upset in 2020. Bay County Commissioner Kim Coonan is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>97. [E Saginaw, W Tuscola] Safe R</div><div>P16: 63 G18: 57 AG18: 60 P20: 64</div><div>This strange district neighbors four urban areas, and has an arm to take in rural areas between the tri-cities (Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City). Rodney Wakeman (R) was first elected to a suburban Saginaw district in 2018. Former Tuscola County Commissioner Matthew Bierlein is the district director for Senator Kevin Daley. He lost a close race for the 2018 R nomination for a state house seat in the Thumb to Phil Green. Bierlein won the R nomination 59-30 over Wakeman. Paul Whitney is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>98. [the Thumb] Safe R</div><div>P16: 69 G18: 63 AG18: 66 P20: 71</div><div>This district is mostly represented by incumbents Phil Green and Andrew Beeler, but they both live in (and are seeking reelection in) neighboring districts. Former Sanilac County drain commissioner and farmer Gregory Alexander, who finished a close second to Beeler for the R nomination for a state house seat in 2020, won the R nomination. Robert Mroczek is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>99. [Iosco, Arenac, Ogemaw, Gladwin] Safe R</div><div>P16: 65 G18: 58 AG18: 59 P20: 67</div><div>This district has the majority of the current district of Speaker Jason Wentworth, who is term limited. Au Gres Mayor and hunting store owner Mike Hoadley, who got the Trump endorsement and support from the DeVos family, won the R nomination. Kenneth Kish is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>100. [Mecosta, Osceola, Clare] Safe R</div><div>P16: 64 G18: 59 AG18: 62 P20: 67</div><div>This district combines parts of the districts of Michelle Hoitenga and Jason Wentworth, who are both term limited. Grant Township Board member Tom Kunse won the R nomination unopposed. Reed City councilman Nate Bailey is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>101. [Newaygo, Lake] Safe R</div><div>P16: 65 G18: 60 AG18: 63 P20: 67</div><div>Scott VanSingel (R) is term limited. Former director of the Newaygo County Commission on Aging Joseph Fox won the R nomination. Amanda Siggins is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>102. [Muskegon to Manistee lakeshore] Safe R</div><div>P16: 56 G18: 53 AG18: 55 P20: 58</div><div>This district was assembled from pieces of three existing districts. Senator (18-22) Curt VanderWall was previously a state rep (16-18) representing one of them. Redistricting put him in a district largely represented by senator Jon Bumstead. VanderWall won the R nomination for state house rather than challenge Bumstead or move to a different district. Assistant prosecutor Brian Hosticka is the D nominee. He previously lost to Rep. Greg VanWoerkom in a rural Muskegon district in 2020.</div><div><br /></div><div>103. [Leelanau, Traverse City] Tossup</div><div>P16: 49.9 G18: 46.6 AG18: 49.5 P20: 46.9</div><div>This district is gerrymandered to combine Leelanau County with the Traverse City area in a way that is the best for Ds. Grand Traverse County is split, even though it has the right population for a single district. District 103 contained the residences of two R incumbents, Jack O'Malley and John Roth. </div><div>O'Malley was first elected to a lakeshore district in 2018. Roth moved to a neighboring district to avoid a primary. Grand Traverse County Commissioner Betsy Coffia, who previously lost races for state house in 2012, 2014, and 2016, won the D nomination.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj04NQddqRDfMl1XbGX0fY5sNFE8439jJI1GSlEbZP-PtQssHRdFeafLczNz_f4e2n_1W8EQGbKSFUbNdwuFNtUt57P4CHQ5p_12dUjUB1Z2Pwv0ivoOh5SPyBeLdeMRB28YCNv0L_nT8xYnXlw5-_A5YYKC_akmOsoAJK0-eKkPP-KzlsTEQ=s657" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="657" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj04NQddqRDfMl1XbGX0fY5sNFE8439jJI1GSlEbZP-PtQssHRdFeafLczNz_f4e2n_1W8EQGbKSFUbNdwuFNtUt57P4CHQ5p_12dUjUB1Z2Pwv0ivoOh5SPyBeLdeMRB28YCNv0L_nT8xYnXlw5-_A5YYKC_akmOsoAJK0-eKkPP-KzlsTEQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div>104. [S Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Antrim] Safe R</div><div>P16: 62 G18: 57 AG18: 60 P20: 62</div><div>The oddly shaped district contains parts of six counties but all of none. John Roth (R) was first elected in 2020. He moved to this district to avoid a primary with fellow incumbent Jack O'Malley. He barely defeated businesswoman Katie Kniss 52-48 for the R nomination. Cathy Albro is the D nominee. She lost MI-3 against Justin Amash in 2018.