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Understanding the U.S. Government: Legislative, Executive & Judicial Branches

Learn about the three branches of the U.S. government: Legislative (Congress), Executive (President), and Judicial (Supreme Court) along with their powers, roles, and how laws are made. Discover the functions and responsibilities of each branch and how they work together to uphold the U.S. Constitution.

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Understanding the U.S. Government: Legislative, Executive & Judicial Branches

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  1. Chapter 7-The U.S. Constitution How the United States Government Works

  2. 3 Branches of Government

  3. The Legislative Branch(makes the laws) Legislative Branch =Congress Makes The Laws! There are 2 “houses” in Congress: Congress Senate House of Representatives

  4. Senate • 2 Senators from each state • Senators serve 6-year terms • can be elected unlimitedtimes • are directly elected by the people

  5. To be a Senator you must: • Be 30 years old • Be a U.S. citizen for 9 years • Live in the state you are representing Dick Durbin Mark Kirk Illinois Senators

  6. Leader of the Senate = The Senate President (Vice-Pres. Of U.S.) Joe Biden Powers of the Senate Approve treaties made by the president. Approve Judges picked by the president. Holds Impeachment Trials (decide if the person is guilty or innocent). The Senate continued…

  7. House of Representatives • # of Representatives in your state depends on the state’s population • every state has at least 1 rep. • serve 2-year terms • can be elected unlimitedtimes • are directly elected by the people

  8. To be a Representative you must: • Be 25 years old • Be a U.S. citizen for 7 years • Live in the state you are representing Adam Kinzinger 11th District

  9. Leader of the House= The Speaker of the House John Boehner Powers of the House of Representatives all money (tax) bills must start in the House. Impeaches government officials (accuse them of doing something wrong House of Reps Continued…..

  10. Powers of Both the House of Representatives and the Senate: Declare War Print money Pass Bills

  11. How a Bill Becomes A Law • Bills can start in the House of Representatives or the Senate. • (Money/Tax Bills must start in the House of Reps) • If the Bill starts in the House, it must be voted on in the House first. If it is passed, it goes to the Senate. • If the Bill starts in the Senate, it must be voted on in the Senate first. If it is passed, it goes to the House.

  12. How a Bill Becomes A Lawcontinued…. • The Bill Must Be Passed by The House and the Senate, before it can go to the President! • The President can: SIGN THE BILL or VETO THE BILL. • If the President SIGNS the bill, it will become a law. • If the President VETOS the bill, it will go back to Congress.

  13. How a Bill Becomes A Lawcontinued…. • If 2/3 of both the House and Senate approve of the Bill, they can OVERRIDE the President and the Bill will still become a law • ***So Technically, only the House and Senate need to pass a Bill in order for it to become a law**** • http://www.270towin.com/

  14. Bill LAW President Congress Back to congress Signs or vetoes Bill is approved by House and Senate Need 2/3 vote

  15. Executive Branch(Enforces the Laws) • The President, Vice-President, and the President’s Cabinet are in this branch.

  16. To be President, you must: 1. Be 35 years old 2. Live in the U.S. for 14 years 3. Be a natural born citizen (born in the U.S.) President’s Powers & Duties: Main Job: Enforce the laws! Veto bills passed by Congress Makes treaties with other nations (approved by senate) Appoints/Picks judges (approved by senate) Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Executive Branch Continued:

  17. President’s Term The President serves a 4-year term. The President can be elected 2 times (2 terms) Example: President Bush was elected in 2000 and then again in 2004 A President can serve for a total of 10 years. The President is elected in November, but can’t take office until January Presidential Succession If the President dies, these are the next two people in line to take his spot: The Vice-President The Speaker of the House Executive Branch Cont…

  18. How Do We Elect the President? • We elect the President through popular vote and the Electoral College • 1. Each state has a certain number of electoral votes. (538 Total Electoral Votes) • 2. Number of electoral votes in each state= # of Reps + # of Senators • Example: Illinois has 20 Electoral Votes (18 reps + 2 senators) • Example: California has 55 Electoral Votes (53 Reps + 2 senators)

  19. How Do We Elect the President? Continued…. • 3. People go and vote for their favorite person • 4. The person that gets the most votes in that state, gets the electoral votes for that state • Example: John Kerry got the most votes in IL in 2004, so he got 21 electoral votes from IL. • 5. The candidate that gets 270 electoral votes WINS!!!

  20. Census…how we determine the number of electors ***Every 10 years the government takes a CENSUS which is a poll of questions that Americans answer including; how many people live in the house, what their income is, race, gender, etc. This is how the government determines how many state representatives the state will have.

  21. The Judicial Branch(interprets the laws) = Supreme Court, other Federal Courts, state and local courts

  22. The Judicial Branch Supreme Court • The Supreme Court is the HIGHEST court in the land • There are NINE justices (judges) on the Supreme Court • Supreme Court Justices serve a LIFE term

  23. There are nine Supreme Court Justices The Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C.

  24. Supreme Courtcontinued…. • Supreme Court Justices are: • appointed/selected by the President • but the Senate has to approve of the Justices. • The Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional

  25. Checks and Balances System • The system in which each branch of government “checks” each other to balance the power. • This ensures that one branch does not become more powerful than the others

  26. Executive Judicial Legislative

  27. Checks and Balances System

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