THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT
Article I: The Legislature (pg. 248)
U.S. CONGRESS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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435 members
2 yr. term; popular vote
At least 25 years old
U.S. citizen 7 yrs.
Resident of state
Reps based on population
Power to: impeach,
introduce tax bills
Impeachment
SENATE
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100 members
6 yr. term; popular vote
At least30 years old
U.S. citizen 9 yrs.
Resident of state
2 Senators per state
Hold impeachment trial; act
as jury
Approves appointments to
office and treaties
Term
U.S. CONGRESS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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a census is taken every
10 years
Presiding officer =
Speaker of the House
SENATE
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Vice President leads
Senate meetings
Votes in case of a tie
Pro tempore=
alternate presiding
officer
1/3 of Senators
elected every 2 years
U.S. CONGRESS
CURRENT SPEAKER
John Boehner
8th District Ohio
VICE PRESIDENT
Joe Biden
Senator Delaware
Article I: The Legislature (makes laws)
Section 6: Payment and Privileges (pg. 4)
Section 8: Powers Granted to Congress (253- 254)
Quickwrite: Read through the list of Congressional
Powers. Which do you consider to be the most
important? Explain your selection.
Legislative Scavenger Hunt: Work with a partner to
discover additional information about the legislative
branch.
WARM-UP: Article II: The Executive
Complete the graphic organizer below using pgs. 256- 259 US book
LEADER
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Second-in-command
Powers/ duties
Quailifications
Advisors
Article II: The Executive (Enforces Laws)
Leader: President
 Second-in-Command: Vice President
 At least 35 years old
 Natural-born U.S. citizen
 Resident of the U.S. for 14 years
 Advisors: Cabinet: Title of each member is
“Secretary”
Current Cabinet
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Article II: The Executive
Powers:
 Enforces Laws
 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
 Makes Appointements (ambassadors, judges of the
Supreme Court, etc.) (Senate must approve)
 Makes treaties (with consent of 2/3 of the Senate)
 Chief Legislator- signs bills into law Enforces laws
Duties
 Gives State of the Union Address
WARM- UP
1.
2.
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Pick up the New York Times article titled “High School
Student To Remove Antiwar Shirt”.
Read and annotate the article to answer the following
questions using complete sentences.
What Constitutional Amendment is the focus of this article?
What prompted the Vice Principal to ask Barber to turn his
shirt “inside out or go home”?
What court case did Berber reference when speaking to
Principal Judith Coebly?
What was the court’s ruling in that case?
Do you think Barber’s Constitutional rights were violated?
What about Brooklyn student, Yusra Awadeh? Explain your
position.
ARTICLE III: THE JUDICIARY
U.S. SUPREME COURT
(interprets laws)
Supreme Court Justices
Appointed by the President
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2/3 approval by Senate
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Term: Life
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9 Total Justices
Chief Justice of the United States
JOHN G. ROBERTS, JR.
Acts as judge in Senate impeachment trials
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Associate Justices
ANTONIN SCALIA
ANTHONY M. KENNEDY
CLARENCE THOMAS
RUTH BADER GINSBURG
STEPHEN G. BREYER
SAMUEL A. ALITO, JR.
SONIA SOTOMAYOR
ELENA KAGAN
Supreme Court Justices
Supreme Court Cases
Types of Cases Heard
 The Supreme Court hears three types of cases:
 2/3 are cases appealed from lower federal courts
 1/3 are cases appealed from state supreme courts
 Rarely, they hear cases that have not been previously heard by a
lower court, such as between one state's government and another.
 The justices decide which cases they will hear, about 80 each year.
They decide another 50 without hearing arguments. The cases they
choose usually address constitutional issues or federal law.
 The Supreme Court gets about 7000 requests to hear cases per
year, so there are many cases that don't get heard. If they decide
not to hear a case, the decision of the lower court stands.
Supreme Court Cases
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Typically, all nine of the justices hear each case..
Each case is decided by majority vote. In case of a tie, the decision of the lower court is
upheld.
Since the court only reviews cases which are appealed from a lower court, there is no
evidence presented, and no witnesses are heard. There are simply briefs (written
arguments) and oral argument by the parties. Each side has 30 minutes to present oral
arguments, and the justices interrupt with questions while they are speaking.
After the attorneys are finished speaking, the justices meet in secret to discuss the case
and come to a decision. No official record is kept of this discussion.
When the Supreme Court announces what they have decided in a case, they issue a
formal document called a decision, and sometimes more than one.
The conclusion of the court is a majority opinion.
The justices that disagreed with the majority vote may issue one or more dissenting
opinions, explaining their reasons for disagreeing.
The decisions of the Supreme Court have an important impact on society!
CHECKS AND BALANCES
What are some examples?
Quickwrite: How is the law making process
an example of the Constitutional principle
of checks and balances? In your response
include the role all three branches play.
LANDMARK CASES
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What Constitutional Amendment is the focus of
this article?
What prompted the Vice Principal to ask Barber to
turn his shirt “inside out or go home”?
What court case did Berber reference when
speaking to Principal Judith Coebly?
What was the court’s ruling in that case?
Do you think Barber’s Constitutional rights were
violated? What about Brooklyn student, Yusra
Awadeh? Explain your position.
Tinker v Des Moines