state legislature

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As 'Tennessee Three' Member Is Silenced, Shouts of 'Fascists'

GOP lawmakers in state House bar Dem Rep. Justin Jones from speaking amid tense session

(Newser) - Republican lawmakers voted Monday to temporarily silence a Democratic member of the so-called "Tennessee Three" during an already tense House floor session after determining the young Black member violated newly enacted rules designed to punish disruptive members. The move directed at Rep. Justin Jones prohibited him from speaking on...

SCOTUS Delivers Big Voting Setback to GOP

6-3 ruling says states don't have absolute power to set federal election rules

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday put a major check on state powers when it comes to setting federal election rules. In its 6-3 ruling, one of the most closely watched of this term, the justices rejected the controversial "independent state legislature" doctrine , reports Politico . The doctrine, advanced by conservatives,...

Democrats Want Seats Back
Democrats Want Seats Back
Apr 9, 2023 5:15 PM CDT

Democrats Want Seats Back

Expelled Tennessee lawmakers hope to be reappointed, then elected again

(Newser) - Two Democratic lawmakers who were expelled by Republican colleagues in Tennessee say they want to be reappointed, then elected back to their seats following their ouster for a protest on the House floor urging passage of gun-control measures. Nashville's metro council is likely to reappoint Justin Jones to the...

Here's What Didn't Get Tennessee Lawmakers Fired

GOP leaders have blocked attempts to punish their members

(Newser) - The Tennessee House chamber where Republicans expressed outrage this week at a breach in decorum was filled daily, for years, by the sound of their colleague ringing a cowbell to mask the lack of applause. A lawmaker's office chair was urinated on by a fellow Republican, a reporter who...

Remaining Dem: Colleagues' Expulsion Was Racist

Members who faced vote warn of 'march to fascism' and 'the silencing of democracy'

(Newser) - Tennessee Rep. Gloria Johnson may have survived expulsion from the state House for joining an unauthorized protest for gun reform on the House floor, but she's not celebrating. "We need to make sure that we stomp out this march to fascism," the Knoxville Democrat said after the...

NY Lawmakers Vote to Make Themselves Nation's Highest Paid

They approved $142K salary in special session

(Newser) - State lawmakers in New York have voted to give themselves a Christmas present: Their second large pay rise in the space of four years. A measure to increase the base pay of state Assembly and Senate members from $110,000 to $142,000 sailed through both Democratic-controlled houses of the...

SCOTUS Hears Case That Could Reshape Elections
SCOTUS Hears Case That
Could Reshape Elections
THE RUNDOWN
Dec 7, 2022 2:40 PM CST

SCOTUS Hears Case That Could Reshape Elections

NC legislators argue that courts can't interfere with election rules set by legislatures

(Newser) - The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a high-stakes case that analysts say could radically change the way elections are conducted in America. The Moore v. Harper case, brought by Republican legislative leaders in North Carolina, cites the controversial "independent state legislature doctrine," the Charlotte Observer reports. The...

One State Hits Milestone on LGBTQ Representation

10% of California's legislature identifies as such, a first for the nation

(Newser) - While LGBTQ candidates and their supporters celebrated several milestone victories around the nation in this year's midterms, California quietly reached its own: At least 10% of its state lawmakers identify publicly as LGBTQ, believed to be a first for any US legislature. The California legislators are all Democrats, per...

Gender Divide Marks States' Abortion Debate

'I'm tired of older, rich white men deciding our fate,' one demonstrator says

(Newser) - Outside the West Virginia Legislature's chambers, the marble foyer was packed with young women in T-shirts, ripped jeans, and gym shorts holding signs with uteruses drawn in colored marker. "Bans off our bodies," the signs said. "Abortion is essential." Inside, a group of lawmakers, almost...

Supreme Court Puts a Big Case on Next Term's Docket

It could profoundly affect federal elections

(Newser) - The Supreme Court's monumental term is over, and the one that begins in October just had a potentially big case added to the docket. The New York Times and the Washington Post describe it in strikingly similar terms: The court "will consider what would be a radical change...

Lawmakers Vote to Prohibit Minors' Transgender Surgery

Arizona governor hasn't said if he'll sign bill, which also restricts athletes

(Newser) - The Arizona Legislature passed bills Thursday to prohibit gender reassignment surgery for minors and transgender athletes from playing on girls sports teams, joining a growing list of Republican-controlled states attempting to restrict transgender rights as they gain more visibility in culture and society. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has not said...

