State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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opinion
Why New Mexico Resorted to Suing EPA for Gold King Mine Spill
A back-hoe operator accidentally struck an oil pipeline in Alaska in 1994, and 1,000 to 5,000 gallons of oil spilled into the Skagway River. The Environmental Protection Agency had his supervisor—who was at home and off-duty at the time of the accident—criminally prosecuted for negligent discharge under the Clean Water Act. A district court sentenced… -
news
3 Things Texas Is Doing to ‘Defy’ Obama’s Transgender Directive
The Obama administration’s directive that public schools give transgender students access to the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice will not stand in Texas, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said. “We are going to look at every pathway to resist the federal government,” Patrick, a Republican, said in a Wednesday interview with The Daily Signal…. -
opinion
School Choice Gets a Big Win in Nevada Court Decision
On Wednesday, families got one step closer to finally being able to access the most expansive education choice option of any state. A trial court judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against Nevada’s nearly universal education savings account (ESA) program. The suit, Duncan v. State of Nevada, challenged the… -
news
Utah School Board Members Push to Reject Federal Money to Avoid Transgender Guidelines
Instead of following transgender student guidelines pushed by the Obama administration, some Utah district school board members have plans to create a budget that would be free from federal funding, according to reports. Brian Halladay, Wendy Hart, and Paula Hill, school board members in the Alpine School District, penned an open letter to Utah state… -
news
Mississippi Lawmakers Demand State Education Department Oppose Obama’s Transgender Guidelines
A group of Mississippi state lawmakers have joined the governor in calling for a top state education official to reject the Obama administration’s transgender student guidelines or resign. “Now Obama is threatening our school funding to force his liberal ideologies of immorality on our nation at the expense of our helpless children,” Mississippi state Rep…. -
news
Senate Confirms Obama Judicial Nominee Opposed by Maryland Police Unions
The Senate confirmed Paula Xinis for a federal judgeship in Maryland by a vote of 53-34, over the protests of major state police unions and outside conservative groups. Xinis, a partner and senior trial attorney at the Baltimore law firm representing the family of Freddie Gray, will serve in what is in effect a lifetime… -
news
Conservative Group Fights California AG’s Attempt to ‘Chill’ Speech
Though a federal judge recently ruled that a conservative nonprofit group doesn’t have to disclose its donor list to California’s Democratic attorney general, conservatives believe this case is just the latest in an ongoing fight related to political activity and free speech. “This was a great victory for free speech for everyone in this country,”… -
news
Louisiana Republicans Move to Punish ‘Sanctuary’ Cities
Louisiana Republicans and the state’s attorney general are aiming to deter cities and localities from having “sanctuary” immigration policies by threatening to withhold funding from those that do. While the designation of a “sanctuary city” is informal, it generally refers to jurisdictions where local officials refuse to fulfill requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement… -
opinion
What We Should Learn After Religious Liberty Fight in Missouri
By now you’ve likely read or heard of the knock-down, drag-out fight that we had at the Missouri Legislature on Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 39. If passed by simple legislative majorities, SJR 39 would have placed a ballot question on either the August or November ballot pertaining to religious liberty. Missouri voters would then decide… -
opinion
Washington Insiders Gut Military JAG Litigation Track
No wonder so many Americans on the left and right are disgusted and fed up with career Washington bureaucrats and insiders. Common sense ideas which folks outside the beltway understand and take for granted are hard to come by inside the beltway. Exhibit A is the novel idea—to the Army, Air Force, and some key… -
news
Exclusive: North Carolina Lt. Gov. Calls Obama Administration’s Jim Crow Claim ‘Shameful’
RALEIGH, N.C. — Two days after North Carolina and the Justice Department announced dueling lawsuits, The Daily Signal sat down with Lt. Gov. Dan Forest. Forest, a Republican, called the Obama administration “shameful” for equating the state’s so-called bathroom bill to Jim Crow laws and other forms of state-sponsored discrimination. “To use Jim Crow laws… -
news
Texas School District Adopts Transgender Guidelines Without Parental Approval
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called for school superintendent Kent Scribner’s resignation after Scribner adopted new transgender student guidelines for his district, without the input of parents, school board members, and others in the community. “The district did not seek any public comment or input from parents or the public,” Fort Worth resident Julia… -
opinion
Texas Can’t Afford to Miss Out on School Choice
Last week I had the good fortune to be in Texas discussing conservative policy solutions with hundreds of dedicated men and women in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. One of the big topics of conversation was freedom in education: How can we offer young Americans the best education possible, while ensuring that each family can… -
opinion
DOJ’s Lawsuit Against North Carolina Is Abuse of Power
North Carolina has sustained unrelenting and coordinated attacks from big business, the entertainment industry, the American Civil Liberties Union, and now the federal government over its commonsense bathroom policies. Gov. Pat McCrory and the North Carolina Legislature have had enough of this bullying and filed separate lawsuits against the Department of Justice Monday in the reasonable… -
news
Alabama Eases Licensing Restrictions for Vendors Selling Funeral Supplies and Merchandise
Alabama residents looking to purchase environmentally friendly and cheaper caskets are now free to do so in the Yellowhammer State. Gov. Robert Bentley, a Republican, signed a bill this week lifting restrictions on who can sell funeral supplies and merchandise. Under the new law, vendors can sell funeral items like caskets and shrouds without needing… -
news
Arizona Taxpayers Fight to Stop Funding Space Balloon Tourism
Taxpayers in Pima County, Ariz., have filed a lawsuit challenging county officials’ decision to subsidize a private company’s space tourism business. “Pima County has agreed to give $15 million in taxpayer money to a private company that’s a space balloon business,” Jim Manley, a senior attorney at the Goldwater Institute, told The Daily Signal. “Basically… -
opinion
How Washington Politicians Wasted Billions Trying to ‘Invest in Our Future’
The federal government has wasted billions on energy projects promising to usher in a new energy future. All Washington can do is play favorites when picking energy options (think Solyndra). Why? Because revolutions don’t come from the government—they come from the people, and the same holds true for energy. Despite many attempts to force it,… -
opinion
New Chicago Schools Bathroom Policy Courts Controversy
Chicago Public Schools announced on Monday that students and staff must be granted unfettered access to intimate school facilities based on their chosen gender identity. Because both transgender and non-transgender students have valid interests at stake, accommodation with private facilities is the sensitive and sensible solution, but advocates on the left say that’s discrimination. Put… -
news
California Teachers Unions Force Nonmembers to Pay for LGBT, Other Political Goals
A large California teachers union and its national affiliate are forcing nonunion teachers to pay for political activism, according to a disclosure form acquired by The Daily Signal. Under a category called “human rights,” both the National Education Association and the California Teachers Association require nonunion teachers to finance LGBT leadership training and other political… -
opinion
New York Times Promotes Myth That Man-Made Climate Change Refugees Exist
The New York Times has declared the first American climate refugees. The article, published on May 2, tells the story of families living in southeastern Louisiana on the Isle de Jean Charles who will have to relocate (apparently due to man-made climate change). The article begins by warning that, “Around the globe, governments are confronting the…