Recent CRS Reports – March 2021

The Economic Effects of Financing a Large and Permanent Increase in Government Spending, Congressional Budget Office, CBO Working Paper 57201, March 2021 (42-page PDF) “Recommendation for New U.S. Circuit and District Court Judgeships by the Judicial Conference of the United States (117th Congress),” CRS Insight IN11639, March 26, 2021 (6-page PDF) “District of Columbia Voting … Read more

Judge Amy Coney Barrett: Her Jurisprudence and Potential Impact on the Supreme Court (CRS R46562)

On September 26, 2020, President Donald J. Trump announced the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to the Supreme Court of the United States to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18, 2020. Judge Barrett has been … Read more

Supreme Court Appointment and Nomination (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Supreme Court Appointment and Nomination The procedure for appointing a Supreme Court Justice is provided for by the Constitution in only a few words. The “Appointments Clause” (Article II, Section 2, clause 2) states that the President “shall nominate, and by and with the Advise … Read more

Supreme Court Nominations: Presidential Nomination, the Judiciary Committee, Proper Scope of Questioning of Nominees, Senate Consideration, Cloture, and the Use of the Filibuster

Supreme Court Nominations Supreme Court Nominations:Presidential Nomination, the Judiciary Committee, Proper Scope of Questioning of Nominees, Senate Consideration, Cloture, and the Use of the Filibuster Compiled by TheCapitol.Net Authors: Denis Steven Rutkus, Elizabeth Rybicki, Betsy Palmer, Todd Tatelman, Richard S. Beth, Michael Koempel and Judy Schneider The procedure for appointing a Supreme Court Justice is … Read more

Filibuster, Cloture, Presidential Nominations, Article II Section 2 – CRS Reports

U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2 “Voting and Quorum Procedures in the Senate,” CRS Report 96-452 (17-page PDF) “Procedures for Considering Changes in Senate Rules,” CRS Report R42929 (21-page PDF) “Proposals to Change the Operation of Cloture in the Senate,” CRS Report R41342 (26-page PDF) “Proposals to Reform ‘Holds’ in the Senate,” CRS Report RL31685 … Read more

Senatorial Courtesy (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Senatorial Courtesy     Sometimes referred to as “the courtesy of the Senate,” it is a general practice – with no written rule – applied to consideration of executive nominations. Generally, it means that nominations from a state are not to be confirmed unless they … Read more

Recent CRS Reports on Congressional Pay and Perks

From our web site: Pay and Perquisites of Members of Congress, Including A History of House and Senate Salaries (CongressPay.com) photo credit: mootown “Federal Employees: Pension COLAs and Pay Adjustments Since 1969,” by Katelin P. Isaacs, CRS Report 94-971 (13-page PDF ) “Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2011,” by Ida A. Brudnick, CRS … Read more

The President’s Nominations to Federal Courts (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Because appointments to Federal District and Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the Supreme Court, are lifetime appointments, the Senate plays a constitutional (Article. II. Section. 2.) and active role in such appointments. The stakes in judicial appointments are often seen as being quite high by … Read more

Smart Grid

[T]he biggest problems with the $1.5 trillion installation of the Smart Grid are not the dicey technological, financial, and regulatory riddles that currently obsess bureaucrats, but chewy philosophical ones.The Smart Grid is rolling out lickety split because all the right interest groups love it: Utilities like the idea of cutting labor costs and being able … Read more