Chapter 2professoralarcon.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/1/0/11107548/chapter_2.pdf · –“sovereign...
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Chapter 2
FEDERALISM AND THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION
Copyright (c) 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved
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Learning Objectives
• Explain how state power is constrained by federalism and by the national and state constitutions
• Analyze how the national government has gained power within the federalism equation
• Explain why state constitutions tend to be long and restrictive
• Differentiate between constitutional law and legislative law
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Learning Objectives
• Differentiate among the seven constitutions of Texas
• Analyze how the current document is partially a reaction to the previous Reconstruction-era document and partially a return to pre–Civil War policies
• Explain why those who benefit from the current constitution will work to make comprehensive reform difficult
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Purpose of Texas
Constitution
• State’s fundamental law
• Structures government
• Establishes basic rules of governing
• Primary source of state’s policy-
making power
• Limits the government
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Federalism
• A constitutional sharing of powers between the national and state governments
• A dual system of government operating concurrently – • One at the national level, another within each
of the states
• Both levels have authority over their citizens
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The American Federal
Structure
•Federalism
–Division of power between federal
and state governments.
–“a system of states within a state”
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Distribution of Powers
• Powers are divided amongst the state
and federal governments.
• Division of powers accomplished by
the U.S. Constitution, by state
constitutions, and by decisions of the United States Supreme Court.
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Distribution of Powers
• Delegated Powers
–Powers specifically delegated to the
national government.
–Found under Article 1 Section 8 of the
U.S. Constitution
• Implied Powers
–“necessary and proper clause”
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Distribution of Powers
• Reserved Powers
– Found under the 10th amendment of the
U.S. Constitution.
– Include police power, taxing, proprietary
power, and eminent domain.
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Limitations on the
States • Powers delegated to the federal
government through Article 1 Section 8
• Powers denied to the states through
Article 1 Section 10
• The Supremacy Clause
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Constitutional Limits on States
• Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution contains limits, e.g. states cannot coin money
• Article IV establishes how states must other treat one another, e.g. full faith and credit
• Other significant limits are found in the constitutional amendments
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Limitations on the
States
• 13th Amendment – denied slavery
• 14th Amendment – defined
citizenship, due process, and
equal protection for the states
• 15th Amendment – defined right to
vote
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Limitations on the
States
• 19th Amendment – defined right to vote for women
• 24th Amendment – denied federal poll taxes
• 26th Amendment – defined right to vote for 18 and older
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Federalism Applied
• Originally, the delineation of duties between the national and state governments was clearer
• The national government dealt with the military and foreign policy
• Issues with a larger local impact, such as education and aid to the poor, have traditionally fallen under the control of the states
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Shared Powers • Both states and the national government,
collect taxes and both work jointly to implement many programs, such as social services
• In Texas, federal grants generate more than half of welfare spending
• Education, transportation, and health care are programs administered concurrently by federal and state officials
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Guarantees to the
States
• State creation and division (with the
exception of Texas under Annexation
Agreement)
• Republican form of government
• Representation within the U.S.
Congress
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Guarantees to the
States
• Electoral college participation
• Ratification of Amendments
• Protection by U.S. military
• Court Protections
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Interstate Relations &
State Immunity
• Article IV
–Privileges and Immunities Clause
– Full Faith and Credit Clause
• 11th Amendment
– “sovereign immunity”
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State Powers
• State Powers
•not well defined in U.S. Constitution
• Reserved Powers – 10th Amendment
•Police Power
•Taxing Power
•Proprietary power
•Eminent Domain
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Constitutions
• The basic document under which a state or nation's government operates
• CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC –
– U.S. constitutional law is supreme, as are acts of Congress and treaties
• JUDICIAL REVIEW: power of the courts to strike down laws that violate the state or national constitution
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National Gains • The balance of power has shifted
significantly to the national government
• CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS – Many have limited state powers
• BILL OF RIGHTS – Limits governmental power and empowers the
individual
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Budgetary Powers
• The national government has gained greater control over the states through its taxing and spending policies
• About a third of Texas’s budget comes from federal government sources
• But federal money comes with strings attached –
• compel the states to pass legislation by threatening to withhold funds
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The Federal Courts
• Federal courts often have jurisdiction in areas once completely under state control
• Texas politicians have been constrained by federal court orders involving:
• Prison control, mental health and retardation services, higher education funding and minority recruitment programs, and school desegregation
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A Brief History of Federalism
• DUAL FEDERALISM
• Well-defined divisions between national and state powers and responsibilities
• Beginning of the Republic to the 1920s
• COOPERATIVE FEDERALISM • Era of expanded national government power,
mandates, and funding
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Federal/State Relations:
Evolving Process
• Federal grants-in-aid
• Devolution
• Unfunded mandates
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A Brief History of Federalism
• NEW FEDERALISM
–Favored by modern-day presidents, beginning with Richard Nixon
–Greater discretion to state governments in the use of federal grants
–Nonetheless, the overall size and power of the national government continued to increase
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The “New” New Federalism • Proponents argued that decision making
should be returned to the states • DEVOLUTION
– Transfer of programs from the national to state levels - occurred in some areas, e.g. speed limits
• MANDATES
– Congressional regulations setting standards for state conduct
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The “New” New Federalism
• U.S. Supreme Court Decisions limiting the federal government
• United States v. Lopez (1995)
• United States v. Morrison (2000)
• U.S. Supreme Court Decision not favoring states rights • United States v. Raich (2005)
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State Constitutions
• The U.S. Constitution is a model of brevity
• 8,500 words – established the national government and the federal system
• State constitutions tend to be lengthy
• The Texas Constitution contains more than 80,000 words
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State Constitutional Structure
• Most are similar in structure • Separate articles empower the executive,
legislative, and judicial branches
• Most blur constitutional law and legislative law • Bills passed by the legislature and enacted by
the governor
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The Seven Constitutions of Texas
• 1) COAHUILA Y TEJAS • Created in 1827 – Texas was still a part of the
Mexican Federation
• 2) THE 1836 CONSTITUTION • Republic of Texas
• 3) THE 1846 CONSTITUTION • Texas becomes a State
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Congressman, General, President, Senator,
Governor.
