Directions American Documents Unit / Constitution, the Three Branches of Government: Read through all of the following carefully. Answer every question that is in bold and labeled Answer this for your teacher. Any other questions are aimed at trying to aid you in understanding the document. There are a total of 6 questions to which you must respond. For optimal credit your answers should be in complete sentences and should be thorough and thoughtful.

The Constitution: The Three Branches of Government

Background

One of the most persistent and overarching complaints the American colonists had about the rule of the British monarchy was the extent of its power. One of the most persistent and overarching complaints about the early government of the U.S. under the Articles of Confederation was the weakness of the federal government. Attempting to form a more perfect union, the framers of the Constitution designed a government that clearly assigned power to three branches, while at the same time guaranteeing that the power of any branch could be checked by another.

As indicated by the long list of complaints in the Declaration of Independence, the unlimited power of the British monarch was a focus of colonists' concerns in 1776. In response to the abuses of the unchecked king, the fledging government under the Articles of Confederation featured a very weak central government. In the power vacuum that developed as a result, state legislatures (whose power had been extended originally as a response to fears about a tyrannical king) began to exert themselves. By 1787, the overreaching and abuses of the state legislatures were causing increasing concern among the colonists. The colonists had other motives for the system of checks and balances, other than animosity toward George III. Suspicions about the potential abuse of power extended to legislative as well as executive branches. Because the potential for abuse is present in any branch of government, each needs sufficient power to check the other.

This is exactly the point James Madison makes in Federalist Papers No. 48. He notes that "the legislative department is everywhere extending the sphere of its activity, and drawing all power into its impetuous vortex." The founders of the American states, he says, "seem never for a moment to have turned their eyes from the danger to liberty from the overgrown and all-grasping prerogative of an hereditary magistrate" and therefore overlooked "the danger from legislative usurpations, which, by assembling all power in the same hands, must lead to the same tyranny as is threatened by executive usurpations."

Answer this question for your teacher: What are some of the reasons that the Founding Fathers wanted to create three branches of government?

Learning Objectives After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to: • Name the three branches of our government.• Give examples of how each branch can check the others.

Guiding Question: What are some ways the three branches of our government check one another?

Review

Check it out! “No More Kings” by Schoolhouse RockListen to and read the lyrics for “No More Kings” http://www.school-house-rock.com/King.html

Answer this question for your teacher: According to the lyrics, what problems did the colonists have with British rule? What other problems are you aware of? How did the colonists attempt to solve the problems? How was the government for the new United States of America different from the British government?

Check it out! “Three Ring Government” by Schoolhouse RockListen to and read the lyrics for "Three-Ring Government" .http://www.school-house-rock.com/Thre.html

Answer this question for your teacher: What do the lyrics explain about the three branches of our government? What are the three branches? What is the main responsibility of each?

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Article I of the Constitution / The Legislative Branch

SECTION. 1. All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

SECTION. 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three. When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies. The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers;and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

SECTION. 3. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote. Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year;and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies. No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided. The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States. The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present. Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall

nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

SECTION. 4. The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.

SECTION. 5. Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members,and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide. Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member. Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal. Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

SECTION. 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place. No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.

SECTION. 7. All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills. Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by Yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law. Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.

SECTION. 8. The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; To establish Post Offices and post Roads; To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries; To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations; To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; To provide and maintain a Navy; To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards and other needful Buildings;-And To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

SECTION. 9. The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person. The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus (Literally “Bring the Body.” The accused has the right to know the evidence against him/her) shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it. No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before directed to be taken. No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State. No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of

another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another. No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time. No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

SECTION. 10. No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility. No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress. No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay. As explained in The Words We Live By by Linda Monk:The duty of the legislative branch is to make the laws. Congress is the only branch of the U.S. government that existed prior to the Constitution, although it took a different form. The framers of the Constitution expected that Congress would overshadow the newly created executive and judicial branches, and they spelled out its powers in considerable detail. They also placed explicit limits on the powers of Congress, to balance its weight against the other branches. Thus, Article I is the longest part of the Constitution—longer than Articles II and III combined, which cover both the executive and the judiciary.

Article I contains the laundry list of federal powers—among them to collect taxes, borrow money, regulate commerce, establish post offices, and declare war. It also allows Congress to make all laws “necessary and proper” for carrying out the powers specifically granted, a broad source of authority in the modern regulatory state. Article I holds two compromises that were essential to the formation of the Union: equal representation of the states in the Senate, and the valuation of a slave as three-fifths of a person.

