... justices. Justices have a term of eight years. Voters elect the justices. The Michigan Court of Appeals consists of nine judges, each serving a six year team. The court of appeals was set up because the Michigan Supreme court needed help with the large load of cases they faced each year. Circuit courts have general responsibilities. They deal with cases involving felonies and ... the first courts to begin a process of trying felonies. Michigans Judicial branch has a the job of interpreting the laws. They run the justice system of Michigan. Both the Michigan Government and our National G...

• Word Count: 1844
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... district courts(Encarta). Our state of Michigan has two district courts, located in Grand Rapids and Detroit. Congress has authorized about 650 judges to serve in these courts. All are nominated by the President of the U.S. Congress must confirm them before being appointed to their seats. District courts are ... majority leader. The Majority leader now schedules it for a floor debate. In the House of Representatives, the bill must go to the Rules Committee, to set the rules for debate. The Senate does not have a Rules Committee. After the floor debate, a vote is held. If the vote is a .....

• Word Count: 4055
• Approx Pages: 16
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... and Punishment is also a concern in Idaho. Idaho ranks very high among the states in domestic violence and child abuse. A counseling service was set up by the state to help with these problems. Using the Internet can even access the agency. The Idaho correctional facilities currently hold 5,500 ... -year terms. The commissioners and the other county officials may not serve more than two terms. Almost all cities of Idaho have a mayor-council form of government. Taxes and licenses provide almost sixty percent of the state government general revenue. Most of the rest comes from federal gran...

• Word Count: 1848
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Testing the limits of Power The Constitution played a unique role in the Supreme Court's development: ,It allocated and regulated power within the federal government, divided power between the federal and state governments, and restricted the power of the federal and state governments operation was unclear. Most governmental conflicts involving the Constitution eventually became lawsuits ... in passing economic laws, it began to review laws that restricted the personal rights of citizens. As the nation entered the 20th century, guarding the peoples" right...

• Word Count: 1623
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Texas vs. Johnson (1989) arises, most backing shifts away from complete freedom of speech. In the case, a Texan named Gregory Johnson set fire to an American flag during the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas in order to protest nuclear arms buildup; the decision was awarded ... be a citizen for at least nine years, and also reside in the state from which he is elected. While Representatives serve two year terms, Senators serve six year terms (Holder 23). The powers belonging to Congress can be classified as either economic or military. Economic powers include ... continue th...

• Word Count: 2367
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

... each body is run, the stricter rules, and the reputation one group holds as opposed to the other. Both houses serve a very distinct and integral part in our American Government, and it is important to be able to see the differences in both. The U.S. Congress and almost all the ... state legislatures are bicameral, meaning that there are two houses through which legislative initiatives must pass. At the federal level, these houses are the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. This system was set ... different issues as far as foreign affairs go. Another reason is because each...

• Word Count: 938
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... promotes administrative efficiency. The wide variety of services that citizens demand are delivered more efficiently without a large central bureaucracy. From public elementary education to garbage collection, the government closest to the problem seems to work best in adapting public programs to local needs. 3. Federalism encourages innovation. States and localities can customize their policies to accommodate diverse ... exist throughout the country, thus further encouraging experimentation and flexibility. 4. A federal System maximizes political participation in government. Citizens hav...

• Word Count: 1746
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... juveniles as an adult. Here is an analysis of the background, arguments, and outcome of the Kent V. United States case on how it affected the government's stance on trialing juveniles as adults. Morris A Kent Jr., a boy who was 16 years of age, was arrested by the police because he ... robbery, as well as alleged rape. After being tried, it was ruled that Kent needed to serve 15 year for each count to where he was found guilty. It was later ruled that he would serve a 30-90 year sentence in prison. Kent's attorney argued that the Juvenile court did not complete ... complications, it was...

• Word Count: 959
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. The bill of rights is the set of amendments to the constitution intended to secure these objectives for the individual citizens of the United States. The second amendment was written ... specific decisions are constitutionally the responsibility of individual states. The regulations placed on the ownership of guns fall into two categories. The first set of regulations is penalties and deterrents for those who should not have guns. Second is the regulations that help to protect...

