Branches of US Government Flashcards
Branches of Government
Legislative—Makes laws (Congress, comprised of the House of Representatives and Senate)
Executive—Carries out laws (president, vice president, Cabinet, most federal agencies)
Judicial—Evaluates laws (Supreme Court and other courts)
Executive Branch
Carries out and enforces laws. It includes the president, vice president, the Cabinet, executive departments, independent agencies, and other boards, commissions, and committees.
President: Head of state, leader of the federal government, and Commander in Chief of the United States armed forces. 4 year term and can be elected no more than two times.
Vice president: If the president is unable to serve, becomes president. The vice president can be elected and serve an unlimited number of 4 year terms as vice president, even under a different president.
The Cabinet: Include the VP, heads of executive departments, and other high-ranking government officials. Cabinet members are nominated by the president and must be approved by a simple majority of the Senate—51 votes if all 100 Senators vote.
Veto legislation created by Congress and nominates heads of federal agencies.
Legislative Branch
Senate: 2 elected Senators per state, totaling 100 Senators. Term is 6 years. No limit to the number of terms.
House of Representatives: 435 elected Representatives, which are divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. There are additional non-voting delegates: District of Columbia and the territories. A Representative serves a two-year term, and there is no limit to the number of terms an individual can serve
Architect of the Capitol Congressional Budget Office Congressional Research Service Copyright Office Government Accountability Office Government Publishing Office House Office of Inspector General House Office of the Clerk Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies Library of Congress Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Office of Congressional Workplace Rights Open World Leadership Center Stennis Center for Public Service U.S. Botanic Garden U.S. Capitol Police U.S. Capitol Visitor Center U.S. House of Representatives U.S. Senate
Judicial Branch
Interprets the meaning of laws, applies laws to individual cases, and decides if laws violate the Constitution. It is comprised of the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
The Justices of the Supreme Court, who can overturn unconstitutional laws, are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
Supreme Court
Highest court. The Justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate.
Nine Supreme Court: a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. There must be a minimum or quorum of six Justices to decide a case.
If there is an even number of Justices and a case results in a tie, the lower court’s decision stands.
There is no fixed term for Justices. They serve until their death, retirement, or removal in exceptional circumstances.
Federal Courts and Judicial Agencies
The Constitution gives Congress the authority to establish other federal courts to handle cases that involve federal laws including tax and bankruptcy, lawsuits involving U.S. and state governments or the Constitution, and more. Other federal judicial agencies and programs support the courts and research judicial policy.
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts Bankruptcy Courts Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Court of Federal Claims Court of International Trade Federal Court Interpreters Federal Judicial Center Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation Supreme Court of the United States Tax Court U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims U.S. Courts of Appeal U.S. Sentencing Commission
