...Impeachment : The History, The Process, The Examples No one has ever officially been removed from office, yet Impeachment has always been a hot topic throughout the years. Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court once said “The power of impeachment is given by this Constitution, to bring great offenders to punishment. It is calculated to bring them to punishment for crimes which it is not easy to describe, but which everyone must be convinced is a high crime and misdemeanor against the government.” In the United States’ democratic government there are three branches called the, legislative, executive, and judicial. To keep these branches in order a system of checks and balances was created. This is a system to check the government and...
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...Word Count: 912 Final Exam Essay We in the United States of America have three branches in our Federal Government which are the Legislative Branch (congress), The Executive Branch (the President), and lastly the Judicial Branch (the US federal courts). Each branch is equally important for the successful operation of our nation and democracy however not each branch is equal in the power it holds. Fundamentally the Legislative Branch contains the most “power” in the federal government for Two reasons. One the system of checks and balances leans biasedly towards the legislative branch. Lastly congress is the body if government which decides what laws will be made while the Executive branch only...
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...three branches. These branches are the legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch has two houses, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. The executive branch is the president and his or her cabinet and staff. The executive branch also includes the staff of all of the government departments and agencies....
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...the U.S. government there are three branches of government: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. They use checks and balances to balance the power among branches so that they all have a fairly equal share. The Legislative branch (congress) is made up of two houses: The House of Representatives and The House of the Senate. Representatives from each state are based on population and there are two members of the Senate from each state. The Vice President is in charge of the Senate but can only vote if there is an even split in votes. Congress comes up with laws that are “necessary and proper” and sends them to the president (Executive) to sign. If the president vetoes (dismisses it) but ⅔ of both houses agrees to the law, Congress can then override the president and...
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...The Constitution provides for a schema of separation of powers and checks and balances using three articles. Article 1, Section 1 of the Constitution vest-legislative powers in a Congress of the United States, itself separated into a House of Representatives and a Senate. Article II, Section 1 vests authority in a President of the United States. Article III, Section 1 vests judicial authority in a single Supreme Court of the United States and “in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.” Each being separated by an intricate system of checks and balances designed to go along each branch fortifications against encroachments of the others. In our system of separated powers, each branch of government is not only caved in a finite measure of power and dominance, but arrives at it through totally different modes of election. The Constitution that grants each branch its power, honorable ambition that ultimately serves the highest pursuits of the people could turn to maintain the separation....
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...on its own. For example, the purchasing department orders goods, the stores-department receives and compares them with the respective purchase orders, the quality assurance department inspects and verifies their quality, the accounts department verifies the invoice amount, and only then the comptroller authorizes the payment for the purchase. This process emphasizes interdependence without interference, and creates a data trail or paper trail for auditing. While we can define it in a Government parliament as Governmental Extension of the separation of powers doctrine, under which each branch of a government can (if necessary) counter the actions or decisions of the other branches. This arrangement ensures transparency, and prevents domination of the government by any branch. In the system set up by the U.S. Constitution, the national government is divided into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. These three branches are not independent of one another because the...
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...keep them safe. There are three main braches of the United States government. There is the legislative branch, which is the governor of a state, the executive branch, which is the president, and, finally, there is the judicial branch, which is the Supreme Court. All of these branches have their own purpose to keep the county safe and protected. The legislative branch is the state government and have a lot of power. This branch checks the executive branch by being able to override presidential vetoes with two-thirds vote. Also, the legislative branch can remove the president that is in office through the process of impeachment and approve treaties. Over the...
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...power to declare acts of Congress, the executive or state legislatures unconstitutional through the power of judicial review. The supreme court justices are also given the power to interpret the constitution when making decisions, again, through their power of judicial review. It is arguable that it is essential for the supreme court to have such powers in order to allow the American democracy to flourish. However, there is much evidence to suggest that the supreme court holds too much power for an unelected body, thus hindering democracy. The ambiguity of the constitution means that there is much room for interpretation. Since interpreting the constitution is the role of the supreme court, the supreme court is often seen as a quasi legislative body. This is because through its interpretations, particularly those made by loose contructionists, the supreme court acts as an additional legislature. It's decisions can have the same effect as passing legislation. For example, the Grutter vs Bollinger decision (2008) involved the courts laying down a time frame for which affirmative action can be deemed necessary. This effectively acted as a piece of legislation even though it did not pass through Congress. This can be seen as being problematic and potentially damaging for a Democracy. Justices are unelected, they therefore lack legitimacy and should not be allowed to act as an additional legislature as this is the role of Congress who are elected and therefore have a mandate and legitimacy...