Answer this question for your teacher: What are the requirements to be in the House of Representatives? the Senate? How long a term does a congress person serve? A senator? What powers does the Congress have (list at least 10) ?

Article II of the Constitution / The Executive Branch“In America, anyone can become president. That’s one of the risks you take.”

~ Adlai Stevenson

SECTION. 1. The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President. The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected. The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them. Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

SECTION. 2. The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their

respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments. The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

SECTION. 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

SECTION. 4. The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

As explained in The Words We Live By by Linda Monk:

The method of selecting the president was resolved late in the Constitutional Convention. The delegates disagreed over whether the president should be chosen by the legislature or by popular election. George Mason, a delegate from Virginia and author of that state’s bill of rights, argued that “it would be as unnatural to refer the choice of a proper character for chief magistrate to the people as it would to refer a trial of colors to a blind man.”

The framers agreed on a compromise for choosing the president: the electoral college. Each state would appoint electors, equal to the number of its congressional delegation, who would then vote for president. The underlying assumption of the electoral college was that, in a nation as large as America, the citizenry would not be able to make an informed choice. Instead, elite electors would choose the president in a deliberative atmosphere, free from intrigue and coercion. One problem with this theory was that the electoral college did not meet as one body, but rather as delegations in their respective states. To ensure the independence of the president, no member of Congress or federal officeholder was allowed to serve as an elector. But the electoral college never operated as the framers intended, quickly becoming a mere rubber stamp—in most cases—for the popular vote.

However, Article II clearly vests the power to select the president in the states, not the people. There is no constitutional right for individual citizens to vote for president. The framers of the Constitution chose not to establish a national standard for voter eligibility or participation in presidential elections. Individual states can choose their electors through a popular election—or not. Beginning with Pennsylvania in 1788, an increasing number of states gradually allowed citizens to vote for presidential electors. Now all states do.

But can a state reclaim its power to choose electors once it delegates that choice to a popular vote? The 2000 presidential election highlighted this question, when the Florida legislature considered selecting its own slate of

electors—if the Florida Supreme Court’s decision to order a hand recount of ballots overturned George Bush’s initial victory in the machine recount. In the U.S. Supreme Court case that ensued, Bush v. Gore (2000), a majority of the Court stated that under Article II a legislature could take back the power to appoint electors at any time. The Court also ruled that the hand recount procedure treated voters unequally and violated the Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court ordered the hand recount of Florida ballots to stop. For the first time in American history, a U.S. Supreme Court decision determined the winner of a presidential election.

The 2000 election, where George W. Bush lost the popular vote but won the presidency, once again raised challenges to the electoral college. Some scholars believe that the electoral college is an outdated relic of slavery and anti-democratic forces. They argue that a constitutional amendment to establish the direct election of the president by the people is more consistent with the democratic system of “one person, one vote.” Under the current electoral college system, one electoral vote represents 232,000 people in South Dakota, whereas in New York it represents 550,000. But supporters of the electoral college contend that it is essential to preserving the role of the states in the federal system—similar to the states’ equal representation in the Senate, regardless of population. Without the electoral college, they argue, candidates would pay attention only to national issues, and regional differences would disappear.

One possible solution to the electoral college dilemma is to award extra electoral votes to the winner of the popular election. Proponents of this “national bonus” plan argue that it preserves a role for small states and thus is more likely than direct election to become a constitutional amendment. Such amendments must be approved by three-fourths of the states, and small states would probably block ratification of an amendment to abolish the electoral college entirely. Indeed, reform of the electoral college has been the most frequently proposed constitutional

amendment, but it has never received the necessary two-thirds majority to pass Congress and then be submitted to the states for ratification.

Another proposed reform to the electoral college is to award electoral votes by congressional district, with two additional votes awarded to the statewide winner—as do Nebraska and Maine. All other states in the 2000 election used the “winner take all” system of awarding electoral votes, which can further distort the difference between the popular and the electoral vote. Still another alternative is to award electoral votes proportionally according to the popular vote—meaning that third parties would have more power to shape coalition governments, as in many European nations.

Because Article II awards electoral votes to states, millions of American citizens are not eligible to vote for president. Citizens of U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam cannot officially vote in presidential elections. The Twenty-third Amendment gave the District of Columbia three electoral votes, as though it were a state, but Congress—not the local government—determines how those electors are chosen.

Answer this question for your teacher: What are the requirements to be President (Executive Branch)? What powers does the President have (list at least 10) ? How long a term does the President serve? Why is there an electoral college? What purpose was it supposed to serve? What happened for the first time ever during the 2000 presidential election between George Bush and Al Gore? Which American citizens are not eligible to vote because of Article II? Do you think that’s fair? Why?

