Who has the power to enforce laws? President (Executive Branch)
Three Branches of Government Legislative Branch Executive BranchJudicial Branch What they do: Makes...
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Transcript of Three Branches of Government Legislative Branch Executive BranchJudicial Branch What they do: Makes...
Three Branches of Government
Legislative BranchExecutive Branch Judicial Branch
What they do: Makes Laws Enforces
Laws
Interprets Laws
Who they are: (list names/types of government branches)
Legislature Governor and Executive Offices
Texas Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals and Lower State Courts
Number of members/offices:
150 House
31 Senate
7 – Governor, Lt. governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Comptroller of Public Accounts and Commissioners for General Land Office, Agriculture
9 – Supreme Court,
9- Court of Criminal Appeals,
14-courts of appeal with many judges,
414-Texas District Courts,
Many in Lower state courts
Specific powers: (example)
Approving or rejecting governor appointments, reviews actions of other branches, deals how money will be spent, prisons, taxes education and environment
Make appointments, remove officials, Veto power, Commander and Chief
System of for accused to be brought before a court to be “judged”, System for disputes to be settled, decides how laws of state should be enforced
7 Texas constitutions
• 1st written when Texas was part of Mexico
• Current = 1876 • Democrats* wrote it
after Reconstruction ends
*majority party in South from 1860’s to 1980’s
Constitutions compared
US and Texas constitutions
• Protect individual rights
• List a Bill of Rights
• State how government works
• Use amendments to allow for changing times
Constitutional contrasts
USA
• Bill Of Rights was added as amendments
• Only 1st -10th are BOR
• 26 amendments total
Texas
• Bill Of Rights on first page
• Arrangement of rights different
• 400+ amendments
……..we have big problems
If any one branch can completely control another….
“(A dictator) makes speeches to the people promising them plenty, gives them nothing and takes everything.”
There are four ways
1.separation of powers
2.Checks and Balances
3.Popular Sovereignty
4.Individual Rights
1) Separation of powers• There are three
branches of government
• Each has specific powers that the others do not have
• Some powers are “shared”
2) Checks and Balances
• Constitution lets each branch limit the power of the other two.
• More on that later
3) Popular sovereignty
“The People are the rulers”
• government exists with the consent of the governed
• government has no “right” to exist.
• It exists because the People allow it to.
4) Individual rights• listed in Bill of Rights
• Inalienable (meaning)
Cannot be….
• “revoked”
• “removed”
• “voided”
They may be…
• violated or abused
…If we aren’t careful