The Three Branches of Government

The Legislative Branch The Legislative Branch is called Congress Congress is made up of two houses Senate House of Representatives

The House of Representatives The larger of the two houses. It is based on population (the bigger the state, the more reps.) Representatives serve 2 year terms, but can be reelected as many times as they want. The leader of the House of Representatives is called the Speaker of the House. He is third in line for the presidency. They have to be 25 yrs old and a citizen for at least 7 years Hi! I’m Chet Edwards, your representativ e.

The Senate twoEach state has only two senators, no matter what their population is. Senators serve six year terms, and can also serve as many terms as they want. They have to be 30 yrs old and must have been a citizen for at least 9 yrs. The vice president acts as the president of the Senate.

The Powers of Congress Congress’ main power is the power to make laws. Congress can also coin money, collect taxes, borrow money, and declare war. Since congress considers 10,000 bills per year, they have to talk about them in committees. Congress Man Watch me flex my law-making muscles!!

The Executive Branch The President is the head of the executive branch. He serves a four year term, and can only serve a maximum of two terms. To be the president, you have to be a natural born citizen, and you must be a resident of the United States for 14 yrs.

Powers of the Executive Branch The president is in charge of carrying out the laws. The president also directs foreign policy, makes treaties, and can grant pardons. The president is the Commander in Chief of the US military.

The Electoral College Every state gets a certain number of electors (add your representatives plus your senators.) When we cast our vote, we are not voting for the president directly, we are voting for who we want our electors to vote for. Then, those electors vote, and whoever gets the most electoral votes wins the election.

True or False : Your state’s electors, by law, have to vote the way that your state votes. For instance, if the people of Texas voted for Bush, do your electors have to vote for Bush at the electoral college? Your electors can vote any way that they want. This is one reason that many people want to get rid of the electoral college.

True or False : So far in history, the popular vote (the people’s vote) has always matched up with the electoral college vote. So far, in four presidential elections, the people’s vote did not match up with the electoral college. This is another reason that people don’t like the electoral college.

The Judicial Branch The Judicial Branch Interprets the law. Under the Judiciary Act of 1789, Congress set up the system of federal courts that is still in place today. Most federal cases begin in district courts, and can then be appealed to a higher court which is the appellate court. The highest court in the land is the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court The Supreme Court is Made up of a Chief Justice and 8 Associate Justices. That makes a total of 9 supreme court justices. Justices are appointed by the President and approved by Congress. Justices may serve until they die, retire, resign, or are removed. The Supreme Court’s main job is to serve as the nation’s final court of appeals. Their greatest power is to decide what the Constitution means. I’m the chief and don’t you forget it!

Checks and Balances Checks and balances Allows each of the 3 branches to check, or limit, the power of the other two. The President can check the actions of Congress by vetoing bills passed by Congress. Congress can also check the President by overriding the veto. Congress’s most extreme check on the President is its power to remove the President from office. The Judicial Branch can check both the other branches by declaring their acts unconstitutional.