The United States of America An overview of our government

We Have Three Branches of Government… Legislative Branch- Makes Laws Executive Branch- Enforces Laws Judicial Branch- Interprets Laws Now for a more detailed look at each branch…

The Legislative Branch is the Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. House of Representatives: *Lower House *435 members (population based) *2 year terms *All members up for re- election in even numbered years *No term limits Senate: *Upper House *100 members (2 per state) *6 year terms *One-third of members up for re-election every two years *No term limits

Requirements to serve in Congress… House of Representatives: *At least 25 years old *A resident of the state one is elected to represent. *A U.S. citizen for at least 7 years Senate: *At least 30 years old *A resident of the state one is elected to represent *A U.S. citizen for at least 9 years

The United States Capitol Building

Powers delegated to Congress: 1. Taxes (The power to tax and spend tax money.) 2. Borrowing (Borrow money for the U.S.) 3. Commerce (Regulate foreign and domestic trade.) 4. Naturalization, Bankruptcy (Citizenship, Bankruptcies) 5. Coins, Weights, and Measures (Coin money and establish its value.) 6. Counterfeiting (Establish punishment for counterfeiting.) 7. Post Offices (Control mail system) 8. Copyrights, Patents (Protection for authors and inventors.) 9. Federal Courts (Set up inferior courts to the Supreme Court.)

Powers delegated to Congress cont. 10. Piracy (Power to punish piracy) 11. Declarations of War (At the request of the President.) 12. Army (Raise and support. Appropriate money) 13. Navy (Provide and maintain) 14. Rules of Military 15. Militia (National Guard- citizen soldiers) 16. Rules for the Militia 17. National Capital (Congress controls Washington D.C. In 1973 power was given to citizens to elect local government officials.) 18. Necessary Laws (Power to make laws concerning items Referred to as the “elastic clause.”)

Some notable powers denied to the Federal Government… Writ of Habeas Corpus cannot be denied (Except in cases of rebellion, invasion, or when public safety requires it.) Bills of Attainder and Ex Post Facto Laws (Cannot be passed.) Special Preference for Trade (No preference can be given to one state over another in commerce.) Spending (The government cannot spend money unless it is appropriated by Congress.) Creation of Titles of Nobility

Washington State Congressional Districts

Suzan DelBene (D) 1 st District Present Rick Larson (D) 2 nd District Present Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) 3 rd District Present Doc Hastings (R) 4 th District Present Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R) 5 th District Present Derek Kilmer (D) 6 th District Present Jim McDermott (D) 7 th District Present Dave Reichert (R) 8 th District Present Adam Smith (D) 9 th District Present Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington State Denny Heck (D) 10 th District 2013-Present

House of Representatives

Patty Murray (D) Present Maria Cantwell (D) Present Members of the United States Senate from Washington State

U.S. Senate Chamber

The Executive Branch consists of the President, the Vice President, and the Cabinet *4 year term *Limit two terms *Presidential candidate selects his/her Vice Presidential candidate prior to the election *Elected officially by the Electoral College

The President, Vice President and the Cabinet- 2009

Requirements to be eligible to run for President *At least 35 years old *A natural born citizen of the United States. *A resident of the United States for at least 14 years.

Powers of the President *Commander in chief of the Armed Forces *Grant reprieves or pardons, except in the cases of impeachment. *Make treaties with other nations, with 2/3 approval of the Senate *Nominate ambassadors and other high officials. The Senate must confirm. *Nominate Supreme Court Justices. The Senate must confirm.

Duties of the President *State of the Union Address annually (report on the condition of our nation to Congress) *Must carry out the laws (many government agencies oversee the execution of the laws)

The White House

President Barack Obama (D) 2009-Present Vice President Joe Biden (D) 2009-Present The President and Vice President of the United States

Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Department of Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker Department of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson Department of Housing & Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro President Barack Obama’s Cabinet

Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell Department of Justice Attorney General Loretta Lynch Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez Department of State Secretary John Kerry Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx Department of the Treasury Secretary Jack Lew Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald President Barack Obama’s Cabinet cont.

The Judicial Branch consists of the Supreme Court and the Federal Court system *Nothing is stated in the Constitution about who may or may not serve on the Supreme Court. *Once nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, Justices serve for life. The Supreme Court Building

The Federal Court System *Judicial Power gives courts the right to decide legal cases. *The Constitution creates the Supreme Court but Congress has the power to establish inferior courts. *Today there are 94 district courts and 13 courts of appeal. *All federal judges serve for life.

Jurisdiction of Federal Courts *The Constitution *Federal Laws *Treaties *Foreign Ambassadors and Diplomats *Naval and Maritime laws *Disagreements between states or between citizens from different states *Disputes between a state or citizen and a foreign state or citizen

Supreme Court Jurisdiction *Marbury v. Madison (1803) gives the Supreme Court the right to judge whether or not a law is constitutional. *Serves mainly as an Appellate Court by reviewing lower court decisions. *Only has original jurisdiction in a few instances (cases involving ambassadors, public ministers and consuls, and cases in which a state is one of the parties involved)

Stephen Breyer 1994 (Clinton) Antonin Scalia 1986 (Reagan) Anthony Kennedy 1988 (Reagan) John Roberts 2005 (G.W. Bush) *Chief Justice The United States Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas 1991 (G.H.W. Bush) Ruth Bader Ginsburg 1993 (Clinton) Samuel Alito 2006 (G.W. Bush) Sonia Sotomayor 2009 (Obama) Elena Kagan 2010 (Obama)

The End