</div><div><br /></div><div>105. [Roscommon, Crawford, Otsego, Missaukee] Safe R</div><div>P16: 66 G18: 61 AG18: 65 P20: 68</div><div>This district has parts of the current districts of Ken Borton and Daire Rendon. Rendon, who has embraced Stop the Steal and flirted with QAnon, is term limited. Otsego County Commissioner Ken Borton, who was first elected in 2020, won the R nomination here. Adam Wojdan is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>106. [NE Lower Peninsula] Safe R</div><div>P16: 64 G18: 58 AG18: 62 P20: 66</div><div>Sue Allor (R) is term limited. Cheboygan County Drain Commissioner Cam Cavitt won the R nomination. Marie Fielder is the D nominee. </div><div><br /></div><div>107. [Mackinac Bridge area] Safe R</div><div>P16: 58 G18: 54 AG18: 57 P20: 57</div><div>Documentary producer John Damoose, who easily won the R nomination in 2020, is running for state senate. Property manager Neil Friske won the R nomination. Jodi Decker is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>108. [Menominee to Chippewa] Safe R</div><div>P16: 62 G18: 57 AG18: 58 P20: 64</div><div>Beau LaFave is term limited, and unsuccessfully sought the R endorsement for secretary of state. Menominee County Commissioner and paramedic David Prestin won the R nomination. Chris Lopez is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div>109. [Marquette] Lean D</div><div>P16: 48.6 G18: 43.6 AG18: 45.1 P20: 48</div><div>Trump won this district, but it is more D downballot. Sara Cambensy (D) is term limited. Marquette City Commissioner Jenn Hill won the D nomination.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Former farmer and police officer Melody Wagner won the R nomination, after losing races for this district in 2016, 2018, and 2020, the latter two to Cambensy.</div><div><br /></div><div>110. [W Upper Peninsula] Safe R</div><div>P16: 59 G18: 54 AG18: 55 P20: 59</div><div>Gregory Markkanen (R) won this historically D district in an upset in in 2018. Casey VerBerkmoes is the D nominee.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Summary of Ratings:</div><div>Safe D: 36 (1-19, 23-26, 32, 33, 41, 47, 53, 69, 70, 74-75, 77, 82, 87, 94)</div><div>Lean D: 11 (20, 21, 31, 40, 56, 61, 73, 80, 81, 83, 109)</div><div>Tossup: 11 (22, 27, 28, 29, 38, 44, 48, 58, 76, 84, 103)</div><div>Lean R: 8 (46, 54, 55, 57, 62, 68, 92, 96)</div><div>Safe R: 44 (30, 34-37, 39, 42, 43, 45, 49-52, 59, 60, 63-67, 71, 72, 78, 79, 85, 86, 88-91, 93, 95, 97-102, 104-108, 110)</div></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-87809399280263252782022-10-18T19:21:00.001-04:002022-11-10T22:16:02.358-05:002022 State Supreme Court Election Preview<p>A majority of states have elections for state Supreme Court in November. Here is a guide to the contested elections. The elections in Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas seem to be the most competitive.</p><p><a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_elections,_2022">Ballotpedia: 2022 State Supreme Court Elections</a></p><p>Alabama: <br />Place 5: Greg Cook (R) faces Anita Kelly (D) for the seat of Michael Bolin (R), who is age-limited.<br />Place 6: Kelli Wise (R) is unopposed for reelection.<br /><br />Arizona: Justices James Beene, Bill Montgomery, and Ann Timmer (all R-appointed) face a retention election.</p><div>Arkansas:</div><div><a href="https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2022/10/05/partisanship-and-hypocrisy-on-display-in-race-for-arkansas-supreme-court">Position 2</a>: Incumbent Robin Wynne (D leaning) who got 49.5% in the nonpartisan primary, faces Chris Carnahan (R leaning), who got 29% in the primary.</div><div><br /></div><div>California: Justices Joshua Groban, Patricia Guerrero, Martin Jenkins, and Goodwin Liu (all D-appointed) face a retention election.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2022/10/16/florida-supreme-court-justices-enjoy-landslides-despite-pushback-bill-cotterell/10490622002/">Florida</a>: Justices Jamie Rutland Grosshans, John Couriel, Ricky Polston, Charles Canady, and Jorge Labarga face a retention election. All except Labarga are conservative. Some newspapers are recommended a no vote on the other four.</div><div><br /></div><div>Illinois: <br />District 1 (Cook County): Justice Mary Jane Theis faces a retention election.</div><div><a href="https://www.capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/supreme-court-2nd-district-longtime-judge-rochford-judicial-newcomer-curran-vie-for-open-seat">District 2</a> (Northeast): Former Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran (R) faces Elizabeth Rochford (D).