Judicial Branch

The Judicial Branch of the United States government was established by Article III of the U.S. Constitution. 

There are currently nine Justices (Supreme Court judges). Out of these nine is the Chief Justice.

In order to become a Supreme Court judge (Justice), there are no specific qualifications, but most have been trained in law. The judges are not elected by the people like the president and members of congress, they are appointed by the president and then confirmed by the Senate. 

The U.S. President can nominate anyone they choose, but the Senate must approve the nominee. If the Senate decides against the nominee the President must then supply them with another nominee.

The Constitution doesn't say how many Supreme Court Justices there should be. There have been as few as 6 justices in the past, but since 1869 there have been 9 justices. The President nominates all the Supreme Court members and the Senate confirms them. They hold their offices for life. 

Court System of the United States

There is a hierarchy of federal courts in the United States. District courts cover area of the countries and handle most of the federal cases and the first level of trials. Above them is the 13 courts of appeals. At the top of the Judicial Branch is the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has the final say. 

The United States Supreme Court Federal judges are appointed for life. They can only be removed from office by death or by impeachment from Congress. This is to allow judges to make decisions based on their conscience and not on what they feel they need to do to get elected. The job of the courts is to interpret the laws of the Congress. They do not make laws. They also only make decisions on actual cases where someone has shown that they have been harmed. 

The Supreme Court doesn't have a lot of trials. What they mostly do is review cases that have been appealed from the lower courts. Not all cases that are sent to the Supreme Court are reviewed. Around 7,500 requests are sent to the Supreme Court each year and they only consider around 150 important enough to review. 

The Judicial Process The Constitution states that every person has the right to a fair trial before a competent judge and a jury of their peers. The Bill of Rights adds to this guaranteeing other rights such as a speedy trial, the right to legal representation, the right not to be tried for the same crime twice, and protection from cruel punishments. 

Once arrested for a crime, the accused will get to appear before a judge to be charged with the crime and to enter a plea of guilty or not-guilty. Next the accused is given a lawyer, if they can't afford their own, and is given time to review the evidence and build up their defense. Then the case is tried before a judge and a jury. 

If the jury determines that the defendant is not-guilty, then charges are dropped and the accused goes free. If the jury has a guilty verdict, then the judge determines the sentence. If one side feels that the trial wasn't handled correctly or fairly, they can appeal to a higher court. The higher court may overturn the decision or keep it the same. The highest court is the Supreme Court. There is no appealing a Supreme Court decision.

Since our government was established, more than one hundred justices have served on the Court, and until recently, all were men. Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman named to the Supreme Court. She was appointed in 1981. Known as a swing vote through much of her Supreme Court service, Sandra Day O'Connor retired January 31, 2006. 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was seated in 1993 as the second woman.

Thousands of lawyers from all over the country go to the Supreme Court every year hoping to plead their cases. 

The Supreme Court rules only on the most important cases. Often these cases are those that concern basic freedoms and civil rights protected by the Bill of Rights. 

Sometimes the Supreme Court is asked to make a decision so important that the whole country pays careful attention to its ruling. 

Racial segregation (the separation of black and white people) in public schools was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1954. The Court’s unanimous opinion outlawing this kind of separation in public schools was written by Chief Justice Earl Warren. Schools all over the United States were affected by this decision. This decision also paved the way for new civil rights laws passed in the years that followed.

Read about the Supreme Court Justices. 
Here and Here

Pick one that you are interested in and do a little bit more research. Share in the comments what you learned! 

Electoral College

Electoral College

When you cast your vote for President, you are actually voting for a group of people known as electors. They are part of the Electoral College, the process used to elect the U.S. President and Vice President.

The Electoral College serves as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.

The process begins when political parties select the people who will serve as electors, The electors meet to vote for President and Vice President, and then Congress counts the electoral votes.              

Number of Electors

There are a total of 538 electors. A candidate needs the vote of more than half (270) to win the Presidential election.