• Word Count: 1996
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. The bill of rights is the set of amendments to the constitution intended to secure these objectives for the individual citizens of the United States. The second amendment was written ... specific decisions are constitutionally the responsibility of individual states. The regulations placed on the ownership of guns fall into two categories. The first set of regulations is penalties and deterrents for those who should not have guns. Second is the regulations that help to protect...

• Word Count: 2141
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... passing of laws, and social conscience. The case is one of the most influential cases in Supreme Court history. Chief Justice John Marshall established the doctrine of National Supremacy. National government is supreme over state governments. McCulloch vs. Maryland created the doctrine of "Implied Powers" that has become the cornerstone of American constitutional law. "This decision became the legal safeguard ... (2), p11). This case was the first test of the constitutionality of federally chartered banks and nationally issued paper currency. The Supreme Court case of McCulloch vs. Mary...

• Word Count: 1154
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... crucial to being an active and good citizen. If you don't vote, don't complain if you don't get something you want. Good citizens should live by the laws the government set out for them. The framers didn't spend all that time for people to disobey. If someone were caught in an illegal act, or people thought they were, they have ... a right to a trial by jury. That means a jury is selected from the public. If they were chosen to be on a jury, they ought to serve, for it is yet another duty that contributes to being a good citizen. A role model I believe that should be listed undereffectiv...

• Word Count: 1554
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... distant future. Laws were created for what was necessary and thought to be most logical, but later down the road a different set up would be needed. This type of government may have been effective as a temporary form of organization, but soon it came to a point where it needed to be ... provide the support to keep things under control without outside help. It also grant ability to require states to give money to a national government and to allow them each one vote in congress. It helped to maintain the relationship with the natives and to control affairs outside the country ... nation...

• Word Count: 1052
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

AP American Government From Confederation to the Constitution Constitution - a framework for settling political disputes. It "involves a set of fundamental rules and customary procedures designed to resolve political differences ... and make political decisions legitimate." There are two types - written and unwritten. In May 1787, delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia for the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. Philadelphia Convention. Rhode Island did not send a delegation. They feared a strong national government ... an unspecified number of people, to be s...

• Word Count: 1763
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... or a collage of fabric. Our flag has become a major symbol of expression allowing people to show emotion through opinions both patriotic and anti-government. In the history of our nation we have seen incidents of abuse towards our flag and it is this factor that has brought up the question ... of expression be protected by our first amendment rights? We as American people have the right to criticize, to challenge, and to replace the government if we wish. We should uphold these rights envisioned by our forefathers and maintain our nation as the free country they envisioned. We should rem...

• Word Count: 894
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... arrest warrant and probable cause is when a stop and frisk, a limited search, is involved. The case, Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed. 2d 889, 44 O.O. 2d 383 (1968), set precedents for officers to subject suspects to a pat-down search based on reasonable suspicion. Police may stop and question suspicious persons, pat them down for weapons to ensure their personal ... challenge the authority of the cops. His safety and the safety of his one-year-old son were in jeopardy by the very people who are supposed to protect and serve the citizens. The Fourteenth Amendment guaran...

• Word Count: 929
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... what is democratic and what is not. During the construction of the constitution the framers had no intention of forming a democracy in the true sense of the word that is "a government or country where everyone has the equal right to choose the leaders, by voting". The framers allowed for only white land owning males to vote. James Madison said, "Democracies have ... spectacles of turbulence and contention have ever been bound incompatible with personal security of the rights of property" no doubt he had little faith in democracy. Instead the framers set up a decentralized representative...

• Word Count: 813
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The writers of the US Constitution were determined to separate the powers of the federal government in to three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The prime function of the judicial branch is to interpret the law in ... foreign countries and U.S. citizens. Crimes that happen on ships at sea are called admiralty cases and are also held in federal court. Federal courts are set up on three levels. The lowest federal courts are the district courts, where most federal cases are heard first. The United States has 90 district courts ... one chief justice, appointed by the President with...

• Word Count: 802
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School