COMPARE AND CONTRAST STRUCTURE OF POWERS IN NEW MEXICO'S
GOVERNMENT
OBJECTIVE: You will be able to compare and contrast the structure and powers
of New Mexico’s government as expressed in the New Mexico Constitution.
INFORMATION YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND: The New Mexico Constitution
describes structure of powers held by 3 departments of government, which
include the following:
1. The Legislative Department, which is responsible for creating laws.
2, The
Executive Department, which is responsible for administering and enforcing the
law.
3. The Judicial Department, which is responsible for ruling on the validity of
laws and applying them to individual cases.
The excerpts below are from the New Mexico Constitution.
Article III Section 1 of the New Mexico Constitution says: “...The powers of the
government of this state are divided into three distinct departments,
the
legislative, executive and judicial, and no person or collection of persons charged
with the exercise of powers properly belonging to one of these departments, shall
exercise any powers properly belonging to either of the others, except as in this
constitution otherwise expressly directed or permitted...”
Article IV Section 1 says: “...The legislative power shall be vested in a senate and
house of representatives which shall be designated the legislature of the state of
New Mexico...”
Article V Section 1 says: “...The executive department shall consist of a governor,
lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, attorney
general and commissioner of public lands...”
Article VI Section 1 says: “...The judicial power of the state shall be vested in the
senate when sitting as a court of impeachment, a supreme court, a court of
appeals, district courts; probate courts, magistrate courts and such other courts
inferior to the district courts as may be established by law from time to time in
any district, county or municipality of the state..."
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NEW MEXICO CONSTITUTION
1. Draw a diagram illustrating the division of the levels of government AND
the separation of powers in the NM State Government
2. Who is the head of the Executive Branch and who currently occupies that office?
3. Next to the legislative branch, state how many Senators NM has.
4. Next to the Judicial Branch write how many Supreme Court Justices NM has.