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Section 3 at a Glance

Section 3 at a Glance. Applying the Constitution Over time, the three branches of government—legislative, executive, and judicial—have expanded the scope and application of the Constitution.

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Section 3 at a Glance

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  1. Section 3 at a Glance • Applying the Constitution • Over time, the three branches of government—legislative, executive, and judicial—have expanded the scope and application of the Constitution. • Political parties, customs, and traditions have affected how the Constitution is applied and carried out. • Political scholars have debated what some see as disadvantages of the framework of government established by the Constitution.

  2. Applying the Constitution Main Idea The scope and impact of the Constitution have expanded as it has been put into practice, interpreted, and applied to new or changing social and political challenges. • Reading Focus • How have the three branches of government applied the Constitution? • How have political parties, customs, and traditions changed how the Constitution is applied? • What criticisms have some people made of the Constitution?

  3. A Few Words, a Long Reach

  4. LEGISLATIVE ACTION • Section 1, Article III created the Supreme Court; Congress authorized to create “such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish” • With Judiciary Act of 1789 created system of lower-level federal courts • WRITE NEW LAWS • CONGRESS HAS EXPANDED THE JUDICIAL BRANCH AS NEEDED • AUTHORIZE NEW/CHANGE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS The Federal Government Applies the Constitution • Framers created framework to be followed and filled in by citizens then and in later generations; put into action, the Constitution has been extended in reach and meaning

  5. Judicial Branch • Challenges: • New technologies—personal computers, cell phones • Threatening international circumstances—possible attacks by terrorists • Factors push Congress to test constitutional boundaries • SUPREME COURT CAN STRIKE DOWN A NEW LAW; THE CONSTITUTION REMAINS UNCHANGED • COURT UPHOLDS A NEW LAW; THE APPLICATION OF THE CONSTITUTION CHANGES SLIGHTLY

  6. Executive Implementation • PRESIDENTS MAKE EXECUTIVE AGREEMENTS—ARRANGEMENTS OR COMPACTS WITH FOREIGN LEADERS OR FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS • Power not found in Constitution text; DERIVED FROM ACKNOWLEDGED CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS: • BUILD ON PREVIOUS ACTIONS • Executive agreements important to conducting foreign policy; can bypass long, formal treaty process: TRADE AGREEMENTS • Executive agreement used in 1990; created international coalition that defeated the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait

  7. Executive agreement has the force of a treaty; does not require Senate ratification • Congress has authorized majority in advance or has approved them after signing; most require subsequent congressional action • Actions of the executive department and agencies change way the Constitution applied or interpreted • Executive branch agencies usually have rule-making power; rules have force of law; examples are medicine we take and tap water • CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, COLLECTION OF ALL OF THE RULES MADE BY EXECUTIVE AGENCIES; ABOUT 135,000 PAGES LONG

  8. Judicial Interpretation • Modern-day cases a challenge • “Unreasonable searches and seizures” in an era of airport screening devices, cell phones, and wireless Internet access • Courts must interpret the Fourth Amendment in light of changing conditions; judges to apply the Constitution’s prohibitions to new technologies. • Setting legal standards for law-enforcement to follow when intercepting private conversations, monitoring e-mail, and using other “searching” methods • How to Interpret • “Strict” versus “loose” construction of the Constitution • STRICT INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTION MEANS GIVING THE WORDS IN THE DOCUMENT ONLY THEIR LITERAL MEANING • LOOSE CONSTRUCTION MEANS FOLLOWING THE WORDS PLUS ANY REASONABLE INFERENCES THAT CAN BE DRAWN FROM THEM

  9. Identifying the Main Idea How has each branch of government put the Constitution into action? Give one example for each branch. Answer(s):legislative: by passing the Judiciary Act of 1789; executive: by creating agencies to implement Congress’s laws; judicial: by establishing the principle of judicial review

  10. Political Parties, Customs, and Traditions • Political parties and entrenched customs and traditionsaffect how the Constitution is interpreted, applied, and carried out. • Political Parties • Political party—an organized group that seeks to win elections in order to influence the activities of government • Parties help determine the choice of candidates, policies, and programs presented to the voters • Parties also help shape the judicial branch; deeply affect how government operates • Legacy of Political Movements • Populists supported bank regulation; government regulation of railroads; unlimited coinage of silver; direct election of senators • Progressives took same causes as Populists; helped the urban poor • Federal government regulated banks, food and drug safety, railroads, and business monopolies • Now have PACs, online political commentators, and bloggers

  11. Customs and Traditions • Strongly influence how American government behaves • Constitution authorizes the president to “require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments” • Washington relied on language in Article II to create a cabinet—a group of advisers consisting of the heads of the executive departments; in time tradition of cabinet and cabinet meetings born • Some traditions have become law; no president served more than two terms in office until Roosevelt broke with tradition with third and fourth terms as president in the 1940s • Many Americans concerned; Congress passed the Twenty-second Amendment • Presidents limited to two terms, formalizing the custom that began with Washington

  12. Identifying the Main Idea How do political parties and traditions affect the functioning of government? Answer(s):possible answer—political parties: by determining the choice of candidates, policies, and programs presented to the voters; traditions: by influencing the way government behaves, such as the creation of the president’s cabinet

  13. Criticisms of the Constitution • Imperfections • Brevity, insight, and flexibility commands respect • Some agree with Jefferson’s prediction that “the imperfections of a written Constitution will become apparent” • A System That Creates Gridlock • Inability to govern effectively due to separation of powers—gridlock • Can bring government to a standstill; 1995 budget dispute shut down the federal government for 27 days • Questions about Representation • Constitution falls short of truly representative democracy • Most obvious in Senate; states with small populations have far more relative influence than residents of states with large populations • The Electoral College • Electoral college—the body of 538 people elected from the 50 states and the District of Columbia • Critics point to the fact that the winner of the popular vote may not win the presidency

  14. Winner-Take-All Elections • In elections for U.S. Congress, the candidate who receives the most votes is elected to the House or Senate; candidate who comes in second or third goes home—even if he or she receives a large number of votes • This type of election known as the winner-take-all system • Many European parliaments use proportional representation • Voters choose from party lists of candidates; seats are given to each party according to the percentage of the total votes they win • More-popular parties will have a larger number of seats, but less-popular parties will not be entirely shut out of the parliament • Supporters of proportional representation say it allows a larger variety of viewpoints to gain representation in the legislature • Defenders of the U.S. system respond that proportional representation leads to fractured legislatures with many small parties, while the American process allows the party with the most support to govern

  15. Contrasting How does the winner-take-all election system differ from a system of proportional representation? Answer(s):Under the winner-take-all system, the candidate in each district who receives the most votes wins the seat. Under proportional representation, seats in the legislature are given to each party according to the percentage of the total votes they win, giving less popular parties a voice. The proportional system allows a larger variety of viewpoints to be represented, but also leads to fractured legislatures with many small parties, whereas the American system allows the party with the most support to govern.

  16. We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution • A New Constitution and a New Government • The Constitution was a plan for the new national government that described the new government, its powers, and the limits on it. The Framers wrote the Constitution as a general framework and left out details they knew would be added in the future. • What are Congress’s constitutional powers? • What are the president’s constitutional responsibilities? • What are the constitutional powers of the Supreme Court?

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