<br /><div><a href="https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20221010/burke-obrien-vie-for-open-seat-on-supreme-court-in-race-that-could-determine-partisan-control">District 3</a> (areas S, W of Chicago): Justice Michael Burke (R) faces judge Mary O'Brien (D).</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Iowa: Justices Matthew McDermott and Dana Oxley (both R-appointed) face a retention election.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.kake.com/story/47491023/keep-kansas-courts-impartial-trying-to-get-the-word-out-about-supreme-court-justices-up-for-retention">Kansas</a>: Justice Daniel Biles, Marla Luckert, Evelyn Wilson, Caleb Stegall, Keynen Wall, and Melissa Standridge face a retention election. All but Stegall are D-appointed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kentucky: </div><div>District 1 (west): Incumbent Christopher Nickell is unopposed.</div><div><a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article267256677.html">District 2</a> (west-central): Shawn Alcott (conservative) faces Kelly Thompson for the seat of retiring Justice John Minton.</div><div><div>District 4 (Jefferson County): Angela McCormick Bisig faces Jason Bowman.</div><div><a href="https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2022/10/14/joe-fischer-supreme-court-race-group-pours-money-into-ads/69562939007/">District 6</a> (north): Incumbent Michelle Keller faces state rep Joseph Fischer (R) in a race that has attracted much outside spending.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Maryland: Justice Steven Gould (R-appointed) faces a retention election.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/michigan/2022/10/09/michigan-supreme-court-what-to-know-about-the-judicial-candidates/69526045007/">Michigan</a>: There are two full-term seats up for election. They are those of conservative R incumbent Brian Zahra and liberal D incumbent Richard Bernstein. Bernstein attracted controversy for voting to uphold Whitmer's lockdown measures and then <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/04/08/justice-bernstein-worked-dubai-weeks-now-israel/7137426002/">leaving the country to work from Dubai for months</a> during the pandemic. The other R nominee is Paul Hudson, an attorney who clerked for Ray Kethledge (6th Circuit). The other D nominee is state rep (18-22) Kyra Harris Bolden of Southfield.</div><div><br /></div><div>Minnesota: Justices Gordon Moore and Natalie Hudson (both D-appointed) face a retention election.</div><div><br /></div><div>Missouri: Justices Robin Ransom and Zel Fischer (both R-appointed) face a retention election.</div><div><br /></div><div>Montana: Two justices faces nonpartisan elections in a state that has seen major conflict between the courts and the legislature.</div><div>Justice James Rice (moderate R), who got 76% in the primary, faces Bill D'Alton.</div><div><div><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/10/12/montana-supreme-court-abortion/">Justice Ingrid Gayle Gustafson</a> (D-aligned) faces James Brown (R-aligned) in a race that attracted significant spending.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Nebraska: Justices Jonathan Papik, William Cassel, John Freudenberg, and Michael Heavican face a retention election.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/10/11/four-of-five-statewide-appeals-court-races-unopposed/">Nevada</a>: Linda Bell is unopposed for the seat of James Hardesty, who did not seek reelection.</div><div>Incumbent Ron Parraguirre is also unopposed.</div><div><br /></div><div>New Mexico: Michael Vigil (D) faces a retention election. Incumbent Julie Vargas (D) faces Thomas Montoya (R). Incumbent Briana Zamora (D) faces Kerry Morris (R).</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.carolinajournal.com/n-c-supreme-court-races-could-reshape-the-state-for-years-to-come/">North Carolina</a>: There are two seats up for partisan election.</div><div><div>Seat 3: Justice Robin Hudson (D) is retiring, as she is near the age limit. North Carolina Court of Appeals judges Lucy Inman (D) and Richard Dietz (R) are unopposed for their parties’ nominations.</div><div>Seat 5: Justice Sam Ervin IV (D) is running for reelection. The R nominee is Trey Allen, general counsel for the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Court.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>North Dakota: Incumbent Daniel Crothers is unopposed in a nonpartisan election.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/09/26/election-2022-what-to-know-about-the-ohio-supreme-court-races/66000103007/">Ohio</a>: Three seats are up for election.</div><div>Justice Sharon Kennedy (R) will face Justice Jennifer Brunner (D) for the seat of age-limited Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor.</div><div>Justice Pat Fischer (R) will face appeals court judge Terri Jamison (D).</div><div>Justice Pat DeWine (son of Governor Mike DeWine) will face appeals court judge Marilyn Zayas (D).</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/politics/elections/state/2022/10/03/stitt-appointees-among-supreme-court-justices-on-retention-ballot/69520723007/">Oklahoma</a>: Justices James Winchester, Douglas Combs, Dustin Rowe, and Dana Kuehn face a retention election. The latter two are conservative, while the first two are not.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oregon: Justice Roger DeHoog (D-appointed) faces a retention election.</div><div><br /></div><div>South Dakota: Justices Mark Salter and Patricia DeVaney face a retention election.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.cnhinews.com/cnhi/article_c4f68260-4bfe-11ed-b056-3bb014352485.html">Texas Supreme Court</a>: There are three R incumbents up for election.</div><div>Place 3: Debra Lehrmann (R) faces Erin Nowell (D).</div><div>Place 5: Rebeca Huddle (R) faces Amanda Reichek (D).</div><div>Place 9: Evan Young (R) faces Julia Maldonado (D).</div><div><br /></div><div>Texas Court of Criminal Appeals: There are three R incumbents up for election.</div><div>Place 2: Mary Lou Keel (R) is unopposed.</div><div><div>Place 5: Scott Walker (R) faces Dana Huffman (D).</div><div>Place 6: Jesse McClure III (R) faces Robert Johnson (D).</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Utah: Justice Paige Petersen faces a retention election.</div><div><br /></div><div>Washington: Incumbents Mary Yu, Helen Whitener, and Barbara Madsen are unopposed in a nonpartisan election.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Results:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www2.alabamavotes.gov/electionnight/statewideResultsByContest.aspx?ecode=1001160">Alabama</a>: Greg Cook (R) won with 67%.</div><div><a href="https://arkansasadvocate.com/2022/11/09/robin-wynne-secures-second-term-on-arkansas-supreme-court/">Arkansas</a>: Incumbent Robin Wynne (D leaning) won with 58%.</div><div><a href="https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/florida-election-results-supreme-court-justices-appellate-circuit-and-county-judges">Florida</a>: All five justices were retained with 62-64%.</div><div><a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/2022-elections-statewide/">Illinois</a>: In District 2, Elizabeth Rochford (D) won with 54%. In District 3, judge Mary O’Brien (D) won with 50.6%.</div><div><a href="https://ent.sos.ks.gov/kssos_ent.html">Kansas</a>: Six justices were retained with 65-73%.</div><div><a href="https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/liveresults/Public/Judicial">Kentucky</a>: Thompson and Keller, the two less conservative candidates, won with 55% and 62%.</div><div><a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/elections/results/race/2022-11-08-other-MI-24418/?itm_source=oembed&itm_medium=news&itm_campaign=electionresults">Michigan</a>: Incumbents Brian Zahra (R) and Richard Bernstein (D) were reelected.</div><div><a href="https://www.kpax.com/news/montana-politics/november-8-2022-montana-election-results-unofficial">Montana</a>: Justice Ingrid Gayle Gustafson (D-aligned) won with 54%.</div><div><a href="https://www.wunc.org/news/2022-11-08/results-north-carolina-state-supreme-court-seat-5">North Carolina</a>: In Seat 3, North Carolina Court of Appeals judge Richard Dietz (R) won with 52.6% over fellow judge Lucy Inman (D). In Seat 5, Trey Allen, general counsel for the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Court, won with 52.4% over Justice Sam Ervin IV (D).</div><div><a href="https://liveresults.ohiosos.gov/">Ohio</a>: Justice Sharon Kennedy (R) was elected chief justice with 56%. Justice Pat Fischer (R) and Justice Pat DeWine won with 57% and 56%.</div><div><a href="https://results.texas-election.com/races">Texas</a>: Rs won the five contested races with 56-57%.</div></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-70014841361863976412022-10-01T13:41:00.000-04:002022-10-01T13:41:49.452-04:00October 2022 Judiciary News<p>November is coming.</p><div><div><div><p><strong>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</strong></p><div><a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/nation/arianna-freeman-third-circuit-confirmation-public-defender-20220929.html">3rd Circuit</a>: On September 13, the Senate rejected the nomination of Arianna Freeman by a 47-50 vote. Two D senators (Hassan and Duckworth) were absent. On September 29, the Senate confirmed her 50-47 on a party-line vote. This is apparently the first time that judicial nominee who was voted down has ever been confirmed under the same president.