Government InstitutionsWelcome! You are about to begin an

exploration of our nation’s three institutions of government- the U.S. Congress, the

presidency, and the judiciary. Sit back and enjoy the journey! But, pay attention. Your

knowledge will be tested after the presentation!

Table of Contents

U.S. Congress Presidency

Judiciary

Test Your Knowledge

U.S. Congress

Members

Functions/ Duties

Structure

Members of Congress

• Congressmen and women seek to represent their constituencies.

• Congressmen and women have political party loyalties.

Qualifications for Representatives

To serve as a member of the House of Representatives, one must be

25 years old A U.S. citizen for 7 years A resident of the state from which he/ she

was elected

Qualifications for Senators

To serve as a member of the Senate, one must be

30 years old A U.S. citizen for 9 years A resident of the state from which he/she

was elected

Functions/Duties of Congress

Article I of the Constitution details the many powers and roles of Congress. Two of the many will be the object of our focus.

Lawmaking

There are five formal steps by which a bill becomes law in both the House and the Senate.

Introduction of the bill Referral to committee and then a subcommittee Committee recommends passage and sends to

floor Debate of proposed bill and amendments Sent to president for signature

Budget Making

Passing budget legislation is a similar but more complex process than passing other bills.

Budget requests are submitted to both the Authorizing Committee and the Appropriations Committee. Both bills must pass each house to be placed in effect.

The Authorizing Committee

• Almost all standing committees are authorizing committees.– Example: The Agricultural Committee is the

authorization committee for the Department of Agriculture

• An authorizing committee is free to shrink or expand a budget request.

• Authorizing committees tend to be more generous than the Appropriations Committee.

The Appropriations Committee

• There is one Appropriations Committee in each house of Congress.

• Each makes recommendations on entire budget.

Structure of Congress

Like all institutions, Congress needs some organization in order to get things done. Congress has a leadership and committee system. Both are organized along political party lines.

Leaders of the House of Representatives

• Speaker of the House

• Majority Leader

• Minority Leader

• Whips

Speaker of the House

• Is chosen by majority party• Presides over the House• Makes certain legislation is moving through the

House• Attempts to secure passage of bills preferred by

his/her party• Has power to appoint members to committees• Has power to recognize speakers on the floor

House Majority Leader

• Second in command to Speaker of the House

House Minority Leader

• Leader of the minority party

House Whips

• Maintain contact with party members

• Attempt to keep party members together when voting for particular legislation

Leaders of the Senate

• Presiding Officer

• President Pro Tempore

• Majority Leader

• Minority Leader

Presiding Officer

• Formally the Vice President

• Allowed to cast a tie-breaking vote

• Has relatively little power

President Pro Tempore

• An honorific post with few duties

• Presides over Senate when the Vice President is absent

Senate Majority Leader

• “Real leader” of the Senate

• Main party spokesman for the Senate

• Attempts to maintain order and unity in the party

Senate Minority Leader

• In line to take Majority Leader post when his or her party gains a majority of Senate seats

• Attempts to maintain order and unity in the party

Congressional Committees

Committees were created to deal with different subjects like finance, education, agriculture, etc.Nearly all legislation introduced in Congress is referred to a standing committee where investigations are made and hearings held.Today there are 19 standing committees in the House and 17 in the Senate.

The Presidency

The PresidentFunctions/Duties

The President

The president serves as our nation’s Chief Executive, Diplomat, and Commander in Chief. Today the president is among the most powerful people in the world.

Qualifications for Presidents

To serve as President of the United States, one must be

A “natural born citizen” 35 years old A resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years

Presidential Tenure

• Presidents serve four-year terms

• The 22nd Amendment limits the president to two terms, or 10 years if completing a term of an incumbent who dies or resigns

• Presidents may be removed from office for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” (Article II)

Functions/Duties of President

• Chief Executive• Chief Diplomat• Head of State• Commander in Chief• Legislative Leader• Party Leader• Judicial Powers

Chief Executive

As Chief Executive, the president can Appoint officials

Appointments are subject to Senate confirmation

Remove officials

Chief DiplomatAs Chief Diplomat, the president can Recognize or shut out foreign governments

The President deals with foreign policy and can oppose or support actions of other nations…For example, when the U.S. took North Korea off of the terrorist countries list.

The President can also give aid to foreign countries…This is done through Executive Agreements, which do not have to go through Congress.

