Three Branches
Of Government
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Federal government has 3 parts
Executive, Legislative, Judicial
Each balance the other so one has all the power
Founding fathers wrote this into the Constitution
Balancing it all out
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President
Vice President
Enforces the Laws
Elected by citizens
Executive Branch
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Represents our country in talks with other nations
Leads nation in times of war
Makes suggestions to Congress about laws
Writes budgets, but needs Congress approval
Works with Congress to get laws passed/rejected
The roles in Executive
• Personal Staff of President:
• Press secretary
• Speech writers
• Policy aides
• Cabinet
• Heads of White House Offices/Agencies
Others in the Executive
Branch
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Make treaties w/approval of Senate
Veto/signs bills
Lead political party
Entertain foreign guests
Grant pardons
Appoint ambassadors
Nominate Cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices and
other high officials
• Commander-in-Chief during a war
What can a President do?
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Make laws
Declare war
Decide how federal money will be spent
Interpret laws
Choose Cabinet members or Supreme Court Justices
without Senate approval
What can’t the President
do?
• Governor
• Lieutenant (or Assistant) Governor
Who is in charge at the
State Level?
• Mayor
• Town Supervisor
Who is in charge at the
Local Level?
• Federal Level: House of Representatives & Senate
• Bicameral : Two Houses
• Two sessions per term/called “Congress” (starts in
January)
• Every 2 years all House members and 1/3 Senate
members are elected
Legislative Branch
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2 year Term
435 Members
Initiates (starts/heads up) all Taxation and Spending Bills
Initiates (starts/heads up) Impeachment Proceedings
House of Representatives
• 6 year Term
• 100 Members: Equal Representation
• In charge of “Advice and Consent” to all Job
appointments and on treaties
• Tries (as in questions like a court judge) all impeached
officials
Senate
House of Representatives
Senate
Strong Leadership/Impersonal Rule
Friendly, Personal Interaction
Members more specialized
Members more general
Committee decisions influential
Committee decisions not as influential
Debates not as important
Floor debates more important
Selects President when no candidate
gets enough electoral votes
Selects VP when no candidate has
enough votes
Differences in the Houses
• Lawmaking
• Representation
• Confirmation powers (in the Senate)
Major Functions of
Congress
• Standing Committees
• House 19 with 89 subcommittees
• Senate 17 with 69 subcommittees
• Joint Committees
• Special or select committees
• Conference committees
Congressional
Committees System
• Speaker of the House - John Boehner (R)
• Majority Leaders (House and Senate)
• House: Eric Cantor (R)
• Senate: Harry Reid (D)
• Minority Leaders (House and Senate)
• House- Nancy Pelosi (D)
• Senate- Mitch McConnell ( R)
• Whips (House and Senate)
• Kevin McCarthy (majority) (R )
• Steny Hoyer (minority) (D)
• President Pro Tempore (Senate)
• Daniel Inouye
• Vice-President (President of Senate)
• Joe Biden
Congressional
Leadership Positions
• Personal Staff
• Committee Staff
• Support Organizations
• Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
• Congressional Research Service (CRS)
• Government Accountability Office
Congressional Staff
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Own Political Views
Constituents Interests
Colleagues Influence
Interest Groups
Presidential Pressures
Party Leadership
What influences their
votes?
• State: State Legislature/General Assembly/General Court
• All have bicameral except Nebraska
• Local: City Council
State and Local Level
• Federal Level: US Supreme Court
• State Level: State Supreme Court
• Local Level: Same as state, minus Supreme Court, on
smaller level
Judicial Branch
• Supreme Court has final say in all matters dealing with
the US Constitution
• Determine if laws/regulations are unconstitutional
• Interprets the meaning of laws, helping the police and
other courts apply them.
What it does
US Supreme Court
US Court of Appeals
13 Circuits
94 US
District
Courts
Including 3
territories:
Guam,
Virgin
Islands,
and
Northern
Mariana
Islands
United
States
Tax
Court
US Court of Appeals
In the federal circuit
United States
Court of
International
Trade
United
States
Claim
Court
United
States
Court of
Veterans
Appeals
US Court of Appeals
For the armed forces
Courts of
Criminal
Appeals in
military
services:
Army,
Navy,
Marine
Corps, Air
Force, and
Coast
Guard
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John G Roberts Jr.
Born in 1955
Nominated by George W Bush
2005
Chief Justice
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Antonin Scalia
Born in 1936
Nominated by Ronald Reagan
1986
Associate Justice
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Anthony Kennedy
Born in 1936
Nominated by Ronald Reagan
1988
Associate Justice
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Clarence Thomas
Born in 1948
Nominated by George H. W. Bush
1991
Associate Justice
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Born in 1933
Nominated by Bill Clinton
1993
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Stephen G Breyer
Born in 1938
Nominated by Bill Clinton
1994
Associate Justice
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Samuel Anthony Alito Jr
Born in 1950
Nominated by George W Bush
2006
Associate Justice
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Sonia Sotomayor
Born in 1954
Nominated by Barack Obama
2009
Associate Judge
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Elena Kagan
Born in 1960
Nominated by Barack Obama
2010
Associate Justice
• 1. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land
• 2. If a law conflicts with the Constitution, the
Constitution rules
• 3. The judicial branch has a duty to uphold the
Constitution. It must be able to determine when a law
conflicts with the Constitution and nullify the law
Judicial Review