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://davidlat.substack.com/p/a-prominent-federal-judge-declares">5th Circuit</a>: Judge James Ho said that he will refuse to hire clerks from Yale Law School due to harassment of conservative speakers and students. David Lat reports that some other federal judges have privately adopted the same policy.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2022/09/09/andre-mathis-south-memphis-tennessee-appointed-circuit-court-appeals/8035408001/">6th Circuit</a>: The Senate confirmed Andre Mathis 48-47 almost 10 months after his nomination. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) was the only R to vote for confirmation. This is the first Biden nominee confirmed over the objection of two home state senators.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2022/09/29/cornyn-gop-senate-wouldnt-freeze-judge-vacancies-but-will-use-leverage-on-biden/">Future</a>: Senator John Cornyn said that senate Rs won’t block all of President Biden’s judicial nominees if Rs win the Senate majority in November. However, they would block nominees who are too liberal.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nominations:</div><div><div>TBA</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/justice-kagan-plays-politics-with-the-court/?utm_source=blog-landing&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=continue-reading">Kagan</a>: Justice Kagan gave a speech suggesting that the Supreme Court's legitimacy is at risk.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 116 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below.</div></div></div><div>ND-IN: Jon DeGuilio (Obama) 7/17/23 (senior)</div><div><div>SD-NY: Vincent Briccetti (Obama) 4/21/23 (senior)</div><div>D-CT: Sarah Merriam (Biden) 9/28 (elevated)</div><div><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/representative-democracy-is-at-stake-in-state-supreme-court-elections/?utm_source=blog-landing&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=continue-reading">Elections</a>: Carrie Severino previews some competitive state supreme races in North Carolina, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/9/12/23349495/chief-justice-anne-burke-retirement-illinois-supreme-court-edward-ed-elections">Illinois</a>: Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne Burke (D) will retire November 30. She has been on the court since 2006, and chief since 2019. Her husband, alderman Ed Burke, "is scheduled to stand trial on federal racketeering, bribery and extortion charges". First District Appellate Justice Joy Cunningham was appointed to replace Burke on the court. Justice Mary Jane Theis (D) will be next chief justice.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/mccormack-retirement-could-help-democrats-keep-edge-michigan-supreme-court">Michigan</a>: Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack (D) will retire on November 22. She was first elected in 2012 and reelected in 2020. Her successor will be appointed by Governor Whitmer, and will face a special election in 2024. The court currently has 4 D and 3 R nominees.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://newjerseyglobe.com/judiciary/schepisi-releases-nomination-of-wainer-apter-to-n-j-supreme-court-murphy-will-nominate-fasciale/">New Jersey</a>: Governor Phil Murphy nominated Superior Court Judge Douglas Fasciale (R) to the New Jersey Supreme Court. This is part of a deal with the legislature, so that state senator Holly Schepisi will end her hold on Rachel Wainer Apter (D), who was first nominated in March 2021. There is still one vacancy on the court.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/north-carolina-supreme-courts-gerrymandered-reasoning/">North Carolina</a>: The North Carolina Supreme Court issued a crazy ruling purporting to overturn two constitutional amendments passed by the voters in 2018. The amendments on voter ID and income tax limitation were put on the ballot by the legislature. The <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-philosopher-kings-of-north-carolina-supreme-court-philip-berger-anita-earls-gerrymandering-11661461235?st=z8jzppng2et0is2&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">court claimed</a> that because the map used to elect the legislature was allegedly gerrymandered, the amendments were illegitimate.