Structure of MS Government Chapter 6

Structure of MS Government Three Branches Legislative – makes/passes the laws Bicameral – 2 houses House of Representatives Senate Executive – enforces the laws By signing the bill or by veto (rejecting it) Governor and Lieutenant Governor Judicial – determines if the law is constitutional and the laws meaning Ex: Supreme Court

Structure of MS Government Checks and Balances – a system to ensure that one branch does not have more power than another No one can serve in more than one branch at the same time

Legislature

Legislature House of Representatives 122 members based on districts Requirements 21 years old Registered voter Live in MS for 4 yrs. and their district for 2 yrs. Speaker of the House Is the leader The most powerful person in the house Duties Appoint committee members Refer bills to a committee

Legislature Senate 52 members Requirements 25 years old Registered Voter Live in MS for 4 yrs. in their district for 2 yrs. Lieutenant governor Leader of the Senate Duties are the same as the speaker of the House except they only vote if there is a tie

Legislative Both Houses Elected to 4 year terms No term limits Serve January to May

Executive Members of this branch work full time Governor Requirements 30 years old US citizen for 20 years Resident of MS for 5 years Can serve up to 2, 4 year terms Can influence a bill in the following ways Work with members of Congress Accept or reject it (by signing or by veto)

Executive Lieutenant Governor Same qualifications as the Governor Has no term limits Main job it to be over the Senate If the governor dies he/she becomes governor

Executive Secretary of State State Treasurer State Auditor Keeps the state’s records (ex: elections) Manages the 16th section land 16th section is set aside for public schools 4 year terms State Treasurer Manages the states money 4 year term State Auditor Checks the financial accounts of state agencies State Attorney General Lawyer for the state

Judicial Contains the court system Jurisdiction – an area that a court serves There are two types of cases Civil – suing, divorces, adoptions, and other family matters Criminal – murder, robbery, and other crimes There are two types of courts in MS Circuit court – criminal cases with a judge and jury Chancery court – civil court with a single judge making the decisions To be a judge in the chancery and circuit courts: 26 Practicing lawyer

Judicial Court of Appeals MS Supreme Court Created to relieve the burden of the MS Supreme Court The Supreme Court of MS sends cases for them to hear Their decision is final They do not determine guilt or innocence MS Supreme Court The highest court in MS Has nine justices that serve 8 year terms Does not determine innocence or guilt

Judicial Performance Commission – judges can be impeached and removed from office with 3/5 vote from Congress Impeached – charged with a crime MS Judicial Performance Commission – disciplines judges for bad conduct not serious enough for impeachment All state judges are elected

Federal Courts in MS Federal courts in MS only deal with US law Northern District Southern District All Federal Judges are appointed for life

US Senate Every state elects 2 senators Serve 6 year terms (no limits)

US House of Representatives Each state elects a specific number based on their population MS has 4 Census – population count taken every 10 years Serve 2 year terms with no limits