POL 101 - Mod 2, Lec 3

POL 101 – Design of the U.S. Constitution  Article 1: Legislative Branch o Congress Bicameral – House of Representatives and Senate o Enumerated powers for Congress – tax, regulate commerce, coin money, declare war, and others o Implied powers  Elastic Clause o Commerce clause  Article 2: Executive Branch o Designing and executive was challenging o Selection method, term of office controversial o Establishes powers, including: commander-in-chief, negotiating treaties, appointments, receiving ambassadors, veto o Take Care Clause  Article 3: Judicial Branch o SCOTUS original jurisdiction o Doesn’t specify number of judges, qualifications o Congress can set up other federal courts o Congress can’t lower judicial salaries while a judge holds office o Judicial Review – Marbury v. Madison  Quick quiz 1 o _________ gives Congress the power to _________.  Article 1; make the laws  Quick quiz 2 o ______ gives the president the power to _______.  Article 2; enforce the laws  Other Articles o Article 4 – Full faith and credit clause  States honor laws of another state o Article 6 – Supremacy clause  Federal law is supreme  Quick quiz 3 o The Supremacy Clause establishes which of the following:  National law supersedes laws passed by the state governments  Amending the Constitution o Two-step process:  Proposal : 2/3 each house, or 2/3 of state legislatures for national convention  Ratification : ¾ state legislatures or ¾ state of conventions o Informally “amending”  Quick quiz 4 o Amending the Constitution requires which of the following?  None of the above  Key elements of the Constitution o Preamble came last – “we the people” o Separation of Powers o Checks and Balances o Federalism  Separation of Powers