Government Branches by Alexis Berry

Virginia Legislative Branch

3136989 — 2015-03-20 14:39:09 UTC

The Legislative Branch is also called the Congress.

There are two parts that make up Congress:

the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Virginia Legislative Branch

3136989 — 2015-03-20 14:45:08 UTC

There are 435 total Representatives in the House. 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. They must be 25 years old, have been a US citizen for at least 7 years, and live in the state they represent. The Speaker of the House is the leader of the House of Representative. The House elects the member they want to be the leader. The Speaker is third in line in succession to the President.

Virginia Legislative Branch

3136989 — 2015-03-20 14:46:35 UTC

The Senate has 100 members. Each state has two Senators. Senators are elected every 6 years. To become a Senator a person must be at least 30 years old, have been a US citizen for at least 9 years, and must live in the state they represent.

Virginia Legislative Branch

3136989 — 2015-03-20 14:47:40 UTC

For a law to be made it must go through a bunch of 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. Next the bill goes to a committee that is an expert on the subject of the bill. Here the bill may be rejected, accepted, or changed. The bill may go to a number of committees. Experts are often brought in to witness and give their opinions on the pros and cons of a bill. Once the bill is ready and the committee agrees, it goes before the entire Congress. Both the House and the Senate will have their own debates about the bill. Members will speak for or against the bill and then the Congress will vote. A bill must get a majority of the votes from both the Senate and the House of Representatives to pass. The next step is for the President to sign the bill. The president can sign the bill into law or choose to veto the bill. Once the president veto's a bill, congress can then try to override the veto by getting two thirds of the vote from both the House and the Senate.

Virginia Legislative Branch

3136989 — 2015-03-20 14:49:32 UTC

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 Senate has the specific job to ratify treaties with other countries. They also confirm presidential appointments. Congress also performs government oversight. They are supposed to make sure that the government is spending the tax money on the right things and that the different branches of government are doing their jobs.

Virginia Executive Branch

3136989 — 2015-03-20 14:51:19 UTC

The President is seen as the leader of the US Government and is both the head of state and the Commander-in-Chief of the US armed forces. 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 both the houses of Congress vote to overturn the veto. This is all part of the balance of powers put into place by the Constitution. One of the jobs of the President is to enforce and implement the laws set in place by Congress. To do this there are federal agencies and departments that work for the President. The President appoints the heads or leaders of these agencies. Some of these people are also on the President's Cabinet.

Virginia Executive Branch

3136989 — 2015-03-20 14:53:49 UTC

The Constitution states three requirements for a person to become President: At least 35 years old. A natural born US Citizen. Live in the United States for at least 14 years.

Virginia Executive Branch

3136989 — 2015-03-20 14:54:38 UTC

The main job of the Vice President is to be ready to take over for the President if something should happen to the President. Other jobs include breaking a tie in voting in the Senate and advising the President.

Virginia Judicial Branch

3136989 — 2015-03-20 14:55:10 UTC

The highest court in the United States is the Supreme Court. The Constitution doesn't say how many Supreme Court Justices there should be. There have been as few as 6 justices in the past, but since 1869 there have been 9 justices. The President nominates all the Supreme Court members and the Senate confirms them. They hold their offices for life. The Supreme Court doesn't have a lot of trials. What they mostly do is review cases that have been 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.

Virginia Judicial Branch

3136989 — 2015-03-20 14:56:28 UTC

The Constitution states that every person has the right to a fair trial before a competent judge and a jury of their peers. The Bill of Rights adds to this guaranteeing other rights such as a speedy trial, the right to legal representation, the right not to be tried for the same crime twice, and protection from cruel punishments. Once arrested for a crime, the accused will get to appear before a judge to be charged with the crime and to enter a plea of guilty or not-guilty. Next the accused is given a lawyer, if they can't afford their own, and is given time to review the evidence and build up their defense. Then the case is tried before a judge and a jury. If the jury determines that the defendant is not-guilty, then charges are dropped and the accused goes free. If the jury has a guilty verdict, then the judge determines the sentence. If one side feels that the trial wasn't handled correctly or fairly, they can appeal to a higher court. The higher court may overturn the decision or keep it the same. The highest court is the Supreme Court. There is no appealing a Supreme Court decision.