Separation of Powers GOVT 2305, Module 2

Review: Goals of Framers Democracy Make tyranny unlikely Note: A goal of the framers was not the creation of a political system capable of efficient action to solve the nation’s problems.

Review: Experiences of Framers Like British North American colonies before 1763 British North American colonies after 1763 Confederation government under the Articles Not like Not like Did the Americans like or not like each of these eras?

Baron de Montesquieu French political philosopher who lived in the 18th Century. He is most closely associated with the concept of separation of powers.

Montesquieu said . . . Executive power Legislative power What are they? Three types of political power No one person or group of people should exercise all three powers or liberty would be threatened Divide government into three branches Note: Separation of powers is the division of governmental power into executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Executive power Legislative power Judicial power

Separation of Powers The distribution of legislative, executive, and judicial powers to separate branches of government Separate institutions sharing power

The Legislative Branch What is it called? What are its components? What word describes a legislature with two chambers? How are states represented in the Senate? What is the length of a senator’s term? How do Senate elections work? How are states represented in the House? How do House elections work? Note: Sooner or later every one of these questions will show up on a test.

Legislative Branch The legislative branch of American national government is called Congress. It is bicameral with a House of Representatives and a Senate. Representation in the House is based on a state’s population as measured by the U.S. Census. In the Senate, each state has two members. According to the original Constitution, senators were chosen by state legislatures rather than popular election. The Seventeenth Amendment provided for direct popular election. Senators serve six-year terms with a third of the Senate standing for election every two years. In 2016, every member of the House and a third of the Senate must stand for election.

This information is critical as well. The Executive Branch Who heads it? What are some of the agencies in the executive branch of American national government? This information is critical as well.

Executive Branch The head of the executive branch is the president who is chosen by the Electoral College. The executive branch also includes the federal bureaucracy, which consists of hundreds of agencies, commissions, bureaus, administrations, and departments. These include, for example, the Department of State, Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and the Postal Service.

These points will also be on a test. Judicial Branch Let’s play word association-- I say judicial branch, you say . . . . What court is at the top of the judicial branch of American national government? These points will also be on a test.

Judicial Branch The judicial branch of American government consists of the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts that Congress has created. The Supreme Court is not the judicial branch in its entirety, but it is at its head.

Why did the framers of the Constitution want a judiciary insulated from electoral politics? Judicial Branch The judicial branch is insulated from electoral politics. Judges are appointed by the president with Senate confirmation. Judges serve for life “with good behavior.” Judges cannot have their pay reduced. The framers wanted to protect judges from political pressure so they would make their decisions based on the law and Constitution rather than politics.

What concept does this diagram depict? Big Picture What’s this? What concept does this diagram depict? Separation of powers Bicameral legislature

What You Have Learned What did Montesquieu say about governmental powers? What is separation of powers? What do we call a legislature with two houses? What are the three branches of government and how are they organized?