[ad_1]
Welcome to Monday October 4, Brew. Here’s what to expect at the start of your day:
- SCOTUS publishes COVID-19 procedures for oral argument
- Harris gets decisive ninth vote as vice president
- Today in the history of voting measures: Louisiana voters approve 11 of 15 constitutional amendments returned by law
SCOTUS publishes COVID-19 procedures for oral argument
On September 27, the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) released new procedures for oral argument during the October, November and December hearings of the 2021-2022 term, in accordance with the Court’s COVID-19 protocols. .
Here’s a sneak peek, according to the court clerk’s announcement:
- Litigators who attend oral argument are required to take a COVID test the morning before the oral argument.
- Litigators who test positive for COVID can participate in arguments remotely by teleconference.
- Litigators will be briefed on courtroom proceedings and will be able to ask questions prior to oral argument in the courtroom’s lawyer lounge. Audio of the oral arguments will be available in the lawyers’ lounge. Lawyers for the first case argued for the day must leave the court building after their case is finished.
- Lawyers are required to wear face masks covering their nose and mouth at all times while in the court building, except when eating or drinking. Lawyers are required to wear N95 or KN95 masks in the courtroom, except when presenting arguments. The masks will be provided by the court.
SCOTUS announced on September 8 that the court will hear oral arguments in person for the first time since March 4, 2020. Audio of the pleadings will be broadcast live to the public in accordance with the precedent set during the 2020-2021 term. Audio files and transcripts of oral argument will be posted on the Court’s website after oral argument each day.
The October sitting of the Supreme Court is scheduled to begin today. Nine cases were scheduled for a total of nine hours of oral argument.
Harris gets decisive ninth vote as vice president
Vice President Kamala Harris (D) cast her ninth decisive vote as Speaker of the Senate on September 30. She voted in favor of a motion invoking closure on the appointment of Rohit Chopra as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after a 50-50 tie. Chopra was ultimately confirmed by a vote of 50-48.
Six of Harris’ decisive votes were tied to advancing or confirming presidential candidates. In the past 40 years, only Vice President Mike Pence (right) got more deciding votes: 13.
John Adams cast the first deciding vote on July 18, 1789. In total, there were 277 decisive votes from 37 vice-presidents. Twelve vice-presidents, including Joe Biden (R) and Dan Quayle (R), have never voted for a tiebreaker during their tenure
Today in the history of ballot measures: Louisiana voters approve 11 of 15 constitutional amendments returned by law
Eighteen years ago today, on October 4, 2003, voters in Louisiana approved 11 of the 15 proposed amendments to the state constitution. The state legislature had returned each measure to the ballot. Here are some highlights of what has been approved:
- The Louisiana Coastal Restoration Fund was created and funded by state tobacco litigation money.
- Louisiana’s Property Rights Act limited the state’s liability for damage to private property due to coastal restoration projects.
- The Louisiana Education Act allowed the state board of education to take control of failing schools.
- The Louisiana Highway Projects Act led to changes to the highway widening program.
A total of 52 constitutional amendments appeared on the statewide ballot in Louisiana in odd-numbered years from 1999 to 2019. The number of amendments ranged from 4 to 16, with an average of 5. Of the 52 amendments, 36 (69.23%) were approved and 16 (30.77%) were defeated.
[ad_2]
Source link