Category «Congress»

“Court Packing”: Legislative Control over the Size of the Supreme Court

CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress – “Court Packing”: Legislative Control over the Size of the Supreme Court, December 14, 2020: “In the past year, legal commentators, policymakers, and the national press have devoted significant attention to proposals to increase the size of the Supreme Court, sometimes colloquially called“court packing.” Many …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Most Republicans Approve of Trump’s Post-election Messaging, but About a Third Say It Has Been Wrong

Partisans differ on whether social media companies’ decisions had a major impact on the election – “In this starkly atypical year, the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election has been similarly out of the ordinary – with President Donald Trump thus far refusing to concede to President-elect Joe Biden (as of publication on Dec. 15). But a new …

Subjects: Congress, Internet, Knowledge Management, Social Media

The Electoral College: A 2020 Presidential Election Timeline

The Electoral College: A 2020 Presidential Election Timeline, CRS In Focus, October 22, 2020.”Every four years, the election process for President and Vice President follows a familiar timeline of events. At the same time, a related series of procedures governing electoral college actions proceeds on a parallel track.This report focuses on the electoral college timeline …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research

Counting Electoral Votes: An Overview of Procedures at the Joint Session, Including Objections by Members of Congress

CRS report via LC – Counting Electoral Votes: An Overview of Procedures at the Joint Session, Including Objections by Members of Congress, Updated December 8, 2020: “The Constitution and federal law establish a detailed timetable following the presidential election during which time the members of the electoral college convene in the 50 state capitals and …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research

Archive, Historians, CREW Sue White House, Seek to Preserve Presidential Records During the Transition

National Security Archive – “The National Security Archive, the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, the American Historical Association, and the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington today filed suit against President Donald Trump in his official capacity, seeking to enforce the Presidential Records Act and prevent any destruction of records during the …

Subjects: Censorship, Congress, Courts, E-Government, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Rep. Johnson’s Bipartisan Bill Making Federal Court Records Free to Public Passes House

“Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04), chairman of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, today announced The Open Courts Act of 2020, H.R. 8235, which would modernize the federal judiciary’s court records systems and eliminate the paywall (called PACER) that currently forces the public to pay more than $140 million each year to access …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, E-Government, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Individual Retirement Account Ownership: Data and Policy Issues

CRS report via LC – Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Ownership: Data and Policy Issues December 9, 2020 (51 pages) “…Congress has provided various tax incentives to encourage individuals to save for retirement. Tax incentives exist for employers to offer retirement plans and for employees to participate in these plans, as well as for individuals to …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

A Political Obituary for Donald Trump

The Atlantic –  The effects of his reign will linger. But democracy survived. “To assess the legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency, start by quantifying it. Since last February, more than a quarter of a million Americans have died from COVID-19—a fifth of the world’s deaths from the disease, the highest number of any country. In …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Congress, Courts, Economy, Education, Environmental Law, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

GPO and Library of Congress Release Ten Years of Legislative Data on Govinfo

Library of Congress: “The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) in partnership with the Library of Congress, U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate has released 10 additional years of bill status XML bulk data on govinfo. Bill status information, created by the Library of Congress and Congress, describes the activities and status steps for each …

Subjects: Congress, E-Government, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

COVID-19 Vaccines: Global Health Issues

CRS report via LC – COVID-19 Vaccines: Global Health Issues, December 8, 2020 – “The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to severe health and economic consequences across the globe, with country governments struggling to contain the spread of the disease through physical lockdown and quarantine measures, while working towards vaccines, to prevent further …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care

Lawmakers are trying to create a database with free access to court records. Judges are fighting against it.

Washington Post – “Leaders of the federal judiciary are working to block bipartisan legislation designed to create a national database of court records that would provide free access to case documents. Backers of the bill, who are pressing for a House vote in the coming days, envision a streamlined, user-friendly system that would allow citizens …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research