United States Government Branches
The three branches of U.S. government (legislative, executive, and judicial) are the foundation of the country. You may be surprised, however, at how few U.S. citizens understand or even recognize the basic duties and interactions of each branch in the lawmaking process. The meticulous separation of power between branches ensures no one branch outweighs another. As a student of constitutional law, it is essential to master these concepts.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Briefly review Chapter 1 in your course text, Constitutional Law. In your review, focus on the branches of the U.S. government.
Review Chapter 7, §7.1 - 7.3 in your course text, Constitutional Law: National Power and Federalism. Reflect on the separation of powers found in the U.S. Constitution. Consider why the founders would have incorporated separation of powers into the U.S. Constitution.
Review the article, "How Our Laws Are Made," to learn more about the U.S. lawmaking process.
For this discussion, you are assigned the executive branch of U.S. government.
Description of the executive branch of the government. Explain the power of the branch as delegated by the Constitution. Then, provide two examples of how the executive branch interacts with the other two branches. Finally, explain the impact of those interactions on the lawmaking process. Be specific.
Resources-
• Course Text: Kanovitz, J. R. (2012). Constitutional law for criminal justice (14th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge
Review Chapter 1, "History, Structure, and Content of the United States Constitution"
Course Text: Constitutional Law: National Power and Federalism
Chapter 5:
5.5, "The Power over Foreign Affairs"
Chapter 7:
7.1, "Introduction and Overview
7.2, "Checks and Balances' and the Commingling of Powers"
7.3, "Textual versus Structural or Functional Arguments"
Article: Richardson, E. L. (1989). Checks and balances in foreign relations. The American Journal of International Law, 83(4), 736-739.
Use the LexisNexis Academic database, and search using the article's title.
Article: Sullivan, J. V. (2007). How our laws are made (Document No. 110-49). Retrieved from the Library of Congress: THOMAS website: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html