There are two parts that make up the Legislative Branch: the House of
Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is made up of 435
total Representatives. Each state has a different number of representatives
depending on their total population. States with more people get more representatives.
Representatives are elected every two years. The Speaker of the House is the leader
of the House of Representatives. He is also the third in line in succession to the
President. The Senate has 100 members. Each state elects two Senators no matter
the size or population of the state. A Senator is elected for six years.
The Legislative Branch, also called Congress, is the
part of the government that writes and votes on laws.
Before they become a law they are called legislation, or
bills. Other powers of the Congress include declaring war,
and confirming Presidential appointments for groups like
the Supreme Court and the Cabinet.
The Legislative Branch is responsible for writing bills and voting them into
laws. For a law to be made it must go through several steps called the Legislative
Process. The first step is for someone to write a bill. Anyone can write a bill, but
only a member of Congress can present it to the Congress.
Once a bill is presented to Congress, both the House and the Senate will hold
their own debates about the bill. Members will speak for or against the bill, and
then Congress will vote. A bill must get a majority of the votes from both the
House and the Senate to pass.
Once a bill passes in Congress, it is now the President’s responsibility to sign
the bill into a law. If the President does not agree with the bill he will veto it, and
the bill will go back to Congress. Congress can then try to override the veto by
getting two thirds of the vote from both the House and the Senate.
In addition to making laws, congress has other responsibilities and powers.
These include creating an annual budget for the government and taxing the citizens
to pay for it. Another important congressional power is the power to declare war.
The leader of the Executive Branch is the
President of the United States. Other
members of the Executive Branch include
the Vice President, the Executive Office of
the President, and the Cabinet.
The President is seen as the leader of the US Government.
One of the main powers of the President is the power to sign
legislation from Congress into law or to veto it. A veto means that,
even though Congress voted for the law, the President does not
agree. The legislation can still become a law if two-thirds of
Congress vote to overturn the veto. This is all part of the
separation of powers put into place by our Constitution.
The President is also responsible for enforcing and
implementing the laws set in place by Congress.The President sees
that the government runs smoothly and that the laws of the land
are enforced and obeyed. He promises to preserve, protect, and
defend the Constitution.
The President works out treaties or agreements with other
nations concerning trade and the aid that the United States gives to
needy countries. He appoints ambassadors to represent the United
States in foreign countries. The president also serves as the
Commander in Chief of the armed forces. He can send them
anywhere in the world to protect our interests or to keep peace in
troubled places.
In Article II of the Constitution, the President’s
qualifications and powers are detailed. In order to be considered for
the office, a presidential candidate must be at least 35 years old, a
natural-born U.S. citizen, and have at least 14 years of residence in
the United States.The President and Vice President serve for a
term of four years and can be re-elected to a second term.
Although the President is the single most important figure in
our government, he must still have Congressional approval for many
of his actions.
The Supreme Court heads the judicial branch of the United States government. It is
the largest court in the United States. The Supreme Court is made up of one chief justice,
or head judge, and eight other justices, or judges. The judges in the Supreme Court are appointed by the President and then confirmed by the Senate. Decisions made by the Supreme Court are usually of national importance.
The wording of the Constitution is complex and difficult to understand
sometimes, so it must be studied and examined carefully. When questions concerning
particular laws arise in lower courts, the justices who make up the Supreme Court
are responsible for explaining and interpreting the Constitution. The rulings of the
Supreme Court are final. They cannot be appealed, or questioned, like the rulings in
lower courts.
The Supreme Court does not have a lot of trials. They mostly review cases
that have been questioned, or appealed, from the lower courts. Not all cases that are
sent to the Supreme Court are reviewed. Around 7,500 requests are sent to the
Supreme Court each year and they only consider around 150 important enough to
review.
Federal judges are appointed for life. They can only be removed from office by
death or by impeachment from Congress. This is to allow judges to make decisions
based on their conscience and not on what they feel they need to do to get elected.