Congressional candidate’s death triggers special election in MN-02
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In this week's version of The Federal Tap, we examine a February special election in MN, President Trump's new Supreme Court nominee, and the first presidential debate of the 2020 general presidential election.

Read the full Tap online ([link removed])

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** ON TAP THIS WEEK
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** THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
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MINNESOTA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE'S DEATH TRIGGERS FEBRUARY SPECIAL ELECTION FOR U.S. HOUSE SEAT

* The Minnesota Secretary of State’s office confirmed that the general election for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District ([link removed]) has been postponed after the death of Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate Adam Weeks. A special election for the seat is scheduled for February 9, 2021.
* According to Minnesota law, if a major party candidate dies within 79 days of the general election, a special election must be held. The Legal Marijuana Now Party is qualified as a major party in Minnesota ([link removed]) .
* The race for MN-02 ([link removed]) will still appear on the November 3 ballot. However, any votes cast on November 3 will not count. The outcome of the February special election will determine who wins the seat.
* The remaining candidates in the race—incumbent Angie Craig (D) and Tyler Kistner (R)—automatically qualify for the special election. The Legal Marijuana Now Party will have the opportunity to select a new candidate.
* The state law requiring a special election was passed in 2013 and inspired by the circumstances in the state’s 2002 U.S. Senate race. Democratic incumbent Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash weeks before the general election. The Democratic party nominated former Vice President Walter Mondale as a replacement candidate, but he was defeated by Republican Norm Coleman.
* Rep. Craig’s term ends on January 3, 2021, which means that Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District will be without a representative in the House until the winner of the special election assumes office.
* This will be the first special election for a seat in the 117th Congress.

SENATE CONFIRMS TWO NOMINEES TO U.S. DISTRICT COURT SEATS

* The U.S. Senate confirmed John Hinderaker ([link removed]) to the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona and Roderick Young ([link removed]) to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The District of Arizona and the Eastern District of Virginia are one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts.
* After Hinderaker receives his federal judicial commission and takes his judicial oath, the 13-member U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona will have six Republican-appointed judges and seven Democrat-appointed judges. Hinderaker will join four other judges appointed by President Trump.
* After Young receives his federal judicial commission and takes his judicial oath, the 11-member U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia will have one vacant seat, five Republican-appointed judges and five Democrat-appointed judges. Young will join two other judges appointed by President Trump.
* The U.S. Senate has confirmed 218 of President Trump’s Article III judicial nominees—two Supreme Court justices, 53 appellate court judges, 161 district court judges, and two U.S. Court of International Trade judges—since January 2017.

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** ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
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Biden on the campaign trail

* On Monday, Biden visited Wisconsin for the second time in two weeks. 
* On Wednesday, Biden visited North Carolina for the first time since the Democratic primary season.
* Biden halted public appearances on Thursday in the morning in order to prepare for the presidential debate.
* On Friday, Biden traveled to Washington, D.C., to pay his respects to Ruth Bader Ginsburg who lies in state at the Capitol Building. 

Trump on the campaign trail

* On Monday, Trump made two campaign stops in Ohio, including a rally in Toledo.
* On Tuesday, Trump held a campaign rally at Pittsburgh International Airport, marking his fourth appearance in Pennsylvania this month.
* On Wednesday, Trump spoke at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. The event took place virtually.
* On Thursday, Trump held a rally in Jacksonville, Florida.
* On Friday, Trump traveled to South Florida, Georgia, and Virginia.

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Congress is in session

Both chambers of Congress are in session next week. Click here ([link removed]) to see the full calendar for the second session of the 116th Congress.
 

SCOTUS is on recess

The Supreme Court has finished hearing arguments and releasing opinions this term ([link removed]) . To learn about the upcoming 2020-2021 term, click here ([link removed]) .

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** WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK
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** SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
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President Trump to announce Supreme Court nominee 

* President Trump ([link removed]) (R) is scheduled to nominate a successor to former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ([link removed]) at 5:00 p.m Eastern Time Saturday. On September 25, the New York Times ([link removed]) and CNN ([link removed]) both reported that Trump had selected Amy Coney Barrett ([link removed]) to fill the vacancy.
* Ginsburg died on September 18 at the age of 87 of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton (D) in 1993. At the time of her death, Ginsburg was one of four members of the Supreme Court appointed by a Democratic president, alongside fellow Clinton appointee Stephen Breyer and Obama appointees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
* This will be President Trump’s third nominee to the nine-member court. He appointed Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy resulting from Antonin Scalia’s death in 2016 and Brett Kavanaugh following Anthony Kennedy’s 2018 retirement.

