1. State Government
North Carolina

2. North Carolina’s Constitution
Divided into 14 articles
Article I- Declaration of Rights
Article II-Legislative Branch
Article III-Executive Branch
Article IV-Judicial Branch
Considered a “Flexible Constitution”
Based on certain principles such as:
Popular Sovereignty
Limited Government
Separation of Powers
Checks and Balances
Federalism
Cardinal says:
NC has had 3 Constitutions!!

3. Federalism What is Federalism? Why is Federalism important?
Power is shared by both the national governments and the state governments.
Why is Federalism important?
Ensures state governments have power to make laws specific to their state.
10th Amendments gives states reserved powers.
Reserved powers are not listed in the US Constitution.

4. Public Policy What is Public Policy?
Government response to public issues.
State handles the majority of public policies.
Decisions made by State and Local governments affect a person’s life more directly.
Examples???

5. North Carolina Legislature
Bicameral Legislature known as the General Assembly
General Assembly is divided into two chambers:
House of Representatives
120 members
Senate
50 members
General Assembly’s job is to MAKE LAWS
Use the same committee process found on the national level

6. Citizen Participation
Citizens may participate in the law making process through referendums.
Referendum
Allows citizens to vote directly on whether to approve or disapprove of a proposed law.
Vote on General Assembly members.

7. Electing State Legislators
Seats in the legislature are apportioned.
Apportionment
Dividing a state into districts based on the state census.
Each Legislative member represents a district.

8. Executive Branch Governor is the chief executive of a state.
Job: Enforce the law
Elected by the people to four year terms
Lieutenant Governor is second in charge after the governor.

9. Roles of the Governor Commander in Chief Economic Role
In charge of North Carolina National Guard
Economic Role
Prepares the state’s budget
Legislative Role
Introduce bills
Veto power
Does not have the line-item veto
Judicial Role
Alter the sentencing of the convicted
Pardon
commute

10. North Carolina Courts
Make sure laws passed by the General Assembly are constitutional.
NC Judicial branch gained judicial review in the court case Bayard vs. Singleton.

11. Structure of State Courts
NC courts are organized into separate divisions.
Trial Division
District Courts
Hear misdemeanors and criminal cases
Superior Courts
Hears criminal cases exceeding 10,000 dollars.
Appellate Division
Appeals Court
Hears appeals from District and Superior Courts
Known as an “Intermediate Appeals Court”
North Carolina Supreme Court
Highest court in NC
Interprets the Constitution, Appeals cases, and hears cases involving the death penalty.

12. Important NC Supreme Court Cases
Bayard vs. Singleton
Gave NC Supreme Court judicial review
State vs. Mann
North Carolina Supreme Court case ruling that slaves were property.
Overturned by the 13th amendment
Leandro vs. North Carolina
States each child is guaranteed a sound basic education through adequate funding from local government.