• Each state’s number of electors is equal to the number of its U.S. Senators plus the number of its U.S. Representatives. Washington D.C. is given a number of electors equal to the number held by the smallest state. View the division of electors on a map of the U.S.
• In 48 states, when a candidate receives the majority of votes, he or she receives all of the state’s electoral votes.
• Maine and Nebraska are the only two states that use the congressional district method.
• • For example: Nebraska has five electoral votes (one for each of the three congressional districts plus two for the state’s senate seats). The winner of each district is awarded one electoral vote, and the winner of the statewide vote is then awarded the state’s remaining two electoral votes.
• U.S. territories are not represented in the Electoral College.

It is possible for a candidate to receive the majority of the popular vote, but not of the electoral vote, and lose the Presidential election.

• For example: If the United States had only three states each with a population of 100, each state would have three electoral votes (2 Senators plus one House of Representatives member) so a candidate would need 5 electoral votes to win the election.
• • Candidate 1 wins the first two states by receiving 51 votes per state and loses the third state by receiving just one vote. This gives them a total of 103 popular votes from all three states (51 + 51 + 1). And this translates into a total of six electoral votes--three each from the states the candidate won and none from the state the candidate lost.
  • Candidate 2 loses the first two states by receiving 49 votes per state and wins the third state by receiving 99 votes. This gives them a total of 197 popular votes from all three states (49 + 49 + 99). And this translates into a total of three electoral votes--none from the two states the candidate lost and three from the state the candidate won. Because electoral votes are what count in the end, even though Candidate 2 won the popular vote, they lost the electoral vote and therefore lose the election.

What Happens if No Candidate Gets 270 Electoral Votes?

If no candidate receives the required majority of votes, the House of Representatives elects the President from the three candidates who received the most electoral votes, and the Senate elects the Vice President from the two vice presidential candidates who received the most electoral votes. 

How to Change the Electoral College

Because the Electoral College process is part of the U.S. Constitution, it would be necessary to pass a Constitutional amendment to change this system. For more information, contact your U.S. Senator or your U.S. Representative.

credit: https://www.usa.gov/election

Watch this video on the Electoral College. 

And this one too!

Comment on the Blog: How do you feel about the Electoral System?  Do you think it is fair? Unfair? Why or why not? 

Presidential Cabinet

Established in Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, the Cabinet's role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office.

The Cabinet includes the Vice President and the heads of 15 executive departments — the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, as well as the Attorney General.

credit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet

Watch one minute of Schoolhouse Rock 

Here is a link to a Presidential Rap song. 4 minutes

Visit this site to click on a link the the Cabinet Department that you chose to research. Write a paragraph that you will share with the class on Wednesday. 

Executive Branch: Presidents

In Article II of the Constitution, the president's qualifications and powers are detailed. In order to be considered for the office, a presidential candidate must be at least 35 years old, a natural-born U.S. citizen, and have at least 14 years of residence in the United States.

In order for American government to work, cooperation among the three branches is necessary. The nation's chief executive, the president, is the head of the executive branch. The president is the manager or director of the federal government. The president sees that the government runs smoothly and that the laws of the land are enforced and obeyed. He promises to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.

The president and vice president serve for a term of four years and can be re-elected to a second term. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the only president to be elected more than twice. He won the presidency four times but died shortly into his last term. The Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1951, limiting a president to two terms.

The president, as Head of State, acts as the ceremonial head of our government. He travels to other countries to meet with heads of foreign governments. He greets distinguished visitors to the White House.

The president works out treaties or agreements with other nations concerning trade and the aid that the United States gives to needy countries. 

He appoints ambassadors to represent the United States in foreign countries. 

The president also serves as the Commander in Chief of the armed forces. He can send them anywhere in the world to protect our interests or to keep peace in troubled places.

Many people help the president manage the business of the executive branch. His most important advisers are the members of the Cabinet. Over the years, the size of the Cabinet has changed. George Washington's first Cabinet had just four secretaries. There was one each for the departments of (1) Foreign Affairs (now known as the Department of State), (2) the Treasury, (3) War (now known as the Department of Defense), and (4) an Attorney General.

