Congress passes bill to add more federal judgeships

Congress passes bill to add more federal judgeships, Biden plans to veto it

Congress passed the bipartisan JUDGES Act to create 60+ new federal district court judges. President Joe Biden said he plans to veto the bill, saying that concerns over case backlogs are not the "true motivating force" behind the legislation as GOP proponents claim.
The Senate unanimously passed the legislation in August, and the House passed the bill today. Democrats have accused Republicans of holding the bill to give President-elect Donald Trump, and not Biden, the chance to fill the seats. The bill has received support from current judges and court reform groups.

Pennsylvania top election official tells SCOTUS to hear mail-in voting case

Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt (R) urged the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a mail-in voting case brought by the state conference of the NAACP.
In his brief to the justices, Schmidt said he agreed with the plaintiffs that the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrongly decided that undated or misdated mail-in ballots shouldn’t be counted.

Consequential state elections to watch in 2025

Every year is an election year. Read here to learn about the state and local races to watch in 2025. The gubernatorial race in Virginia, the mayoral race in New York and the Supreme Court race in Wisconsin are just a few.

Voter ID amendment will be on North Carolina’s ballot in 2026

North Carolina legislators voted yesterday to put an amendment on the ballot in 2026 that would enshrine the state’s voter ID requirements into the constitution.
The state passed a law in 2018 requiring voters to provide photo IDs to cast ballots, and it has faced multiple legal challenges since then.

Wisconsin judge dismisses GOP case involving Electoral College process

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit today from the Wisconsin GOP over when the state's presidential electors must meet. Wisconsin's electors will meet on Dec. 17 — the date every other state follows.

NAACP ends lawsuit challenging two anti-democratic laws in Mississippi

The NAACP voluntarily ended its lawsuit challenging two power-grab laws that targeted Jackson, Mississippi. The claims were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the plaintiffs have the option to refile their claims in the future.

New York officials appeal decision blocking state’s even-year election law

New York officials asked the state's highest court to review a new law that moves some local elections from odd-numbered to even-numbered years. Lower courts agreed with a group of counties that the law violates the New York Constitution.