Make treaties with other countries Treaties are subject to Senate approval

Appoint ambassadors

Head of State

As Head of State, the president Serves as the official representative of the

U.S. Is required by the Constitution to address

Congress and the country about the “state of the Union” at the beginning of each Congressional session

Commander in Chief

As Commander in Chief, the president Commands the U.S. military

However, the president has no power to declare war without Congressional approval

Legislative Leader

• President has ideas about laws.• He gives these ideas through his State of

the Union Address; this is also where introduces his budget.

• Since the President can not directly introduce bills to Congress, he depends on Congressmen and women from his respective party.

• He also has the threat of his veto power.

Party Leader

• The president is the head of his political party.

• He has a HUGE influence on their party’s platform and where they stand on issues.

Judicial Powers

• The president appoints/nominates federal judges and Supreme Court justices…the senate then has to approve his nominations.

• The president also can grant pardons; this usually happens at the end of a president’s term.

The Judiciary

Members StructureFunctions/Duties

Member Qualifications

Judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Technically, there are no other requirements in the Constitution, although there is an unwritten requirement that judges be lawyers and an expectation that they be members of the president’s political party.

Judicial Tenure

Once appointed by the president and approved by the Senate, judges can serve for life, barring “high crimes.”

Judges can be removed by Congress, though Congress is often reluctant to try impeachment because of the difficult and lengthy process.

Functions/Duties of the Judiciary

• Interpreting Statutes• Interpreting the Consti

tution• Following precedents• Making Law

Interpreting Statutes

• When deciding cases, judges start with statutes (laws passed by legislatures). If the statutes are unclear, judges must interpret and apply them.

Interpreting the Constitution

• After interpreting statutes, judges must determine whether they are constitutional. In order to do this, judges must interpret the Constitution.

• Some judges believe the Constitution must be interpreted strictly. Others believe that the Constitution is flexible and adaptable to societal changes.

• Interpretation is left to a judge’s discretion.

Following Precedents

• In interpreting both statutes and the Constitution, judges often follow precedents established by previous or higher courts.

• Judges are given discretion to decide which precedents to follow.

Making Law

• Judges make law less directly than legislators. They make law as disputes over existing laws are brought to them

Structure of the Judiciary

The Constitution mentions only one court but allows for the setup of additional, lower courts.

Courts that exist today are

• The Supreme Court

• District Courts

• Courts of Appeal

The Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court is the ultimate appellate court.

• Is composed of nine justices

• Hears disputes involving the Constitution

District Courts

• Basically trial courts

• At least one in each state

• Multiple judges but a case may be tried by just one

Court of Appeals

• Intermediate appellate courts

• Regional

• 12 in the U.S.

Quiz

1. What is the minimum age one can be to serve as a member of the Senate?

A. 30

B. 21

C. 35

D. 25

Sorry!

Go ahead and try again!

Quiz

2. How long must an immigrant be a U.S. citizen before qualifying to run for the House of Representatives?

A. 5 years

B. 7 years

C. 9 years

D. 10 years

Sorry!

Go ahead and try again!

Quiz

3. The Speaker of the House isA. Appointed by the president

B. Chosen by the Ways and Means Committee

C. Appointed by the Majority Leader

D. Chosen by the majority party

Sorry!

Go ahead and try again!

Quiz

4. The presiding officer of the Senate is

A. The Vice President

B. Allowed to cast a tie-breaking vote

C. None of the above

D. Both A and B

Sorry!

Go ahead and try again!

Quiz

5. What is the maximum number of years a president may serve?

A. 12

B. 10

C. 8

D.4

Sorry!

Go ahead and try again!

Quiz

6. As Commander in Chief the president has power to declare war.

A. True

B. False

Sorry!

Go ahead and try again!

Quiz

7. Which institution has the sole authority of entering into treaties with foreign governments?

A. Congress

B. the President

C. Supreme Court

D. None of the above

E. All of the above

Sorry!

Go ahead and try again!

Quiz

8. Which court serves as an intermediary appellate court?

A. the Court of Appeals

B. State Supreme Courts

C. the Supreme Court

D. District courts

Sorry!

Go ahead and try again!

Quiz

9. The president has power to declare laws unconstitutional.

A. True

B. False

Sorry!

Go ahead and try again!

Congratulations!

You are finished! If you missed none or one, you are a U.S.

Government expert!If you missed more than one, you will want to

review the information.