1. Analyzing the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches
Going Over the “LEJ”
SS.7.C.3.8 Analyze the structure, functions, and processes of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Analyzing the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches

2. Click the pic for the Federalism Facts of Congress!
(Provided by the Center on Congress)

3. Levels of Government Government Federal State Local
In our federal system of government, powers are shared between three levels:

4. Branches of Government
Federal
State
Local
Legislative Branch
Executive Branch
Judicial Branch
Each level of government has three branches – legislative, executive, and judicial.
These branches all have different powers, responsibilities, and requirements.

5. Flocabulary
Distribute Handout A – Flocabulary Lyrics. Students should follow along. Discuss some of the terms that are in bold on the handout and use the following slide to identify those as powers of the different branches of government.
Click the image to be directed to Flocabulary’s Three Branches of Government Rap
This video and accompanying lyrics were created and published by Flocabulary.

6. Structure of the Branches (Federal Government)
ARTICLE 1 Legislative Branch
ARTICLE 2
Executive Branch
ARTICLE 3
Judicial Branch
CONGRESS
House of Representatives
435 members
(based on population)
Leaders:
Speaker of the House
House Majority Leader
House Minority Leader
U.S. Supreme Court
9 Justices
Leader
Chief Justice
Other inferior courts
Senate
100 members
(2 per state)
Leaders:
President pro tempore of the Senate
Senate Majority Leader
Senate Minority Leader
President
Vice President
Cabinet
Highlight the leaders of each branch of government.
As a side note, the Vice President serves as the head of the Senate, but the role is more ceremonial. The purpose of having the Vice President serve as the head of the Senate is to be a tie breaker should a vote ever split as well as to provide the opportunity for each state to have equal representation in a vote. If the President of the Senate was elected from the Senators, it would remove them from the vote, causing a state to lose one of its voices in the voting process.
Majority leaders represent the majority party. Minority leaders represent the minority party.
The Chief Justice is one of the nine Justices. There is a Chief Justice and 8 Associate Justices.

7. Functions of the Branches
ARTICLE 1 Legislative Branch
(Congress)
ARTICLE 2
Executive Branch
ARTICLE 3
Judicial Branch
Interpret and apply the law
Execute the law
Make Law
Approve the President’s budget
Declare war
Senate approval/rejection of treaties
Senate approval and rejection of Presidential appointments
Impeachment (removal from office)
Approve or veto Congress’ bills
Direct the military
Write the federal budget
Make foreign policy/treaties
Make appointments
Grant pardons
Decide if laws are unconstitutional
Decide court cases
Settle cases between 2 or more states
Highlight the roles and responsibilities of each branch of government. Students should compare these roles to see how the separation of power prevents corruption in our government system.
These functions are found in the United States Constitution under the Article associated with each branch.

8. Processes of the Federal Government
ARTICLE 1 Legislative Branch
(Congress)
ARTICLE 2
Executive Branch
ARTICLE 3
Judicial Branch
Interpret and apply the law
Execute the law
Make Law
Processes of the Federal Government

9. Processes of the Legislative Branch
ARTICLE 1 Legislative Branch
Congress
Make Law
Create laws through the lawmaking process
Senate confirms and/or denies presidential appointments with a majority vote
Selection of members to be on committees
Types of committees:
Standing
Permanent bodies with specific responsibilities including drafting legislation and conducting investigations.
Special (Select)
Temporary committees formed for special purposes; can be short or long-term.
Conference
Specially created when the House and Senate need to reconcile different versions of the same bill.

10. Terms and Sessions The government calendar is set by law.
Each Congress lasts for a term, or a period of time, of two years.
Each Congress usually starts on January 3 of odd-numbered years and lasts for two years.
Each Congress is divided into two sessions, or meetings.
typical session of Congress today lasts from January until November or December.
special sessions - or in times of crisis.
joint session occurs, or happens, when the House and Senate meet together.
The two chambers have joint sessions to do business as a unit or to hear a presidential speech.

11. The House of Representatives
the larger of the two houses of Congress.
435 voting members who are divided among the states on the basis of their population.
These representatives serve two-year terms.
U.S. Constitution allows each state at least one representative, no matter how small its population.
census, or population count, is taken by the Census Bureau every 10 years.
Congress then adjusts, or changes, the number of representatives given to each state based on the census results.

12. Congressional Districts
Each state is divided into one or more congressional districts.
One representative, or House member, is elected by the voters of each district.
State legislatures must draw the boundaries of these districts.
required to draw the districts so that they each include roughly the same number of constituents - or people represented. (Same # of Population)
Gerrymander- an oddly shaped election district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group

13. The Senate has 100 members, with 2 coming from each of the 50 states.
Each senator represents his or her entire state rather than a particular district.
Senators serve six-year terms.
Elections are staggered.
means that no more than 1/3 of the senators are running for reelection at any one time.
remaining 2/3 of the senators ensure that the Senate is stable through each election.
A senator may die or resign before the end of his or her term.
How the vacant seat is filled depends on state law.
In most states, the governor can name someone to fill the empty position until there is an election.

14. Congressional Leadership
Majority Party - in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which more than half the members belong
Minority Party - in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which fewer than half the members belong
Each political party chooses its leader, called either the majority or the minority leader, depending on that party’s position in the new Congress.

15. Top Leadership in the House
Top Lear of House = Speaker of the House.
Members of the majority party choose the Speaker at a caucus.
The rest of the House then approves the choice of Speaker.
The Speaker of the House has great power.
presides over the House and leads its majority party. 
guides legislation through the House and leads floor debates.
If anything happens to the president and vice president, the Speaker is next in line to become president, provided he or she is legally qualified.

16. Top Leadership in the Senate
Top Leader in Senate = vice president.
The vice president differs from the Speaker of the House in an important way. The Speaker can vote on any matter before the House. The vice president, however, can vote in the Senate only when there is a tie.