Nov 16, 2022
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Some political analysts and commentators had been suggesting that without Donald Trump on the ballot in 2022 Democrats would have a more difficult time firing up voters. The Republican Supreme Court may have unintentionally gone a long way to boost enthusiasm for voting among Democratic voters.
What the Supreme Court ruling on the Texas abortion ban means for politics
The momentous decision by the Supreme Court to allow a sweeping abortion ban in Texas to take effect has intensified one of the most fraught issues in American politics heading into the 2022 midterm election.
The shock could help Democrats motivate voters at a time the party is most worried about complacency after taking control of both houses of Congress and the presidency in the 2020 election cycle.
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The decision underscored the political consequences of another fight Democrats have been losing ground in: the battle for control of state legislatures, which will have tremendous power over abortion policy if Roe vs. Wade is overturned.
Republicans now have total control of 30 state legislatures; Democrats have control over 18. The parties share power in one state (Minnesota), and Nebraska has a nonpartisan, single-chamber Legislature.
“People a lot of time don’t think about state-level politics when it comes to abortion because Roe and the Supreme Court has been a backstop,” said Amy Fried, professor of political science at the University of Maine. “If that backstop is taken away, states can decide to prohibit abortion or limit it to a fairly large extent.”
If nothing else, I hope Democrats will finally pay a lot more attention as to what is going on in their state legislatures. Republicans certainly do – that’s why they have total control of legislatures in 30 out of 50 states.
If you are in a GOP controlled state, consider running for the legislature yourself. For many legislative bodies, the minimum age is 18; though it usually is 21 or 25. The basic qualifications are provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Who Can Become a Candidate for State Legislator
That’s just a summary. Your state constitution has the details. But since Texas instigated this mess, I went out of my way to find the relevant part of the Texas Constitution dealing with qualifications for both chambers of the legislature.
Amend the amendment process
Texans well might awaken Wednesday morning living in a state governed by a constitution that was amended 17 times at the ballot box the previous day. Yep, the Texas Constitution could have 17 more amendments tacked onto it, making it a governing document that has been changed, well, countless times. The Legislature calls this “the will of the people at work.” I call it something different. It is…
Texas Constitutional Amendments Election Results – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Texas Constitutional Amendments Election Results – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Election Results Pages:By County: Collin | Dallas | Denton | TarrantState Constitutional Amendments: Props 1-8All Races: An alphabetized list of all races A complete alphabetical list of races can be found above. For races in Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties, races are also listed above by county. A full listing of North Texas county election pages is at the bottom of the page. State…
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Judges seek permission to violate their oaths of office
Two Texas judges, Brian K. Umphress in Jack County and Diane Hensley in McLennan County, are suing the state because their religious faith compels them to refuse to perform same-sex marriages.
Hmm. OK. Let me pose this question: What part of the oath of office you took that says you shall obey all the laws of the state and be faithful to the U.S. Constitution don’t you understand?
These…
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Judges seek permission to violate their oaths of office
Two Texas judges, Brian K. Umphress in Jack County and Diane Hensley in McLennan County, are suing the state because their religious faith compels them to refuse to perform same-sex marriages.
Hmm. OK. Let me pose this question: What part of the oath of office you took that says you shall obey all the laws of the state and be faithful to the U.S. Constitution don’t you understand?
These…
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Partisan labels are so, so, so distracting
Partisan labels are so, so, so distracting
I detest — no, I actually hate — electing judges on partisan tickets, forcing them to run either as Democrat or Republican.
That is no surprise to those who have been reading my musings over many years. I have tried to make the case that Texas needs to shed its partisan election of judges in favor of a system that allows voters to look more critically at someone’s judicial philosophy than at his…
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Partisan labels are so, so, so distracting
Partisan labels are so, so, so distracting
I detest — no, I actually hate — electing judges on partisan tickets, forcing them to run either as Democrat or Republican.
That is no surprise to those who have been reading my musings over many years. I have tried to make the case that Texas needs to shed its partisan election of judges in favor of a system that allows voters to look more critically at someone’s judicial philosophy than at his…
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