'Don't Say Gay' School Bill Clears Florida House
Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill
Goes to Governor
UPDATED
Mar 8, 2022 12:06 PM CST

Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Goes to Governor

DeSantis expected to sign measure restricting what teachers can say about LGBTQ issues

(Newser) - Update: Legislation known widely in Florida as the "don't say gay" bill is about to become the "don't say gay" law. The state Senate on Tuesday passed the measure, which restricts what teachers in grades kindergarten through third can tell students about gender identity or sexual...

Senate Leader Survived Every Challenge but This One
New Jersey
Senate Leader
Accepts His Fate
UPDATED
Nov 10, 2021 4:30 PM CST

New Jersey Senate Leader Accepts His Fate

Truck driver unseats legislative fixture Stephen Sweeney without party's help

(Newser) - Update: "All votes have been fairly counted, and I, of course, accept the results." So conceded longtime New Jersey State Senate President Stephen Sweeney on Wednesday in officially accepting his defeat by a truck driver with no political experience. He described his loss by around 2,000 votes...

Lawmakers Expel Colleague for Pattern of Harassment

Moving women away from him, North Dakota legislator says, punishes the women trying to do their job

(Newser) - The North Dakota House on Thursday voted to expel a lawmaker accused of threatening and sexually harassing women at the Capitol, the first such expulsion in state history. Members voted 69-25 to expel Rep. Luke Simons, a Republican from Dickinson, for a pattern of behavior they said stretched back to...

To Make Point on Masks, Iowa Lawmaker Wears Jeans to Work

Jeans are harmless, but 'not wearing a mask can kill people,' says Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell

(Newser) - "If they can enforce a denim dress code, they can also enforce a mask mandate." That's the message from Iowa Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, who chose this week to break a rule banning jeans from the state's House. Republicans, who control both the state House and Senate,...

Lawmaker Who Let Rioters Into State Capitol Faces the Music

Oregon Rep. Mike Nearman was seen letting in demonstrators during special legislative session

(Newser) - Another lawmaker is facing heat for a Capitol breach, this time in the Pacific Northwest. When far-right protesters descended on the Oregon Capitol on Dec. 21 during a special legislative session, surveillance video (available here via the Oregonian ) showed GOP Rep. Mike Nearman exiting through a side door, and...

Giuliani Met for 10 Hours With Ariz. Lawmakers. Now, a Shutdown

State House and Senate closed for the week after Trump lawyer tests positive for COVID-19

(Newser) - Whether Rudy Giuliani brought down the house during his testimony last week on alleged election fraud is debatable—but he did succeed in shutting down the House, and the Senate, in Arizona after he tested positive Sunday for COVID-19. The Arizona Republic reports the state legislature is closing shop for...

Crowd Pushes Into Legislative Session on Pandemic
Maskless Crowd 
Storms Legislature
Aug 24, 2020 7:00 PM CDT

Maskless Crowd Storms Legislature

Spectators break glass door in rush to fill Idaho House gallery for pandemic session

(Newser) - Angry, maskless spectators forced themselves into the Idaho House special session on the coronavirus pandemic Monday, shattering a glass door, rushing into the gallery that had limited seating because of the virus and forcing lawmakers to ask for calm in a crowd that included a man carrying an assault-style weapon....

Report: State Lawmaker Engaged in Domestic Terrorism

Washington Rep. Matt Shea says he isn't going anywhere

(Newser) - House Republicans in Washington state suspended one of their own Thursday after an investigation the House commissioned found he'd participated in "an act of domestic terrorism." The Spokesman-Review explains that the 108-page report on Rep. Matt Shea released Thursday by a Seattle firm "largely corroborates previous...

Democrats Flip Virginia Statehouse
Democrats Flip
Virginia Statehouse
ELECTION
Nov 6, 2019 3:51 AM CST

Democrats Flip Virginia Statehouse

They now have full control for first time in 26 years

(Newser) - Democrats flipped both houses of the Virginia legislature in Tuesday's election, giving them control of both the legislature and the governorship for the first time in 26 years. "I'm here to officially declare today, Nov. 5, 2019, that Virginia is officially blue," Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam...

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