Article III of the Constitution / The Judicial Branch“We are under a Constitution, but the Constitution is what the judges say it is.” ~ Charles Evans Hughes

SECTION. 1. The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.

SECTION. 2. The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;--to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;--to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;--to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;--to Controversies between two or more States;--between a State and Citizens of another State;--between Citizens of different States;--between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects. In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make. The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment; shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed.

SECTION. 3. Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

As explained in The Words We Live By by Linda Monk:What is the nature of the judicial power? Article III doesn’t really say. There was no national judiciary under the Articles of Confederation, so the framers of the Constitution were working from scratch. The essence of the judicial power is to interpret the laws. However, Article III makes no mention of judicial review, the third branch’s greatest power. Several of the framers implied the idea of judicial review in their comments at the Constitutional Convention—although it was not specifically debated. But as Alexander Hamilton made clear in Federalist 78, the power of judicial review was anticipated even before the Constitution was ratified. Hamilton declared that the judiciary was the “least dangerous” branch of government, because it had neither the legislature’s power of the purse nor the executive’s power of the sword—it had “neither force nor will but merely judgment.” However, many Americans throughout history have disagreed with Hamilton, because unelected judges have the power to overturn the decisions of elected officials. And yet, argued Hamilton, even though unelected, the judiciary was the true guardian of the ultimate will of the people: the Constitution.

In Marbury v. Madison(1803), the Supreme Court established the power of judicial review for federal judges. In that case, Chief Justice John Marshall faced the consequences of his own carelessness as secretary of state under President John Adams. (Today, Marshall would have been forced to recuse himself due to a conflict of interest.) Marshall had neglected to deliver several last-minute judicial commissions Adams issued as he was leaving office.

The new secretary of state, James Madison—appointed by Marshall’s political and constitutional adversary, Thomas Jefferson—refused to honor some of these “midnight appointments.”

Now a frustrated office seeker, William Marbury brought suit under the Judiciary Act of 1789 to force Madison to deliver his commission as justice of the peace for the District of Columbia. Under the terms of the act, Marbury could go straight to the Supreme Court as part of its original jurisdiction, rather than appealing through the lower courts. However, as Chief Justice Marshall and a unanimous Court declared, Congress could not amend the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court—as set forth in Section 2 of Article III—without amending the Constitution. For the first time, an act of Congress was declared unconstitutional by the judiciary.

In Marbury,Chief Justice Marshall wrote: “It is, emphatically, the province and duty of the judicial department, to say what the law is.” Did Marshall mean that judges, through judicial review, have the final word on the meaning of the Constitution? This question sparked debate even in Marshall’s time, although public reaction to the Marbury decision was favorable overall. Both Jefferson and James Madison argued in the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions, passed to oppose a 1798 federal law prohibiting criticism of the government, that states had the power to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. Similarly, President Andrew Jackson asserted his power of constitutional interpretation by refusing to carry out a Supreme Court decision about the Cherokee Nation, allegedly saying: “John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it.” Abraham Lincoln also argued in his first inaugural address that the Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) decision did not settle forever U.S. policy on the question of slavery in the federal territories.

The Supreme Court did not explicitly declare itself to be the final authority on the meaning of the Constitution until Cooper v. Aaron (1958). In that case, the Court denied the power of the governor of Arkansas to oppose its desegregation decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954). The unanimous Court said in Cooper that the Marbury decision had established the principle that “the federal judiciary is supreme in the exposition of the law of the Constitution.” The court reiterated its position as “ultimate interpreter of the Constitution” in Baker v. Carr (1962) and United States v. Nixon(1974).

The Constitution does not mean only what the judges say it means.... Its meaning to Congress, the President, state government, and citizens in general has been more important than its meaning within the narrow confines of the Supreme Court building.

Of course, the people have the final say about the meaning of the Constitution through their power to amend it. But that is a very difficult process. Until such amendment, the American system of judicial review gives judges a unique degree of power. In the words of historian Gordon Wood: “I do not know of any country in the world where judges wield as much power in shaping the contours of life as they do in the United States.”

Answer this question for your teacher: What are the requirements for judges? What powers do judges/the judiciary have? What is the most important power, according to Marbury v. Madison? Who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in this case? List several Supreme Court cases that reiterated that the Supreme Court is the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution. Do you think US judges should have as much power as they do? Why?