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.post-gazette.com/news/obituaries/2022/10/01/max-baer-pennsylvania-supreme-court-dies/stories/202210010040">Pennsylvania</a>: Chief Justice Max Baer (D) died on October 1 at age 74. He was first elected in 2003 and became chief in 2021. He would have been age-limited in December. His replacement will be appointed by the governor (probably whoever is elected in November), subject to confirmation by the state senate. There will be an election to fill the seat in 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Numbers and Trivia:</strong></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://gazette.com/premium/colorados-tymkovich-steps-down-as-10th-circuit-chief-judge-oklahomas-holmes-steps-in/article_2e199621-8742-55d4-ac8f-895276d0caf1.html">10th Circuit</a>: On October 1, Jerome Holmes became the Chief Judge of the 10th Circuit, taking over from Timothy Tymkovich. Holmes, who is black, was appointed by W in 2006. Tymkovich was appointed by W in 2003. The Presidents who appointed chief judges of the 13 appeals courts are Clinton (4), W (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, Fed), and Obama (1, 9, DC).</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-117.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2021-2022</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2022">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2022</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2022">Elections 2022</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/09/02/september-2022-judiciary-news/">September</a></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22328391.post-16446541669141428292022-09-02T18:31:00.000-04:002022-09-02T18:31:44.029-04:00September 2022 Judiciary News<p>Time for some judiciary news.</p><div><div><div><div><p><strong>Nominations, Hearings, Confirmations:</strong></p><div><a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2022/08/04/senate-confirms-arizona-lawyer-roopali-desai-appeals-court-judge/10236105002/">9th Circuit</a>: Biden nominee Roopali Desai was confirmed by a surprisingly large 67-29 vote. This seems to be a sop to Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who lobbied for the appointment. Desai has a <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/biden-nominates-an-activist-to-the-ninth-circuit/?utm_source=blog-landing&utm_medium=desktop&utm_campaign=continue-reading">long record of leftist activism</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nominations:</div><div><div><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/09/02/president-biden-names-twenty-sixth-round-of-judicial-nominees/">9th Circuit</a>: Anthony Johnstone-clerk for Sidney Thomas (9th Circuit), law professor (U Montana)</div><div>ED-NY: Orelia Merchant-NY AG office</div><div>ED-NY: Ramon Reyes-clerk for David Trager (ED-NY), Magistrate Judge (ED-NY)</div><div>SD-NY: Arun Subramanian-clerk for Gerard Lynch (SD-NY), Dennis Jacobs (2nd Circuit), Ginsberg, private practice</div><div>ED-MI: Jonathan Grey-clerk for Louis Sands (MD-GA), Damon Keith (6th Circuit), Magistrate Judge (ED-MI)</div><div>CD-IL: Colleen Lawless-Seventh Judicial Circuit (IL)</div><div>ND-CA: P. Casey Pitts-clerk for Stephen Reinhardt (9th Circuit), private practice</div><div>ED-WA: Charnelle Marie Bjelkengren-Washington State Superior Court</div><div>D-CO: Gordon Gallagher-Magistrate Judge (D-CO)</div><div><br /></div><div><strong>The Federal Judiciary:</strong></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/the-people-want-attorney-general-garland-to-enforce-the-law/">Security</a>: Attorney General Merrick Garland has refused to enforce the law against protests in front of Supreme Court justices houses, despite public support for enforcing the law.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/brace-yourselves-for-the-supreme-courts-racial-preferences-case-to-be-argued-before-election-day/">Affirmative action</a>: The cases challenging affirmative action policies at University of North Carolina and Harvard will be argued on October 31, shortly before the November election. Justice Jackson is recused from the latter case.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/well-someone-does-seem-angry-and-aggrieved/">Alito</a>: Ed Whelan dismantles Margaret Talbot's article in the New Yorker accusing Justice Alito of various perfidies.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/the-emergence-of-justice-amy-coney-barrett-a-boon-to-the-rule-of-law/">Barrett</a>: Carrie Severino profiles Justice Barrett's commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/bidens-supreme-court-commission-members-still-await-response">Commission</a>: Some members of President Biden’s commission on the Supreme Court are disappointed he hasn't embraced the report, or even mentioned it.