Government 101

Campaign season is in full swing. In just over a year, it is going to be time to elect a new President of the United States. That is a lot of responsibility! Are you ready? Well, you don’t have to be yet, you still have an entire year to prepare. As part of that preparation, why don’t we take some time to brush up on some of the basics of government? We will start with the basics and talk about the three major branches of government.

The Executive Branch

The Executive Branch of government is probably also the most well know. It is in charge of the daily administration of the government. The Executive Branch of government does not have the ability to create laws, but it does have the ability to enforce them. The leader of the executive branch of government is none other than the President himself. The executive branch has a few special powers, like the ability to veto or give executive orders.

The Legislative Branch

The Legislative Branch may be better known by most people as congress. Its primary job is to pass laws. It is divided into two branches of its own, known as the Senate, and the House of Representatives. The Senate has 100 members, 2 from each states. The House has 435 members. States with large populations have more representatives in the house than those with smaller populations. The leader of the House of Representative is called the Speaker. Until recently, John Boehner held this spot.

The Judicial Branch

The third and final major branch of government the Judicial branch makes up the court system of the United States. The highest court in the land is the Supreme Court of the United States of America. Ninejustices sit on the Supreme Court at any one time. Their primary job is to uphold the constitution. The decisions of the Supreme Court set precedents upon which the rest of the legal system is built.