Highlights from the Week
On April 1st, 2024, The Florida Supreme Court opened its way towards the state’s six-week abortion ban with upholding the fifteen-week ban, and will take effect within 30 days of the decision. The Florida Supreme Court’s decision is the trigger for a separate six-week abortion ban which Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law last year. A proposed amendment has been included highlighting its appearance on the November, 2024 ballot which has undergone much deliberation as it pertains to its wording. Nevertheless, voters may have the final say on these abortion rulings towards the end of the year. At least 60% of voters need to be in support to allow any decision to be made regarding constitutional amendments in Florida. To read a statement from President Joe Biden, click here. To read a statement from Representative Frederica Wilson of Florida, click here. To read a statement from Representative Lois Frankel of Florida, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Kathy Castor of Florida, click here.
On April 9th, 2024, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled 4-2 in favor of a total ban on abortion in the state, upholding an 1864 law (enacted nearly 50 years before Arizona gained statehood) that states as much. This law makes abortion a felony punishable by two to five years in prison, for anyone performing one or helping someone in obtaining one. There were amendments in 1901 and 1913 that made exceptions to save a woman’s life. The Supreme Court did put its decision on hold for 14 days, giving them an opportunity to send the case back to a lower court so that that court could reconsider any constitutional challenges. As of writing, there is a movement to gather signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the November, 2024 ballot that would enshrine abortion as a “fundamental right.” To read a statement from President Joe Biden, click here. To read a statement from Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, click here. To read a statement from Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, click here. To read a statement from Representative Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Ruben Gallego of Arizona, click here.
Elections
By the Elections Research team: Nick, Monica, Caleb, Seth, Max, and interns Isabella, Guiselle, Elsie, Jun, Stephen, Deonte, Sierra, Braden, Ashlyn, and Maddie
Biographies & Elections:
Here are the results from the Super Tuesday elections. Click on the state below to view the results for the presidential contests from Tuesday:
Click on the state below to view the results for down-ballot (non-presidential) races:
Want to learn more about candidates running for elected office in 2024? Click on the states below to see the full list:
Want to learn more about elected officials in your state? You can see the full list here:
Want to learn more about the leadership in each state legislature? You can see the full leadership rosters here:
Want to learn more about which committees elected officials are a part of? You can see the full list of committees for each state here:
Officials
By the Officials Research team: Sam, Johanan, Neal, Thomas, and Quinn. Interns: Deaja, Luiza, Deyab, Tina, Nicholas, Elizabeth, Dev, Ethan, and Sabrina.
Public Statements: 370 statements were added this week. See highlights from the week for notable statements.
Key Votes:
States: 84 new votes were added.
Arizona Senate passed SB 1613 - Expands Laws Pertaining to Theft
Idaho House passed H 753 - Prohibits Illegal Entry Into Idaho
South Dakota Governor signed SB 47 - Increases Amount Paid to Counties for Diversion Programs to Keep Juvenile Offenders out of the Justice System
Pennsylvania House passed HB 777 - Prohibits the Sale of Ghost Guns and Establishes Penalties
Tennessee House passed SB 1657 - Requires Annual Reports to the Governor on the Total Number of Firearm Injuries and Deaths per 100,000
U.S. Congress: 0 new votes were added.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
This year to date, the SIGs team has entered 52,303 ratings and 9,582 endorsements for candidates.