Explore Voting & Elections in the United States of America: Branches of Government
Branches of Government
Legislative Branch
A representative lawmaking body of government. It may be unicameral orbicameral. It may represent entire populations, particular groups, or regions. And its members may be appointed or elected. The primary duties of the legislative branch are to write, debate, and pass bills into law. Other duties may include monitoring other branches of government, investigating national issues, raising taxes, proposing and adopting budgets, assisting constituents, and serving on committees to handle specific governmental matters, such as budgeting, national security, agriculture, and crime. Two common types of legislatures are presidential and parliamentary. In a presidential legislature, the executive and legislature are clearly separate. The executive is neither part of nor appointed by the legislature. In a parliamentary system, such as Britain’s, the executive is constitutionally answerable to the parliament. Members of a parliament may elect an executive. Members may also force the resignation of an executive after a motion of no confidence in that leader. In the United States, the legislative branch follows the presidential model and is called the U.S. Congress. It is a bicameral legislature made up of the Senate and theHouse of Representatives. Both houses comprise elected members from all 50 states. Congress was established by article 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which was intended to provide checks and balances within the legislative branch. The first Congress met in 1789. Today, Congress also includes agencies that provide support services, such as the Government Accountability Office, the Library of Congress, the Government Printing Office, and the Congressional Budget Office. A law must be passed by both houses by a simple majority before it can go before the President for approval. If the President vetoes a bill, then Congress can make it a law if two-thirds of the members of each house vote to override the veto. In-state governments in the United States, the legislative branches are often called assemblies.
MLA 8th Edition (Modern Language Assoc.)
Larry E. Sullivan. The SAGE Glossary of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. SAGE Publications, Inc, 2009.
Executive Branch
Under the federal political system, the branch of government is responsible for implementing or executing, the law. To compare, the legislature does not implement but makes the law, which the executive branch enforces. The president cannot be part of the legislature, a dimension that confirms the separation of powers doctrine. Under the separation of powers doctrine, the term executive branch refers to the president of the United States and his or her cabinet. The president appoints the cabinet staff. The role of the executive involves enforcing the law and conducting the foreign relations of the state along with commanding the armed forces. The executive branch of government also issues executive orders. the senate and the House of Representatives act as a check on the president with their right of impeachment(House) and conviction (Senate). The president, in turn, can veto congressional legislation, which the latter can override with a two-thirds vote. In the United States, a person can become president if he or she is a minimum of 35 years of age and is a natural-born citizen who has lived in the country for at least 14 years. The executive branch model of government can be traced back to the French thinkers of the 18th century, who devised a political system based on the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive.
MLA 8th Edition (Modern Language Assoc.)
Larry E. Sullivan. The SAGE Glossary of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. SAGE Publications, Inc, 2009.
Judicial Branch
An adjective describing anything related to the administration of justice. The judicial system refers to the entire structure of courts that is responsible for enforcing laws and ensuring that justice is served. A judicial officer is an elected representative who has been appointed to ensure that principles of law are adequately implemented in a court of justice. The judicial officer oversees proceedings in a courtroom and is responsible for making decisions about the outcome of legal cases. Judicial power refers to the power given to judges and courts to apply laws. Judicial review is a power given to the courts, enabling an assessment of the constitutionality of decisions rendered by other courts.SeealsoCourt; Judge; Jury
MLA 8th Edition (Modern Language Assoc.)
Larry E. Sullivan. The SAGE Glossary of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. SAGE Publications, Inc, 2009.
Separation of Powers
A democratic principle that limits the powers of any one branch of government. In the United States, it is also known as a system of “checks and balances” and was deliberately written into the U.S.Constitution. The framers developed the U.S. system in the separation of Powers———469S an effort to avoid the tyrannical leadership emblematic of Great Britain at that time. Powers are separated among the three branches of the federal government (executive, legislature, and judiciary), and between the federal and state governments. There is a list of enumerated concurrent powers, those shared with the states, and exclusive powers, those exercised only by the federal government or the states, in the Constitution. Concurrent powers are held in common between the federal and state governments but otherwise operate in a mutually exclusive manner. If a conflict arises regarding a concurrent power, according to the supremacy clause, Article 6 of the U.S.Constitution, the federal interest will prevail.SeealsoExecutive Branch; Judicial; Legislative Branch
MLA 8th Edition (Modern Language Assoc.)
Larry E. Sullivan. The SAGE Glossary of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. SAGE Publications, Inc, 2009.
