warmup 3/19/12 why is it impossible for the federal government to handle certain types of issues...
TRANSCRIPT
Warmup 3/19/12
Why is it impossible for the Federal government to handle certain types of issues that arise in different states?
Unit VI – State and Local Government
Part I – North Carolina State Government
When did delegates first meet to write a constitution for North
Carolina?
1776
What did the Halifax Resolves Declare?
April 12, 1776
Called for total independence from Great Britain
How many Constitutions has North Carolina had?
3
When was the current NC Constitution adopted
1971
Constitution of 1776
Adopted Dec. 18, 1776 A Declaration of Rights Bicameral legislature Executive Branch Court System
Constitution of 1868
Abolished slavery All citizens 21 and older could vote
1971
Present Constitution adopted Guaranteed “all elections shall be free”
1972 Amendment
Lowered the voting age to 18
1977 Amendment
Governor permitted to serve two consecutive four year terms
1996 Amendment
Gave the governor the power to veto legislation
What does the Preamble to the NC Constitution promise to preserve?
“We, the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for the preservation of the American Union and the existence of our civil, political and religious liberties,…….”
What is the Declaration of Rights?
Article I of NC Constitution Lists 25 guaranteed freedoms
What rights is guaranteed to citizens in the NC Constitution that
is not guaranteed in the US Constitution?
Education
What principle of American democracy does Article I Section II
of NC’s Constitution support?
Popular Sovereignty
Article I Section 6 states “The legislative, executive, and supreme judicial powers of the State… shall forever be separate … from each
other”
Separation of Powers
What is one example of checks and balances established by the NC
Constitution? Governor can veto laws of General
Assembly General Assembly can override a veto
How can the NC Constitution be amended (changed)
In Article XIII (13) it states that power to amend the state constitution or adopt a new one rests with the people. All proposed amendments are submitted to the NC voters after being signed by the leaders of both houses of the state legislature (the General Assembly)
What is the structure of NC Government
Three Branches The Legislative Branch – makes laws The Executive Branch – enforces laws The Judicial Branch – interprets laws
Warm-up 3/20/12
Why does the state legislature need to constantly create new laws and rules for us to follow? (I.E. why are the first laws they created not
good enough anymore)
N.C. Legislative Branch
Called the General Assembly Bicameral – two chambers NC House of Representatives NC Senate
Powers of the General Assembly
Statutes: pass laws that apply to the entire state
Specific Laws: only apply to certain counties or cities
Legislative Oversight: determine how well laws are working
Appoint Officials: to important government positions (i.e. University of NC Board of Governors
Impeachment: can charge and remove state gov. officials
How a bill becomes a law in N.C.
Put these in order (pg 379): Governors signature Debate Approved Bill Goes to the other house Conference committee Refer to committee Draft bill Introduce the bill Bill signing by both houses
How is the General Assembly Organized?
NC House of Reps 120 Members Must be:
21 Years Old US Citizen Live in District 1 yr,
Leadership: Speaker of the
House
NC Senate 50 Members Must be:
25 Years Old US Citizen Live in NC 2 years Live in District 1 yr.
Leadership: Lieutenant Governor President Pro-
Tempore
Warmup 3/21/2012
Based on Friday’s assignment, how do state legislatures try to solve immigration issues?
N.C. Executive Branch
Chief Executive =
Governor
Qualifications
30 years oldUS Citizen 5 YearsNC Resident 2 Years
Term
4 YearsTerm Limit =Only 2 consecutive
Pat McCrory
2012-present
Lieutenant Governor Qualifications: Same as Governor Elected: Separately from the Governor Succession: becomes governor if office
becomes vacant Terms: 4 years Term Limits: Same as governor President of: The NC Senate
NC Council of State
8 Elected Officials that head state agencies
INDEPENDENT OF GOVERNOR
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Oversees the SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) – States lawyer
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Oversees the regulation of the state’s public school system
State Treasurer
Manages the states money
The Governors Cabinet
Appointed by governor and responsible to governor
Department of Administration
Shapes the state budget
Department of Revenue
Responsible for state taxes, licenses and fees (how the state makes money)
Department of Transportation
Manages the state’s roads, bridges, and waterways.
Chief Executive
Carries out state lawsAppoints officialsPrepares state budget
Legislative Leader
Proposes legislation, approves or vetoes legislation
Commander in Chief
In charge of military forces of the state
Judicial Leader
Offers Pardons – forgiveness for crimes
Grants Parole – early release from prison
Chief of State
Symbolic leader who speaks for the state
Party Leader
Leads his/her party at the state level
Warmup 10/23
Why do some laws get reinterpreted differently by later courts? I.E., why would the Supreme court of 1900 view a law differently from the Supreme Court in 2000?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZTNS54Vl1c&safe=active Romney's least presidential moment came when he criticized
Obama for overseeing a Navy that is too small, which Romney dramatized by noting that we have fewer ships today and "our Navy is smaller now than at any time since 1917."
Obama responded sarcastically. "I think Governor Romney maybe hasn’t spent enough time looking at how our military works. You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military’s changed," he said, growing even more snarky. "We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines. And so the question is not a game of Battleship, where we’re counting ships. It’s what are our capabilities."
The NC Judicial Branch
What is the primary role of the NC Judicial Brach
Resolve disputes that arise under NC state law
How does one become a NC judge?
They are elected by the citizens
What are the roles of the Supreme Court of NC?
Reviews lower court casesInterprets the state’s
constitution and laws
State v Mann (1830)
Decision:
A slaveholder could not be prosecuted for attacking the enslaved
Upheld the NC Constitution as highest law in state
Leandro v NC (1994)
“The people have a rights to the privilege of education, and it is the duty of the State to guard and maintain that right.”
NC Constitution
Leandro Decision
State does not require equal funding of education only an equal education
“At risk” children and schools require more resources
How are Juvenile cases handled in NC?
Juvenile –
in most states anyone under the age of
18 Juvenile Delinquent –
young people who commit crimes Purpose of the Juvenile Court System =
Rehabilitate
Two Types of Cases
Neglect
Juveniles whose caregivers neglect or abuse them
Delinquency
Cases involving juveniles who commit crimes
Differences between juveniles and adult justice?
No juries only a judge Closed to the public Identities are kept secret
Not fingerprinted Not photographed
If juvenile completes probation then charges are dropped and removed from record
Other Court Officials
Clerk of Superior Court Records wills and handles foreclosures
(selling some ones property to pay debts)
MagistratesIssues search and arrest warrants,
issues arraignments (charges) District Attorney Represents state in all criminal cases
Other Court Officials
Public DefenderRepresent low income defendants Jury18 Years or olderCitizen of state and resident of countyMentally and physically competentAble to understand EnglishNot been convicted of a felony