The modern Cabinet has fifteen heads of departments, as well as a number of other important officials. Secretaries of Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, and Homeland Security are among some of the other Cabinet members.

Watch this 1.36 minute video on the White House

Love your teacher and don't cry as you watch this 3 minute video that sings you the songs of all of the Presidents. 

There have been 44 Presidents in the history of the United States. We are going to learn a little bit about EACH one of them!! 

PBS has 44 sixty second videos available for us to view. They are one minute long videos that share brief information about each President of the United States. 

You will visit this website at least four times in order to watch each and every video. You have a worksheet to write four facts about each President that this country has had since it began. Today watch the first ten videos ... Washington through Tyler.  (Its ONLY ten minutes ... you CAN do it!!) They go quickly so feel free to pause them while you write. 

60 second President Videos!!!!!

Comment on the blog: Share three Presidential facts that you learned today. Do not repeat any that have already been shared. 

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Mock Vote 10/31

I have signed us up as a class to participate in a Mock Election. This  Mock Election is a non-partisan, educational event that teaches kids to be informed voters. 

Nearly 130,000 students have voted in Washington's annual Mock Election since 2004. Students vote on the same measures and candidates adults will decide.

Voting starts at 9 a.m. on Monday, October 31

Ends at 1 p.m. on Friday, November 4.

It’s easy to participate in the Mock Election! Just follow these 3 simple steps!

Step 1. Visit the Mock Election webpage anytime between October 31 at 9:00 a.m. and November 4 at 1:00 p.m.

Step 2. Students will be prompted to “register” before voting. They will need to know their grade, school, and county.

Issues in the 2016 Presidential Campaign

Where do you stand on the issues concerning our country today?? 

Donald Trump                         Hilary Clinton

Gary Johnson                            Jill Stein 

To really understand the candidates’ proposals/plans 
for how they will address the issues important 
to America today, you need to read or listen to what 

they personally say, not what the news 
media and  political analysts say about them.  

Take some time to watch at least 

one speech or read words written 

by each candidate  on a specific 

issue such as job creation or immigration.

Look at each of the following candidates' websites and choose three topics of interest to you.  

Click on ISSUES or POSITION  to read about the candidates' views on the issues and then complete your worksheet. 

Democrat Hillary Clinton – campaign page 
Republican Donald Trump – campaign page 
Libertarian Gary Johnson – campaign page 
Green Party Jill Stein – campaign page 

If you are interested, here is the link we enjoyed in class of past Presidents' television ad campaigns. 

Comment on the Blog: Tell us ONE issue that you read about and what you learned. Try not to repeat an issue that another student has already shared. 

National Conventions

After the primaries and caucuses, most political parties hold national conventions  to finalize their choice for their Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees. 

2016 National Convention Dates and Locations

• The Constitution Party Convention was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, beginning April 13.
• The Libertarian National Convention was held in Orlando, Florida, beginning May 26.
• The Republican National Convention was held in Cleveland starting on July 18.
• The Democratic National Convention was held in Philadelphia beginning July 25.
• The Green Party Convention was held in Houston, Texas beginning August 4.

The national conventions typically confirm the candidate who has already won the required number of delegates through the primaries and caucuses. However, if no candidate has received the majority of a party’s delegates, the convention becomes the stage for choosing that party’s Presidential nominee.

Delegates: Types and Numbers Required

Some parties require a specific number of delegates a candidate needs to win his or her party’s nomination in 2016. These included:

• 2,383 of 4,765 delegates for the Democratic party
• 1,237 of 2,472 delegates for the Republican party

There are two main types of delegates:

• Pledged, or bound, delegates, who are required to support the candidate to whom they were awarded through the primary or caucus process
• Unpledged, or unbound delegates, or superdelegates, who are free to support any Presidential candidate of their choosing

Here is a clip of the Republican National Convention that took place on July 18–21, 2016.

Here is a clip of the Democratic National Convention that took place on July 25th-28, 2016.

Comment: Can you tell us what a delegate is in your own words? Do you think this is a good system?