Thank you for joining us this Saturday. This week's top stories are below. For a more thorough account of the week, click through to read the full edition of The Federal Tap.

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Democratic National Convention postponed from July to August

The Democratic Party has postponed its presidential nominating convention to the week of August 17 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Organizers pushed back the event, which was originally scheduled for July 13-16, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"After a great deal of scenario planning and giving thought to how it is this event can have the greatest impact in the electoral process and the greatest impact in terms of what we can bring to Milwaukee, we felt the best decision, not knowing all the answers, was to delay this," said convention chief executive Joe Solmonese. "More than anything we continue to monitor the public health landscape."

Meadows resigns from Congress to become White House Chief of Staff

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) resigned from Congress March 30 to assume his new role as White House Chief of Staff for Pres. Donald Trump (R) starting March 31. Meadows replaces Mick Mulvaney, who had served as the acting White House Chief of Staff since January 2, 2019.

• Meadows was first elected to represent North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District in 2013. He was a member of the House Freedom Caucus and chaired the group at one time. Meadows announced in December 2019 that he would not run for re-election in 2020.
• Trump announced Meadows as his pick for chief of staff in March 2020. As White House Chief of Staff, Meadows will lead the staff of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) and advise the president on policy issues. Meadows is the fourth White House Chief of Staff in the Trump Administration.

Wisconsin scheduled to hold presidential preference primaries

Wisconsin is scheduled to hold its Democratic and Republican presidential primaries on Tuesday. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) called a special session of the legislature for this afternoon to discuss potential changes to the election in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Evers proposed conducting the election entirely via mail and extending the deadline for mail-in ballots to be received from April 13 to May 26.

• Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) issued a joint statement which said, in part, "many local government positions on the ballot must be filled so that municipalities can swiftly respond to the crisis at hand. We continue to support what Governor Evers has supported for weeks: the election should continue as planned on Tuesday."
• He announced on April 1 that he would be calling in the National Guard to serve as poll workers at understaffed polling sites.

West Virginia postpones primary from May 12 to June 9

Governor Jim Justice (R) issued an executive order postponing West Virginia's statewide primary, including its presidential preference primary, to June 9, 2020. The primary was originally scheduled to take place on May 12, 2020. Details on adjustments to related dates are pending.

• To date, sixteen states and one territory have postponed primaries or elections that encompass federal offices. View our full coverage.

Supreme Court postpones April sitting

The U.S. Supreme Court announced it was postponing the eight hours of oral arguments originally scheduled during its April sitting (April 20-22, April 27-29). In a press release, the court said the delay was “in keeping with public health guidance in response to COVID-19.”

• The court had previously postponed the 11 hours of oral argument scheduled for its March sitting (March 23-25, March 30-April 1). It has been indefinitely closed to the public since March 12.
• The court noted in a statement that it would "consider rescheduling some cases from the March and April sessions before the end of the Term, if circumstances permit in light of public health and safety guidance at that time." Otherwise, the court continues to conduct business, including releasing opinions using the court website, holding regularly scheduled conferences, and issuing order lists.

Rep. Velazquez announces self-quarantine after likely contracting coronavirus

Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) announced a self-quarantine after likely contracting COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus.

• Velazquez contacted the House Attending Physician after experiencing key symptoms, like loss of taste and smell. The doctor told her a test wasn’t necessary and was presumed positive.
• As of writing, Ballotpedia identified six federal politicians who contracted the virus. This count does not include Velazquez, who has not been officially tested.
• Ballotpedia also identified 40 federal-level politicians who self-quarantined due to an exposure risk or for symptoms matching COVID-19.

Supreme Court rules in case regarding federal maritime law

On March 30, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its opinion in the case CITGO Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co., Ltd. The case came on a writ of certiorari to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit and was argued during SCOTUS’ October Term 2019-2020 on November 5, 2019.