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/ny-federal-judge-who-rescinded-retirement-still-wont-step-down-2022-08-10/">ND-NY</a>: Judge David Hurd has withdrawn his senior status declaration. President Biden nominated Jorge Alberto Rodriguez, who works for the NY attorney general in Albany, to the seat. He has <a href="https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Gillibrand-s-office-says-Biden-pick-committed-17359359.php">promised to move</a> to Utica if confirmed. Hurd insisted that his successor live and work in Utica.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vacancy Declarations: There are now 119 current and future judicial vacancies. New vacancies over the past month are listed below.</div></div><div>SD-CA: Gonzalo Curiel (Obama) 3/20/23 (senior)</div><div><div>SD-FL: Marcia Cooke (W) 7/15 (senior)<br />D-CO: Raymond Moore (Obama) 6/20/23 (senior)<br />D-CT: Stefan Underhill (Clinton) 11/1 (senior)<br />SD-TX: Micaela Alvarez (W) 6/8/23 (senior)</div><div><br /></div><strong>State Supreme Courts:</strong><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article264385836.html">California</a>: Governor Gavin Newsom nominated Associate Justice Patricia Guerrero to replace retiring Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye. He also nominated Judge Kelli Evans to replace Guerrero on the court. Evans, age 53, was appointed by Newsom to the Alameda County Superior Court in 2021, and previously was his chief deputy legal affairs secretary. This is Newsom's third appointment to the court.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/08/05/desantis-names-renatha-francis-to-florida-supreme-court-again/">Florida</a>: Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Judge Renatha Francis to the Florida Supreme Court. She fills the seat of retiring Justice Alan Lawson. DeSantis tried to appoint Francis to the court in 2020, but was blocked by the court due to Francis not having 10 years of experience. This is DeSantis' fourth appointee on the court.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/supreme-court-rejects-gop-proposal-to-elect-regional-justices/article_ad64b193-4fa0-5a83-9004-499ef058df3c.html">Montana</a>: The Montana Supreme Court struck down an initiative passed by the legislature to elect the court via districts rather than statewide. The 5-2 ruling was the latest strike by the liberal court against reforms passed by the conservative legislature.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2022/08/27/nevada-supreme-court-justice-abbi-silver-resigns/7908866001/">Nevada</a>: Nevada Supreme Court Justice Abbi Silver will retire on September 29. She ran unopposed for her seat in 2018. The governor will appoint a replacement from three candidates nominated by the Judicial Selection Commission.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/briefs/three-judges-named-temporarily-to-n-j-supreme-court-as-judicial-vacancies-persist/">New Jersey</a>: Chief Justice Stuart Rabner named Superior Court Judges Clarkson Fisher Jr., Jack Sabatino, and Douglas Fasciale to temporarily serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court. The vacancies are part of a long-running dispute between the legislature and Governor Phil Murphy.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/north-carolina-supreme-courts-gerrymandered-reasoning/">North Carolina</a>: The North Carolina Supreme Court issued a crazy ruling purporting to overturn two constitutional amendments passed by the voters in 2018. The amendments on voter ID and income tax limitation were put on the ballot by the legislature. The <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-philosopher-kings-of-north-carolina-supreme-court-philip-berger-anita-earls-gerrymandering-11661461235?st=z8jzppng2et0is2&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">court claimed</a> that because the map used to elect the legislature was allegedly gerrymandered, the amendments were illegitimate.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.elections.tn.gov/results.php?ByOffice=Supreme%20Court">Tennessee</a>: On August 4, all five justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court were retained with between 71% and 74% of the vote.