How is power divided in the United States government? - Belinda Stutzman
FLVS Civics: Foundations - The Branches of Government
FLVS Civics: Foundations - Checks and Balances
Helpful SJR State Library Books
The American Presidency: a Very Short Introduction by Call Number: St. Augustine Circulation JK516 .J636 2007ISBN: 0195307011Publication Date: 2007-08-10The expansion of executive powers amid the war on terrorism has brought the presidency to the center of heated public debate. Now, in The American Presidency, presidential authority Charles O. Jones provides invaluable background to the current controversy, in a compact, reliable guide to theoffice of the chief executive.This marvelously concise survey is packed with information about the presidency, some of it quite surprising. We learn, for example, that the Founders adopted the word "president" over "governor" and other alternatives because it suggested a light hand, as in one who presides, rather thanrules. Indeed, the Constitutional Convention first agreed to a weak chief executive elected by congress for one seven-year term, later calling for independent election and separation of powers. Jones sheds much light on how assertive leaders, such as Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, and FDRenhanced the power of the presidency, and illuminating how such factors as philosophy (Reagan's anti-Communist conservatism), the legacy of previous presidencies (Jimmy Carter following Watergate), relations with Congress, and the impact of outside events have all influenced presidential authority.He also explores the rise of federal power and the dramatic expansion of federal agencies, showing how the president takes a direct hand in this vast bureaucracy, and he examines the political process of selecting presidents, from the days of deadlocked conventions to the rise of the primary afterWorld War II."In 200 years," he writes, "the presidency had changed from that of a person--Washington followed by Adams, then Jefferson--to a presidential enterprise with a cast of thousands." Jones explains how this remarkable expansion has occurred and where it may lead in the future.
How Congress Works and Why You Should Care by Call Number: Orange Park Circulation JK1021 .H36 2004ISBN: 0253344255Publication Date: 2004-03-01An inside look at the way Congress works and how it impacts the lives of all Americans, by an eminent former Congressman.
Institutions of American Democracy by Call Number: Palatka Circulation KF8700 .J83 2005ISBN: 9780195309171Publication Date: 2006-01-26In recent years the Supreme Court has been at the center of such political issues as abortion rights, the administration of police procedures, and the determination of the 2000 presidential election. The checks and balances provided by the three branches of federal government are essential tonurturing and maintaining American democracy. With the guidance of coeditors Kermit L. Hall and Kevin T. McGuire, this volume of essays examines the role of the Judicial Branch in American democracy and the dynamic between the other branches of government, compares international models, anddiscusses possible measures for reform.The Judicial Branch considers the impact of courts on American life and addresses such central questions as: Is the Supreme Court an institution of social justice? Is there a case for judicially created and protected social rights? Have the courts become sovereign when interpreting the Constitution?Essays examine topics that include the judiciary in the founding of the nation; turning points in the history of the American judicial system; the separation of powers between the other branches of government; how the Supreme Court resolves political conflicts through legal means; what Americansknow about the judiciary and its functions; and whether the American scheme of courts is the best way to support democracy.
The U. S. Congress: a Very Short Introduction by Call Number: Palatka Circulation JK1041 .R58 2010ISBN: 9780195338317Publication Date: 2010-07-07Many scholars believe that the framers of the Constitution intended Congress to be the preeminent branch of government. Indeed, no other legislature in the world approaches its power. Yet most Americans have only a murky idea of how it works.In The U.S. Congress, Donald A. Ritchie, a congressional historian for more than thirty years, takes readers on a fascinating, behind-the-scenes tour of Capitol Hil l- pointing out the key players, explaining their behavior, and translating parliamentary language into plain English. No mere civicslesson, this eye-opening book provides an insider's perspective on Congress, matched with a professional historian's analytical insight. After a swift survey of the creation of Congress by the constitutional convention, he begins to unscrew the nuts and pull out the bolts. What is it like tocampaign for congress? To attract large donors? To enter either house with no seniority? He answers these questions and more, explaining committee assignments (and committee work), the role of staffers and lobbyists, floor proceedings, parliamentary rules, and coalition building. Ritchie exploresthe great effort put into constituent service - as representatives and senators respond to requests from groups and individuals - as well as media relations and news coverage. He also explores how the grand concepts we all know from civics class - checks and balances, advise and consent,congressional oversight - work in practice, in an age of strong presidents and a muscular Senate minority (no matter which party is in that position).In this sparkling addition to Oxford's Very Short Introduction series, Donald Ritchie moves beyond the cynicism and the platitudes to provide a gem of a portrait of how Congress really works.
The U. S. Supreme Court: a Very Short Introduction by Call Number: St. Augustine Circulation KF8742 .G744 2012ISBN: 9780199754540Publication Date: 2012-03-12For 30 years, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Linda Greenhouse chronicled the activities of the U.S. Supreme Court and its justices as a correspondent for the New York Times. In this Very Short Introduction, she draws on her deep knowledge of the court's history and of its written andunwritten rules to show readers how the Supreme Court really works.Greenhouse offers a fascinating institutional biography of a place and its people - men and women - who exercise great power but whose names and faces are unrecognized by many Americans and whose work often appears cloaked in mystery. How do cases get to the Supreme Court? How do the justices goabout deciding them? What special role does the chief justice play? What do the law clerks do? How does the court relate to the other branches of government? Greenhouse answers these questions by depicting the justices as they confront deep constitutional issues or wrestle with the meaning ofconfusing federal statutes.Throughout, the author examines many individual Supreme Court cases to illustrate points under discussion, ranging from Marbury v. Madison, the seminal case which established judicial review, to the recent District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), which struck down the District of Columbia'sgun-control statute and which was, surprisingly, the first time in its history that the Court issued an authoritative interpretation of the Second Amendment. To add perspective, Greenhouse also compares the Court to foreign courts, revealing interesting differences. For instance, no other country inthe world has chosen to bestow life tenure on its judges.A superb overview packed with telling details, this volume offers a matchless introduction to one of the pillars of American government.
