05 Evaluate: Structure and Functions of the Legislative Branch
by confirming or rejecting judicial appointments. The president has the power to appoint many federal positions, such as cabinet members, federal court judges, and high-ranking officers in the armed forces. However, the Senate must confirm these presidential appointments. Only the Senate has the power of confirmation, and as a result, it is considered MORE influential than the House of Representatives.
ways the senate can check the power of the judicial branch:
congressional districts, one, district, redistricting
After the states find out how many representatives they will have for the next ten years, each state legislature draws the boundaries for the appropriate number of ________ _________. _____ representative is elected from each ________,. The process of redrawing district lines after reapportionment has been completed is called ____________.
manage the budget. Congress is the only branch of government that has the power to levy, or collect, taxes. Managing the budget is a difficult task since there are numerous agencies and departments within the federal government that require funding. Congress has to determine how much money various departments receive, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, and various others.
Another of Congress's responsibilities is to manage the:
foreign treaties,
Congress has a number of roles and responsibilities in our government. The Senate has the authority to approve ________ ________, which is a check on the power of the president.
foreign treaties. This role is solely held by the Senate. The Senate must approve any signed treaty between America and a foreign nation. Treaties can consist of trade agreements, peace agreements, or even diplomatic agreements. If the president wants to make an agreement with a foreign nation, the Senate must approve it first.
Congress has the responsibility of approving:
war. While this is established in the Constitution, there are very few guidelines as to how Congress is to go about declaring war. However, this role was established in order to prevent the president from waging war. Instead of having one person making this decision, the Constitution allows for multiple people to vote on a decision to go to war.
Congress has the responsibility of having the power to declare:
commerce, or trade, among the states and with foreign nations. Because it manages our monetary funds and trade, the legislative branch has a direct impact on the economy.
Congress has the responsibility of regulating:
make laws for the United States. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate work to prepare legislation.
Congress's most important responsibility is to
proposes laws administers the laws commands armed forces appoints ambassadors and other officials conducts foreign policy negotiates treaties
EXECUTIVE (president) branch duties:
the smaller house of Congress. Senators are generally older and more experienced than representatives, and their long terms protect them from political pressure. Senators must be at least 35 years old to run for the Senate and can have an unlimited number of six-year terms.
Each state has two seats in the Senate, which is the:
national census every 10 years
In order to assign representatives on the basis of population, the Census Bureau takes a
interprets the constitution and other laws reviews lower court decisions
JUDICIAL (supreme court) branch duties:
write the laws confirm presidential appointments ratify treaties grants money declares war
LEGISLATIVE (congress) branch duties:
several roles, primarily as lawmakers. However, they have many other responsibilities which you will explore further. Congress plays a major role within the system of checks and balances by limiting the power of the other two branches of the federal government.
Members of Congress must fill:
the president or other federal officials
Only the House of Representatives can impeach the
64, 435, census
Originally, the House had only___ members. As the population grew, the number of representatives grew as well. In 1911, the number of representatives grew to ____, which led Congress to cap the number of House members at 435. Now, the ______ simply decides how the House seats will be reapportioned.
gerrymandering,
Some state legislatures have abused their redistricting power in a process called ___________.
lose, gain
States with a population decrease can ____ representatives, while the states with population growth _____ seats in the House of Representatives.
435 members who represent districts based on population size. House members can serve for an unlimited number of two-year terms. Representatives must be at least 25 years old to run for the House of Representatives.
The House of Representatives is made up of:
The House must file a case for impeachment against an individual, but that does not mean the person is removed from office. After the House impeaches an individual, the Senate then has the authority to try the impeachment and hear the evidence. It is up to the Senate to decide by a vote whether or not to remove the impeached individual. Only two presidents have been impeached in American history: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. While the House impeached both men, the Senate did not remove either president.
The Impeachment Process
representations, population
The first census was taken in 1790, and each state was apportioned its ________________. Every ten years since 1790, representatives have been reapportioned based on the _____________
1. make laws 2. manage the budget 3. regulating commerce 4. approving foreign treaties 5. power to declare war
The five responsibilities of Congress:
bicameral Congress with two bodies: a small Senate and a much larger House of Representatives. Each Congress since 1789 has met for a term of two years; those terms are now divided into two, one-year sessions.
The framers of the Constitution created a:
Treaty of Versailles, the peace agreement that ended World War I. President Woodrow Wilson returned from France with this peace treaty, which required harsh punishments against Germany. The treaty also required the establishment of a peace-keeping organization called the League of Nations. President Wilson had developed the idea for the League of Nations, and promoted it throughout the treaty negotiations. However, when the Treaty of Versailles went to the Senate for approval, the Senate debated the pros and cons of the League of Nations. The Senate feared that the League would force America to become too involved with world affairs, and rejected the treaty on that basis. This rejection meant that America was still technically at war with Germany. It was not until 1921, three years after the fighting stopped, that America and Germany finalized a peace agreement.
There have been multiple historical instances in which the Senate rejected foreign treaties the president had signed with other countries. One example is the:
When a district is gerrymandered, it is drawn in a strategic way in order to promote a particular political party. Analysis of how certain populations are likely to vote is used to decide how to draw these districts. In some cases, state legislators may split up certain groups in order to disenfranchise their vote. For example, some states split areas with high populations of African-Americans into different districts in order to minimize the impact of the African-American vote. In a Supreme Court decision from 1962, Baker v. Carr, the Court held that federal courts could decide conflicts over the drawing of district boundaries.
What is gerrymandering?
- appoints judges
checks the EXECTUVIE branch has over the JUDICIAL branch:
- may veto bills - may adjourn Congress in certain situations
checks the EXECUTIVE branch has over the LEGISLATIVE branch:
- may declare executive actions unconstitutional
checks the JUDICIAL branch has over the EXECUTIVE branch:
May declare laws unconstitutional
checks the JUDICIAL branch has over the LEGISLATIVE branch:
- may reject appointments - may reject treaties - may withhold funding for presidential initiatives - may impeach president - may override a veto
checks the LEGISLATIVE branch has over the EXECUTIVE branch:
- may propose constitutional amendments to overrule judicial decisions - may impeach Supreme Court Justices - may reject appointments to the Supreme Court
checks the LEGISLATIVE branch has over the JUDICIAL branch: