This week we are to write about the Judicial Branch. I have chosen the high and almighty U.S. Supreme Court. Section 1 of Article III of The Constitution states that there should be a sole high court, the Supreme Court, that shall have the vested judicial powers of the United States. (The Constitution) The Federal Judiciary Act of 1789 was the landmark statute that was introduced in the first session of the United States Congress. The Judiciary Act established the United States Federal Judicial Branch. Many feared that establishing all judicial powers into a single court would leave the door wide open for tyranny. Not knowing that the three branches of government have a pretty good checks and balance system. The Act would give the Supreme Court
Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government that represents the American people. The United States Congress has many roles such as making laws, implementing national policy and viewing over the other two branches of government. These are a couple of obligations the Congress has. Although they are essential to our government, there are potential problems which includes corruption, inefficiencies and equal representation. Individuals are not generally happy with the time span engaged with passing a law as well as the halt Congress put on some issues.
1.) The legislative branch basically conceives the law while the executive I believe, is the main enforcer after the president signs whatever reform/bill into law. So, I guess I 'll go with the Executive Branch since it is home to the Department of State because its our foreign ministry.
What is actually happening is allowing Supreme Court justices to serve for life. An article stated that “by making new appointments less frequent, longer tenure has diminished the abilities of presidents and senators to provide the only form of democratic accountability that is consistent with judicial independence,” (Jr., Stuart Taylor. ). William Douglas, who has set record for Supreme Court tenure (almost 37 years) who has cast the deciding vote, along with Hugo Black who retired at the age of 85 and Thurgood Marshall who retired at the age of 83. “ I’m getting old and falling apart,” Marshall said on his last day (Jr., Stuart Taylor. ). That’s why it is better to bring fresh perspectives, and especially those people who understand the
Gerrymandering is a process where the ruling political party uses the map of their state to draw lines that create voting districts in favor of their party. The result of this is that it doesn’t reflect the voters political views. For about 200 years the government has used gerrymandering during political elections and it continues to be used today (King, Elizabeth) . But recently gerrymandering has become more controversial because people feel that it has taken away their rights as a voter and it swings the votes to one side by a big percentage. Current cases are before the courts to decide if gerrymandering is legal. Some states have been discussing whether it should still be allowed during elections. “Many efforts are underway to remedy this political
In addition to judicial selection methods, at the federal level, the president and senate get to appoint seats to judges, in which they will have for life. In my opinion, I think this selection method is good to some extent because I trust that the president and senate have good judgment when it comes to picking judges that will be independent, fair, and accountable. At the state level, electing judges varies from state to state. In
A grand jury is composed of twelve people, to determine if there is enough evidence to send an accused individual to trial. Although they may not determine if the accused individual is guilty or not, they can issue a formal document saying there is enough evidence for the prosecutor to take the accused to trial also known as an indictment. According to, Texas Politics Today, “a grand jury may return indictments simply because the district attorney asks them to.” Which in the end is not fair, because the jury may believe that there is not enough sufficient evidence, but because they feel pressured they issue an indictment. In theory, grand juries sound like they are for the common good, but in reality they return ninety- five percent of cases, that have been brought to them.
Political parties have been a controversial topic for a long time, even when the United States were just beginning. However, in the early days of the United States political parties were not the best thing for the new government. The parties often caused rivalries to form, and people could end up hating others just because they had different political ideas. Political parties would make people lie; they would cause people to get hurt; the government would also be negatively affected.
Let us break down what justice is; justice is behaviour that is just or fair. So the justice system is the system that enforces the law which involves apprehending the accused, prosecuting the accused, defending the accused, sentencing and punishing the guilty. The justice system makes sure that every citizen is heard for and is helped according to what has happened to them.
Specialized courts are commonly known as the problem-solving courts that promote positive reinforcement, support behavior modification, decrease victimization, and reduce recidivism. Examples of specialized courts include drug court and mental health courts. A community might benefit from establishing a specialized court such as a drug court because it follows a comprehensive model that concentrates on reducing criminal actions through treatment and rehabilitation services with the focus being on substance abuse addiction and identifying the cause without jeopardizing public safety and due process (Specialized Courts, 2013).
The process for electing a federal judge is both a simple, yet complicated one. A number of things take place between the need for a nominee and the appointment to a position. The basis for the nomination and appointment of federal judges and Supreme Court Justices is the Appointments Clause (Article II, Section 2, Clause 2) of the United States Constitution:
In advising the Chief Justice, it is obvious that the voting districts should be redrawn for a multitude of reasons. As the system of drawing districts stands, it is highly vulnerable to corruption for the party in power, as they are the ones deciding the districts. Concurrently, those in power are incentivized to maintain their power through any means necessary; which, in a democracy, is obtaining the most votes. Because it is extremely difficult determining whether or not the drawing of a district is preferential to one party over another is, the risk to those in power is minimal while the potential payout is high. Thus, short of any moral reasoning to stop them, the likelihood of someone gaming the design of voting districts is high. Given
On March 3, Adams, in an attempt to prevent the incoming Democratic-Republican Congress and administration, appointed 16 Federalist circuit judges and 42 Federalist justices of the peace to offices created by the Judiciary Act of 1801. There
Diversity has been recognised as a valuable initiative in the advancement of a workplace, however recent studies in England and Wales show that the judiciary remains largely imbalanced . For decades diversity has been a central matter within the legal sphere but according to a recent report by the Council of Europe published at the end of 2014, women only make up 25% of judges in England and Wales and to this day, Lady Hale remains the only representative for women in the Supreme Court . Furthermore, diversity statistics in 2015 concluded that the percentage of BME judges remains unchanged at 7%. Damning statistics such as these prove that the judiciary is currently in a detrimental situation, particularly because diversifying the workplace encourages innovation:
We enjoy our ability to exercise our rights in the voting booth. With that in mind, electing judges serves the will of the people and makes us feel as though we have a measured amount of control over the judicial system. This requires judicial candidates to expose their lives to public scrutiny and represent their voting pool. Conversely, appointed judges would have an easier time concealing truths about themselves that they would prefer the public not see. Favors among close circles of officials are likely easier to be traded in secret. They also have a higher expectation of privacy for themselves that comes from not bearing the weight of a campaign.