Section 2 part 2 Flashcards
Every law begins as a proposal made by a member of Congress, either a senator or representative. When the Senate or House begins to debate the proposal,
it is called a “bill.” After debate in both houses of Congress, if a majority of both the Senate and House vote to pass the bill, it goes to the president.
The president and the bill
If the president wants the bill to become law, he signs it. If the president does not want the bill to become law, he vetoes it.
Constitution Article I, section 7
“Every Bill which shall have passed the
House of Representatives and
the Senate, shall, before
it become a Law,
be presented to the
President of the United States…”
The president has how many days (excluding Sundays) to sign a bill passed by Congress?
Ten. This veto can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House. If this occurs, the bill becomes law over the President’s objections.
A “pocket veto” occurs when
Congress adjourns during the ten-day period and the president refuses to sign the legislation.
Vetoes are not frequently used by recent presidents. Often, the threat of a veto is enough to ward off legislation that will surely get rejected by the President. This is known as
“veto signaling.” This process is another element of the checks and balances system established by the Framers.
Constitution Article I, section 7
“If he (the president) approve he shall sign it,
but if not he shall return it,
with his Objections to that House
in which it shall have originated,
who shall…proceed to reconsider it.”
What does the President’s
cabinet do?
advises the President. Department leaders, most of them called “secretaries,” make up the cabinet.
The president nominates the cabinet members to be his advisors. For a nominee to be confirmed,
a majority of the Senate must approve the nominee. However, the members of the Cabinet serve at the pleasure of the president, who can dismiss them at any time without the approval of the Senate.
What are the cabinet-level positions?
▪ Attorney General ▪ Secretary of State
▪ Secretary of Defense ▪ Secretary of the Treasury
▪ Secretary of Agriculture ▪ Secretary of Commerce
▪ Secretary of Education
▪ Secretary of Energy ▪ Secretary of Labor
▪ Secretary of Health and Human Services
▪ Secretary of Homeland Security
▪ Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
▪ Secretary of the Interior
▪ Secretary of Transportation
▪ Secretary of Veterans Affairs ▪ Vice President
The tradition of the Cabinet arose out of
the debates at the Constitutional Convention regarding whether the president would exercise executive authority solely or collaboratively with a cabinet of ministers.
What does the
judicial branch do?
reviews laws, explains laws, resolves disputes (disagreements), and decides if a law goes against the Constitution.
Article III, section 2
“The judicial Power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity,
arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States,
and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority…
to controversies between two or more states; between a state and citizens of another State, between citizens of different States…
and between a state, or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens or subjects.”
What is the highest court in the United States?