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><strong>Resources:</strong></div><div>Blogs: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/">Bench Memos (NR)</a> <a href="https://vettingroom.org/">The Vetting Room</a> <a href="https://howappealing.abovethelaw.com/">How Appealing</a></div><div>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/fedjudges">FedJudges</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/senatecloakroom?lang=en">Senate Cloakroom</a></div><div>Podcasts: <a href="https://advisoryopinions.thedispatch.com/">Advisory Opinions</a> <a href="https://ricochet.com/series/law-talk/">Law Talk</a><br /><a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/">Senate Judiciary Committee</a> <br /><a href="https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-117.pdf">ABA Judicial Ratings 2021-2022</a><br />Wikipedia: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_courts_of_appeals">US Appeals Courts</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump">Trump Judges</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Joe_Biden">Biden Judges</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vLehSIr2HZItgjLfpQ56U0ceUoitfHgMzO-r0-akU0E/edit#gid=162115354">Senior Status Spreadsheet</a><br /><a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/judges-judgeships/judicial-vacancies/future-judicial-vacancies">Future Judicial Vacancies</a><br />BostonPatriot diaries: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/04/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-i-a-brief-history-of-the-judicial-wars/">History</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-ii-blue-slips-filibusters-and-trump-judges/">Trump</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iii-circuit-by-circuit-d-c-through-fifth/">DC-5</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-iv-circuit-by-circuit-sixth-through-eleventh-excluding-ninth/">6-11</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2019/08/30/president-trump-and-the-judiciary-part-v-ninth-circuit/">9th</a><br />Ballotpedia: <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_supreme_court_vacancies,_2022">State Supreme Court Vacancies 2022</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/State_judicial_elections,_2022">Elections 2022</a><br /><a href="https://thesupremecourts.org/">The Supreme Courts</a><br />2020: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/03/01/march-2020-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/04/03/april-judiciary-thread/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/05/01/may-2020-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="http://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/03/june-2020-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/06/30/july-2020-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/07/31/august-2020-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/08/31/september-2020-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/01/october-2020-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/10/24/2020-state-supreme-court-election-preview/">Elections</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/12/74390/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/11/30/december-2020-judiciary-news/">December</a></div></div><div>2021: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2020/12/31/january-2021-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/01/31/february-2021-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/02/28/march-2021-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/04/01/april-2021-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/05/01/may-2021-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/06/01/june-2021-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/01/july-2021-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/07/31/august-2021-judiciary-news/">August</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/08/31/september-2021-judiciary-news/">September</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/09/30/october-2021-judiciary-news/">October</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/10/31/90260/">November</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/11/30/december-2021-judiciary-news/">December</a></div><div>2022: <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2021/12/31/january-2022-judiciary-news/">January</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/02/01/february-2022-judiciary-news/">February</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/03/02/march-2022-judiciary-news/">March</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/04/01/april-2022-judiciary-news/">April</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/05/01/may-2022-judiciary-news/">May</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/06/01/june-2022-judiciary-news/">June</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/07/01/july-2022-judiciary-news/">July</a> <a href="https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2022/08/01/august-2022-judiciary-news/">August</a></div></div>Conservative Firsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963620460463009939noreply@blogger.com0