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...whether legislation or actions are unconstitutional; presidential appointments are confirmed, and treaties ratified by the Senate; and finally the president is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces, but only congress can declare war. Checks and balances are needed alongside the separation of powers. Checks and balances are essential for the scrutiny of the three branches of government, however they come with some disadvantages. One reason as to why the separation of powers hinders effective government in the USA is because there is often a divided house within government which subsequently results in gridlock when passing legislation or when each branch exercises their powers. It is not uncommon that the majority party in congress is the opposite of the party that the President belongs to. This usually means that the legislative and executive have contrasting views. Most recent presidents have accused the Senate of either rejecting or blocking their judicial nominations and as a result a large number of posts in the federal trial and appeal courts can remain unfilled for a long period of time, which slows down the courts. An example of divided government is during the last 6 years of Bill Clinton’s presidency (1995 – 2000). He was a Democrat president with a Republican congress. Because of this he had trouble over the passage of the...
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...government by the framers in the seven Arti- cles of the Constitution, and finally apply these Articles to the government’s practice of sur- veillance today. The most essential points limiting the government’s power is the separation of power and the system of checks and balances. The federal government itself consists of three branches, the legislative, executive, and judicial branch; in other words, Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court. The power is divided between these three branches in order to keep any of them from becoming too powerful. Thus, the framers intended to prevent a corruption of power and tyranny over the states by imposing controls on each branch. The legislative branch, for in- stance, is kept in check by the President, who has the power to veto bills proposed by the for- mer, to call or adjourn a meeting of Congress, and to recommend bills. Additionally, the Supreme Court can strike laws down and judge them unconstitutional through the implied law of judicial review. Similarly, the executive branch is kept in check by Congress, which can overrule a presi- dential veto, remove the President through impeachment, can declare war, and is...
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...the powers. If the branches were totally separate, power would be difficult to exercise especially with the use of checks and balances. Instead there is a separation of personnel, where not one member of one branch can work within another branch. So all in all, the US government created a doctrine of ‘shared powers’, where checks and balances are needed. Madison agreed with this, and said: ‘you must first enable the government to control the governed, and in the next place oblige it to control itself’. Some of the checks and balances include: the president checking congress by presidential veto; the presidential veto is checked by congressional override; the supreme court uses judicial review to decide whether legislation or actions are unconstitutional; presidential appointments are confirmed, and treaties ratified by the Senate; and finally the president is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces, but only congress can declare war. Checks and balances are needed alongside the separation of powers. Checks and balances are essential for the scrutiny of the three branches of government, however they come with some disadvantages. There is often a divided house within government which subsequently results in gridlock when passing legislation or when each branch exercises their powers. It is not uncommon that the majority party in congress is the opposite of the party that the President belongs to. This usually means...
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...political theory are both similar and different in its own way. The Iroquois political system was the building blocks of the US constitution and that's why we have some of the similar ideas in the US constitution. Areas such as the three branches of government, impeachment, and executive branch getting veto power are in both political systems. The US government is divided into three parts; the...
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...of the government can influence the decisions of the other branches. The branches all have to cooperate in the decision making process so that the system runs smoothly. The structure of the government is created in Article I, Article II, and Article III of the Constitution. The three branches of the government are the legislative branch, the executive branch, and...
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...Written assignment #1 Written Assignment # 1 Written Assignment # 1 List several powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of Government. 1. The Executive Branch of the Government is listed as the Office of the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States and the elected cabinet members of the Department heads of the 15 major departments of the United States. The primary powers of this branch are as follows: The president can call for a special election when a state representative vacancy presents itself. Make senate appointments in light of resignation until the next assembly. The vice president holds the office of president of the senate; but without a vote; unless there is a tie. The President has the power of approval or veto of bills presented by congress. The President is the guardian of the Constitution. The President presides as The Commander In Chief of the armed forces. He has the power to grant pardons. He has the power to make treaties if ratified by 2/3 majority of congress. He has the power to appoint ambassadors and departments of state, and to appoint Justices to the Supreme Court. The President may also convene either or both houses or adjourn them as he sees fit. 2. The Judicial Branch of Government is made up of the Supreme Court. Federal courts enjoy the sole power to interpret the law, determine the constitutionality of the law, and apply it to individual cases. It also...
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...Convention created a complex system of check and balances and separation of powers in the Constitution to prevent any one person or branch from overpowering the rest and to protect the nation from the reckless pursuit of wealth or power by any elected official. The Constitution endows specific powers to each of the branches. The Legislative creates laws, collects taxes, and declares war, amongst other duties. The Executive enforces the law, commands the military, carries...
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