• The case: An abandoned anchor in the Delaware River pierced the hull of the Athos I, an oil tanker, causing an estimated 264,000 gallons of crude oil to spill into the river. The cost of cleanup was $143 million. Frescati, the shipowner, paid for the cleanup effort and was later reimbursed for $88 million by the U.S. federal government. Frescati and the U.S. sued CITGO, the intended oil recipient, for a portion of the costs.
• The issue: Whether under federal maritime law a safe berth clause in a voyage charter contract is a guarantee of a ship’s safety, as the 3rd Circuit below and the 2nd Circuit have held, or a duty of due diligence, as the Fifth Circuit has held.
• The outcome: In a 7-2 decision, SCOTUS affirmed the 3rd Circuit’s decision, holding that a safe berth clause in a voyage charter contract is a guarantee of a ship’s safety. Justice Sonia Sotomayor delivered the majority opinion of the court. Justice Clarence Thomas filed a dissenting opinion, joined by Justice Samuel Alito.

President Trump announces nominee for only open U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacancy

President Donald Trump nominated Judge Cory Wilson March 30 to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. This vacancy is the only one currently on a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal. The last time there was only one appeals court vacancy was in July 1984.

• Two Court of Appeals judges have indicated they will leave the bench in 2020. Judge Ed Carnes on the 11th Circuit is expected to assume senior status on June 30. The U.S. Senate has already confirmed Andrew Brasher to succeed Carnes when that occurs. D.C. Circuit Judge Thomas Griffith announced last month that he would retire from the court later this year. On Friday, Trump announced he would nominate Justin Walker to fill the vacancy created by Griffith's departure.

Candidate filing period for congressional races ends in six states

The major party filing period for congressional races has ended in six states over the past week.

• New Jersey and South Carolina: March 30
• Missouri and South Dakota: March 31
• New York and Tennessee: April 2

Vote by mail deadline to pass in Alaska’s Democratic presidential primary

The Alaska Democratic Party announced on March 23 that in-person voting in its presidential primary, originally scheduled for April 4, was canceled in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the party expanded its vote-by-mail process and set the deadline for ballots to be received to April 10. Results will be announced by April 11.

• Former Vice President Joe Biden (D), Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), and six other withdrawn candidates appear on the ranked-choice ballot. Fifteen pledged delegates are at stake.
• The Alaska Republican Party announced last year that it would not hold a presidential preference event since President Donald Trump is the incumbent.

Candidate filing period for congressional races to end in Arizona, North Dakota, and Oklahoma

The major-party filing deadlines to run for elected office in Arizona, North Dakota, and Oklahoma are next week. The deadlines in both Arizona and North Dakota are on April 6; the deadline in Oklahoma is on April 10. Prospective candidates in each state may file for the following congressional offices.

• Arizona
  • U.S. Senate: A special election is being held to fill the Senate seat vacated by John McCain (R), who passed away on August 25, 2018. The seat is currently held by Martha McSally (R), who was appointed by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to replace Jon Kyl (R), the governor’s first appointee. The winner of the special election will serve the remaining two years of McCain’s term.
  • U.S House: All nine of the state’s House seats are up for election.
• North Dakota
  • No U.S. Senate seats are up for election. North Dakota’s one at-large U.S. House seat, currently held by Kelly Armstrong (R), is up for election.
• Oklahoma
  • U.S. Senate: The Class II Senate seat currently held by Jim Inhofe (R) is up for election.
  • U.S. House: All five of the state’s House seats are up for election.

Is Congress in session?

Neither the House nor Senate will be in session next week. Click here to see the full calendar for the second session of the 116th Congress.

Where was the president last week?

• On Monday, Trump participated in a phone interview on Fox and Friends and met with governors via teleconference to discuss and plan around the coronavirus.
• On Tuesday, Trump participated in a phone call with network service providers and members of the Coronavirus Task Force held a press briefing.
• On Wednesday, Trump participated in a phone call with military families on COVID-19 response.
• On Thursday, Trump had no public events scheduled.
• On Friday, Trump participated in a roundtable with energy sector CEOs.

Federal judiciary update

• 81 federal judicial vacancies
• 42 pending nominations
• 7 future federal judicial vacancies

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