Category: Federal-State Relations

Same-Sex Marriage Act Gives Government ‘Broad New Power’ to Target Religious Believers, Says Experts

Experts are warning that the recently approved Respect for Marriage Act could end up being used to target and suppress people of Christian and other traditional faiths. The Respect for Marriage Act was passed by the Senate in a 61–36 vote on Nov. 29, and by the House of Representatives in a 258–169 vote on…


Same-Sex Marriage Act Gives Government ‘Broad New Power’ to Target Religious Believers, Experts Say

Experts are warning that the recently approved Respect for Marriage Act could end up being used to target and suppress people of Christian and other traditional faiths. The Respect for Marriage Act was passed by the Senate in a 61–36 vote on Nov. 29, and by the House of Representatives in a 258–169 vote on…


Appeals Court Rejects GOP-Led Effort to Keep in Place ‘Title 42’ Border Policy

A federal appeals court on Friday rejected an effort by 19 Republican states to keep in place the Title 42 border policy. The ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals means the policy is expected to end on Dec. 21 unless further appeals are filed by then. The states are expected to appeal to the…


More Than 80 Cities, Counties Using Federal Pandemic Aid to Fund Guaranteed Income Pilot Programs

There are at least 82 municipalities across 29 states now engaged in guaranteed income experiments, including more than 70 with pilot programs created within the past year, according to a coalition of more than 100 American mayors promoting the concept. Mayors for Guaranteed Income, and proponents among municipal officials nationwide, are encouraging local governments to…


Supreme Court Refuses to Block California Law Banning Flavored Tobacco

The Supreme Court refused an emergency application in a Dec. 12 ruling to block California’s enforcement of a voter-approved ban on flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, that takes effect next week. Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. had asked the high court for an emergency injunction preventing enforcement of California Senate Bill 793 while it…


North Carolina Treasurer Wants BlackRock CEO Larry Fink to ‘Resign or Be Removed’

You might call it the “battle of BlackRock.” The conflict, which pits Republican officials in states across the country against the world’s largest asset manager, has only intensified in recent months. Just days ago, Florida became the latest state to pull money from BlackRock—in its case, $2 billion in state-controlled assets. The state’s chief financial…


Abbott Sends Armored Vehicles to Southern Border Fearing Increase in Criminal Activity: Report

Texas Governor Greg Abbott last week ordered ten M113 armored personnel carriers to the state’s border with Mexico in response to an expected increase in illegal activity due to the end of Title 42 migrant expulsion procedures on Dec. 21. “The personnel carriers are being trucked to security points along the border to enhance protection…


Supreme Court Hears Case That Could Empower State Legislatures, Not Judges, to Regulate Elections

Supreme Court justices on Dec. 7 grilled an attorney for North Carolina Republicans who was arguing the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures preeminent authority to make the rules for presidential and congressional elections without interference from the courts. The case is important because, if the high court finds for North Carolina, the rules governing how…


GOP-Led States Ask Supreme Court to Keep Biden’s Student Loan Wipeout Frozen

A coalition of Republican-led states petitioned the Supreme Court on Wednesday to reject President Joe Biden’s bid to reinstate his student loan forgiveness scheme and instead keep it frozen until litigation around it is resolved, while accusing the administration of exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to hide the president’s “true goal” of erasing student debt. In…


Texas Governor Declares Biden ‘In Violation of US Constitution’ for Not Securing US Border

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sent a letter to President Joe Biden saying Texas will escalate border security measures by invoking a clause of the U.S. Constitution to “protect its own territory against invasion by the Mexican drug cartels” amid rampant illegal immigration. “Your sustained dereliction of duty compels Texas to invoke the powers reserved in…