Welcome to the Thursday, Aug. 6, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. Trump ties with Clinton for most federal judges through Aug. 1 of a president's fourth year
2. Missouri voters approve Medicaid expansion
3. Local roundup

Trump ties with Clinton for most federal judges through Aug. 1 of a president's fourth year

Donald Trump has appointed 202 Article III federal judges through Aug. 1, his fourth year in office. Tied with President Bill Clinton (D), this is the second-most Article III judicial appointments through this point in all presidencies since Jimmy Carter (D). The Senate confirmed 247 of Carter’s appointees at this point in his term. 

The average number of federal judges appointed by a president through Aug. 1 of their fourth year in office is 188.

Trump has appointed two Supreme Court justices, 53 appellate court judges, 145 district court judges, and two U.S. Court of International Trade judges. Those numbers are consistent with last month’s report except the district court judges; Trump has appointed two more since July 1.

The median number of United States Court of Appeals appointees is 35. Carter appointed the most with 54, while Reagan appointed the least with 27. Trump’s 53 appointments make up 29.6% of the total 179 judgeships across the courts of appeal.

Article III federal judges are appointed for life terms by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate per Article III of the United States Constitution. Article III judges include judges on the Supreme Court of the United States, U.S. courts of appeal, U.S. district courts, and the Court of International Trade.

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Missouri voters approve Medicaid expansion

Yesterday’s Brew included a selection of Aug. 4 election results. Our Heart of the Primaries subscribers received more results in their inboxes yesterday morning. I want to highlight some of the races that have been called since Tuesday.

Missouri Amendment 2, Medicaid Expansion Initiative

Missouri voters approved Amendment 2 to expand Medicaid with 52.98% of the vote.

Amendment 2 was designed to expand Medicaid eligibility in Missouri to adults that are between the ages of 19 and 65 whose income is 135% of the federal poverty level or below. Because the ACA includes a 5% income disregard, this measure would effectively expand Medicaid to those with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. In 2020, this amounted to an annual income of $17,608 for an individual and $36,156 for a household of four. The amendment prohibited any additional restrictions or requirements for the expanded population to qualify for Medicaid coverage than for other populations that qualify for Medicaid coverage.

Thirty-eight states and Washington, D.C., have expanded or voted to expand Medicaid. Six of those states have expanded it through a ballot measure process.

In November 2018, voters in Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, and Utah decided ballot initiatives concerning Medicaid expansion and the funding of expanded Medicaid coverage. In January, voters in Oregon approved Measure 101, thereby upholding 2017 legislation to provide funding for the state's portion of costs for expanded Medicaid coverage through a tax on healthcare insurance and the revenue of certain hospitals. 

Oklahoma was the most recent state to approve Medicaid expansion in June 2020. Oklahoma State Question 802 passed with 50.49% of the vote. 

Missouri’s 1st Congressional District (Democratic primary)

Cori Bush defeated incumbent William Lacy Clay and Katherine Bruckner in the Democratic primary. William Clay is the 7th incumbent to lose a primary this year. This primary featured a rematch between Clay and Bush. Bush challenged Clay in the district's 2018 Democratic primary, which Clay won 57% to Bush's 37%.

Bush told supporters on Tuesday that “Tonight, Missouri’s 1st District has decided that an incremental approach isn’t going to work any longer. We decided that we the people have the answers, and we will lead from the front lines.”

Ballotpedia has not identified comments from Clay about the election results.

Clay was first elected in 2000, replacing his father, former Rep. William Lacy Clay, Sr. (D). He received endorsements from U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Bush received endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Jamaal Bowman (D), a candidate for New York's 16th District who defeated 16-term incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel (D) in the district's June 23 Democratic primary.

Don’t forget, Tennessee’s statewide primaries are today. Follow along with us as the results come in here.

Local roundup

Here’s our weekly roundup of local election results.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney election (Democratic primary)

Incumbent Kimberly Gardner defeated Mary Pat Carl in the Democratic primary for circuit attorney in St. Louis, Missouri on Aug. 4. Gardner received 61% of the vote to Carl's 39%. The race was a rematch. Gardner and Carl ran in the four-candidate Democratic primary in 2016, where Gardner received 47% of the vote and Carl was second with 24%. In July 2020, Gardner filed felony charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey, a white couple who held guns in their yard as Black Lives Matter protesters marched by.

Gilbert, Arizona, Proposition 430, 2020 General Plan

Gilbert voters passed Proposition 430 approving the 2020 General Plan for city land development with 81.84% of the vote. Proposition 430 was put on the ballot through a vote of the Gilbert Town Council on March 3, 2020. The last general plan was approved in 2010. As of 2013, Gilbert’s population was 229,972.

Michigan

Voters in Wayne County approved two propositions to renew property tax levies. 

• Proposition O, the Operating Budget Property Tax Renewal, was approved with 77.05% of the vote. Proposition O authorizes the county to renew for 10 years a property tax levy of $95.29 per $100,000 in assessed property tax value to generate an annual estimated $42 million for the county's operations and services. 

• Proposition P, the Parks Property Tax Renewal, was approved with 77.88% of the vote. Proposition P authorizes the county to renew for four years a property tax levy of $24.59 per $100,000 in assessed property tax value to generate an annual estimated $10.9 million for parks.

Voters in the Detroit Public Schools Community District renewed a non-homestead property tax levy with 84.56% of voters approving the measure. The measure authorizes the district to renew for 11 years a property tax levy of $1,800 per $100,000 in assessed property tax value on property except for primary residences to generate an annual estimated $65 million for the district. It was first authorized in 2016.

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