* At a rally on September 19, Trump announced his intention to appoint a woman to succeed Ginsburg. Amy Coney Barrett ([link removed]) and Barbara Lagoa ([link removed]) are the two most likely candidates, according to Politico ([link removed]) .

* Barrett was appointed by President Trump to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2017 after spending 15 years on the faculty of Notre Dame Law School. She was reported as a candidate in consideration for both the Scalia and Kennedy vacancies.
* Lagoa was appointed by President Trump to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in 2019 after serving for 13 years in the Florida state courts, including nine months on the Florida Supreme Court. She was among 20 candidates President Trump added to his Supreme Court shortlist on September 9.

* After President Trump nominates a candidate, the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider the nominee. This process involves an investigation and background check, one-on-one meetings with committee members, and a final hearing in which the nominee takes questions from the committee. The committee is currently chaired by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and the ranking member is Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
* After the Judiciary Committee considers the nominee, the committee votes on whether to advance the nomination before the full Senate. Should the nominee advance, a period of debate on the nomination is permitted before the Senate votes.
* Recent nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court have been confirmed by narrow margins in the U.S. Senate. Gorsuch was confirmed by a 54-45 vote and Brett Kavanaugh’s vote was 50-48.

 
** TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
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BIDEN, TRUMP SET TO DISCUSS SCOTUS, CORONAVIRUS IN FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

* Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic are hosting the first presidential debate ([link removed])) between former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and President Donald Trump (R). The debate will be 90 minutes long without commercial breaks.

* It will be divided into 15-minute segments on the following six topics selected by moderator and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace:

* The Trump and Biden records
* The Supreme Court
* COVID-19
* The economy
* Race and violence in our cities
* The integrity of the election

* Two more presidential debates ([link removed]) are scheduled for October 15 in Miami and October 22 in Nashville. The first and only vice presidential debate between Sen. Kamala Harris (D) and Vice President Mike Pence (R) will be held in Salt Lake City on October 7.

VOTERS IN GEORGIA’S 5TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT TO SELECT NEW REPRESENTATIVE 

* Georgia’s 5th Congressional District is holding an all-party special general election ([link removed]) on September 29, 2020, to fill the seat left vacant after the death of John Lewis ([link removed])) (D). In the event that no candidate receives at least 50% of the vote, the top two contenders will advance to a runoff election December 1.
* The winner of this race will serve the remainder of Lewis’ congressional term through January 3, 2021. If a candidate wins the primary outright, their time in Congress will last 96 days, and if the election advances to a runoff, their tenure in Congress will last 33 days.

* Five candidates have received the most media coverage:

* Robert Franklin ([link removed])) (D): a professor of theology at Emory University who was on the Georgia Democratic Party's shortlist of replacement nominees for the November election in Georgia's 5th.
* Kwanza Hall ([link removed]) (D): a former member of the Atlanta City Council who, leading up to the election, worked as Managing Director at Entrepreneurial Enterprises.
* Barrington Martin II ([link removed]) (D): an educator who ran in the June primary against John Lewis, where he garnered 12.4% of the vote. 
* Mable Thomas ([link removed]) (D): a representative in the Georgia House of Representatives since 2013. 
* Keisha Sean Waites ([link removed]) (D): a former representative in the Georgia House of Representatives, who ran for the 2020 Democratic nomination in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District, garnering 25.5% of the vote.

* Steven Muhammad ([link removed]) (I) and Chase Oliver ([link removed]) (L) are also running.
* The Democratic and Republican nominees for the November election ([link removed]) in Georgia’s 5th, Nikema Williams ([link removed]) (D) and Angela Stanton King ([link removed]) (R), are not running in this special election.

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Where was the president last week?

* On Monday, Trump participated in a Fox & Friends interview and spoke at a Fighting for the American Worker rally in Ohio.
* On Tuesday, Trump received his intelligence briefing and traveled to Pennsylvania.
* On Wednesday, Trump participated in a discussion about social media abuses and held a news conference.
* On Thursday, Trump paid respects to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
* On Friday, Trump held campaign events in South Florida, Georgia, and Virginia.

Federal Judiciary
 

* 66 federal judicial vacancies
* 41 pending nominations
* 3 future federal judicial vacancies

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