US GOVERNMENT
A Basic Guide
Principles
• Popular sovereignty
• Separation of Powers
• Checks and balances
• Judicial review
• Living Constitution
– Strict v loose construction
• Federalism
Three Branches
– Executive
• President
– Two 4-year terms if re-elected
• Cabinet & officers
– Appointed by the President, senate confirmation
– Legislative
• Senate
– 100 members, 2/state, 6 year terms
• House of Representatives
– 435 members, % of population / state, 2 year terms
– Utah and D.C. may alter the #’s
– Judicial
• Supreme Court
– Appointed by the President, senate confirmation
– 9 members / life terms
Who Does What?
Executive
• Head Diplomat
• Commander in Chief
• SET Public Policy
• State of the Union
• Power of Executive
Order
• Veto power
• Appointments
The Cabinet
• Secretary of State
– Appointed in 2005
– Highest cabinet post
– 4th in line of
succession
– Principle advisor in US
Foreign policy
– Diplomacy
Secretary of the Treasury
• Tim Geithner
• Principle economic
advisor to the
President
Secretary of Defense
• Robert Gates
– Replaced Rumsfeld in
December 2006
– Former member of
CIA and NSC
– Advises on all military
policy
Attorney General
• Eric Holder
• Legal affairs and law
enforcement
Additional Cabinet Offices
• Interior • Transportation
• Agriculture • Energy
• Commerce • Education
• Labor • Veteran’s Affairs
• Health and Human • Homeland Security
Services • Cabinet rank members
• Housing and Urban (VP, EPA, OMB…)
Development • http://www.whitehouse.go
v/government/cabinet.htm
l
Legislative Branch
• Make laws
• Influence public
policy
• Impeachment process
• Investigative
Committees
• Confirmations
Legislative Branch
• House of Representatives
– Speaker of the House
• Nancy Pelosi (CA – D)
• 1st woman
• 2nd in line of succession
– Preside over daily sessions
– Keep order
– Make motions
– Rule on questions
– Appoint committee chairs
– Sign legislation
– Spokesperson for chamber
Legislative Branch continued…
• Senate
– President Pro-Tempore
• Robert Byrd (WV- D)
– VP is official head of
Senate, PT is next in
line
– Resides over chamber
IF president or VP is not
present
– Same responsibilities as
Speaker of the House
House Majority Leader
• Steny Hoyer
• (MD – D)
– Elected by colleagues
in 2006
House Minority Leader
• John Boehner
– (Bay-ner)
– (OH – R)
– Elected by colleagues
in 2006
Senate Majority Leader
• Harry Reid
– (NV – D)
– Since 2006
– 1st Mormon in this
office
Senate Minority Leader
• Mitch McConnell
– (KY – R)
– Chosen in 2006
– Wife is Elaine Chao
• Current Secretary of
Labor
PA officials in Congress
• Rep. Joe Pitts (R)
• House Committee on Energy and Commerce
• Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection
• Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials
• Subcommittee on Health
• Sen. Arlen Specter (R)
• Senate Committee on Appropriations
• Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and
Related Agencies
• Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies
• Subcommittee on Defense
• Subcommittee on Homeland Security
• Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
• Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and
Related Agencies
• President, Senate Committee on the Judiciary
• Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
• Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
• Subcommittee on the Constitution
• Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• Senate Special Committee on Aging
• Sen. Bob Casey, Jr (D)
• Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs
• Committee on Foreign Relations
• Joint Economic Committee
• Special Committee on Aging
• Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry
Terms to know
• Committee
• Sub-committee
• Conference Committee
• Amend
• Pork Barrel
• Riders
• Filibuster
State and Local Government
• PA Governor
• Ed Rendell (D)
– Chief executive
Lieutenant Governor, the
Cabinet, and other offices
• Joe Scarnati
• PA Cabinet posts
• Other PA Governmental offices
Pennsylvania Legislature
• Current office
holders
•
The General Assembly consists of two chambers: the
House of Representatives and the Senate.
Pennsylvania is geographically divided into 203 House
districts and 50 Senatorial districts. A Senatorial district
may overlap several House districts.
Each Pennsylvanian is represented by - and can elect -
only one Representative and one Senator.
Each Representative serves approximately 60,000
citizens and each Senator represents approximately
240,000 citizens.
Representatives serve a two-year term. Senators serve
a four-year term.
Names to know (PA Assembly)
• Vote-smart list....pa
assembly local
• Rep. Tom
Houghton(D)
district 13
• Sen. Dominic
Pileggi (R) district
9
Elections
• Primary elections (08’
elections)
– January 14: Iowa caucuses
– January 19: Nevada caucuses South Carolina primary
– January 22: New Hampshire primary
Wyoming caucuses
– January 29: Florida primary
South Carolina primary
– February 1: Maine caucuses
– February 5th – Super Tuesday (PA is considering)
– *****Or Sooner!
• D/R summer CONVENTIONS
– Party officially recognizes winner of primaries
• General Elections
– First Tuesday after the first Monday in November
The Judicial Branch &
The Supreme Court
Checks and Balances
Article III
• The Judicial Branch was
established by the Constitution
to provide a final check on both
the Legislative and Executive
branches.
• In any federal issue, the courts
are the final interpreter of the
Constitutionality of any law.
The same applies to states
and their constitutions.
The Finality of the Supreme
Court
• The Supreme Court is
the Highest
Constitutional
authority in the land.
• They interpret the
wording of the original
document and all it’s
amendments.
The Court
The Judicial Branch
• Chief Justice
– John Roberts
• Appt. by G.W. Bush
– Head of Judicial
branch
– Highest Judicial officer
in the country
– Presides over
presidential
impeachments
John Paul Stevens
(Ford)
Samuel Alito
(Bush)
Anthony
Kennedy
(Reagan)
Antonin Scalia
(Reagan)
Sonia Sotomayor
(Obama)
Clarence Thomas
(Papa Bush)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
(Clinton)
Stephen Breyer
(Clinton)