Sam Houston did it all
© The Granger Collection, New York
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The Seven Constitutions of Texas
• 4) THE 1861 CONSTITUTION • Texas joins the Confederacy
• 5) THE 1866 CONSTITUTION • Texas rejoins the Union - nothing more than an
amended 1846 document
• BLACK CODES: Post–Civil War laws restricting the freedom and rights of African Americans
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The Seven Constitutions of Texas
• 6) THE 1869 CONSTITUTION – 1867: All southern state governments were
disbanded and divided into 5 military districts - RECONSTRUCTION
– Required a constitution guaranteeing African American suffrage, and each had to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment
– E.J. DAVIS: Radical Republican Governor
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The Democrats Return to Power
• After the 1872 elections – Democrats immediately began to dismantle the Radical Republican programs
• 1873 - Davis lost reelection to Democrat Richard Coke – Davis and his supporters argued the election
was unconstitutional – Asked for federal intervention - President
Ulysses S. Grant refused
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Drafting of the Texas
Constitution of 1876
• 75 Democrats and 15 Republicans
elected to the Constitutional
Convention – Included 6 African-Americans
– 40% were members of the Texas Grange
• “Retrenchment and Reform” – Slogan of the Constitutional Convention
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Goals of the Texas
Constitution of 1876 • Decentralize the Government
– Providing local control and taxing authority
• Reduce governmental power
– Weakened executive, legislative, and judicial
power
• Limit state debt and taxing power
– No state property tax, income, or corporate
income tax
– Unconstitutional for state to be in debt
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Limiting Power in the
Constitution of 1876 • Legislature – biennial sessions with limited
salary and power
• Governor – two-year term (now four years)
sharing power with plural executive
• Judicial – elected position
• Voters supported Constitution in a 2-to-1
majority vote
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The Seven Constitutions of Texas
• 7) THE 1876 CONSTITUTION • The current Texas Constitution
• THE GRANGE - A populist farmers’ alliance influential in its creation
• Represented a simple backlash against Radical Republican rule and the perceived abuses of the Davis administration
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It is somewhat surprising that the 1875 Constitutional convention commissioned a poster, given that their purse strings were so tight that they didn't hire an official record keeper to chronicle the proceedings.
Courtesy of Texas State Library &
Archives Commission
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The 1876 Constitution • LIMITS ON GOVERNMENT POWER
• Limited all three branches
• THE BILL OF RIGHTS • 30 provisions – e.g. protections against
unreasonable searches and seizures and double jeopardy, freedom of the press and freedom of speech, prohibitions against individuals being imprisoned for debt, and prohibited monopolies
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Amending the Constitution
• TWO-STEP PROCESS:
– 1) The House and the Senate must approve the proposed amendment by at least a two-thirds vote
– 2) Majority approval from the voters
• Usually voters approve amendments
– 467 Amendments as of 2010
• Governor has no formal role
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Constitutional Revision • There have been numerous efforts to
revise or rewrite the Texas Constitution
• Most have failed completely and voters have shown little interest
– 1969: several obsolete provisions, were removed, but instead of renumbering - blank sections and articles were left
– A 1999 constitutional amendment eliminated three outdated passages
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The 1974 Constitutional Convention
• Last major attempt at revision
• Haggled over proposed changes from January to July – then killed it
• 1975: reconvened as the legislature - submitted a revised version to the voters
• With vocal opposition of the governor - voters overwhelmingly defeated all the provisions
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Prospects for Revision • Major obstacles: –Opposition from groups that benefit
–Isn’t a hot topic with most Texans
• Prospects for change are not hopeless: –Major newspapers have called for
revision
–Junell/Ratliff proposal
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Texas Constitution of
1876: Advocates/Critics
• Supporters – Lasted 140 years
– Follows culture and traditions of Texas
– Texans decide Constitutional changes through election
• Critics – Lengthy
– Complex
– Fragmented
– Duplicative
– Written more as a statute than a constitution
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Texas Constitution of 1876
Source: Brown, et al. Practicing Texas Politics, 14th edition: page 68.
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Texas Constitution of 1876
Source: Brown, et al. Practicing Texas Politics, 14th edition: page 71.
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Constitution of 1876:
Revision Attempts
• 1995 Montford Plan
• 1999 Ratliff – Junell Draft
• Piecemeal approach to constitutional
revisions
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Point/Counterpoint
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Constitution of 1876:
Details • Article I – Bill of Rights
– 30 sections with 11 sections directly limiting arbitrary governmental actions
– Provides for basic rights such as freedom of speech, religion, press, petition, peaceful assembly, etc.
– Defines marriage
– Provides victim protections
– Equal rights for women
– Philosophical observations
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Constitution of 1876:
Details
• Article II
–Separation of Powers
• Article III
–Legislative Power
• Bicameral legislature
• Biennial Sessions
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Constitution of 1876:
Details • Article IV
–Executive Department • Plural Executive
• Article V – Judicial Branch
• Partisan election of judges
• Bifurcated Supreme Court
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Constitution of 1876:
Details • Article VI
– Suffrage defined
• Article IX and others – Creates local and county government structures
– Defines municipalities and specials districts
• Other Articles – Cover education, taxation, railroads, private corporations, public
lands, impeachment, general provisions (longest article), and mode of amendment
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GOOD NIGHT
• Any Questions on Topic?