Judges and our Judicial System

What role do judges and the judicial system play in supporting freedom?

First it is important to know that we have a dual court system. The federal court handles criminal laws that deal with the federal laws. Not only does the federal court hear the criminal laws, but they also hear civil or noncriminal complaints in more than one state. The other court is the state court that hears all the rest.

The Supreme Court is at the top of our judicial system. It supports our freedom by protecting our businesses from government regulation, but they also limit the reach of antitrust laws and restricted the ability of unions to organize and to strike.  There are seven judges that are often call justices that sit on the Supreme Court.   The Supreme Court deals with the specialty cases.  The Supreme Court does help protect the citizens by deciding what is wrong and right.  For example in the South there was a lot of segregation and when it went to the Supreme Court it was decided that this was wrong to treat citizens of different color this way.  The judges are appointed that are not normally sitting in on specialty cases and are chosen by the President. Traffic tickets, small claims, municipal, and family cases are handled by the State Judicial.

When I think of judges and our judicial system I think of playing by the rules and deciding what action to take.  I believe our judicial system has been set in place for a long time, and remains the same.  When dealing with federal courts which was established by the United States and limits what kind of cases can be brought in ant federal court.

How can the federal court help support our freedom more?

Here is a picture of the first Latina appointed to the Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor.

Congress

How does the U.S. Congress, as it exists in its current structure, support and/or limit authentic representation?

First it is important that we understand what Congress does and how it is represented. The Congress has a certain structure represented by the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Senate represents the states and this where each state elects a senator and the House of Representatives represent the districts that are within the states. The House of Representatives serve 2 years and Senators serve 6 years. Within both of the chambers there is a different election process for instance the House of Representatives is elected by popular vote and the Senate is elected by the various state legislatures. The book states that to this day the Congress is mostly responsive to groups with wealth and power and I believe this is a huge frustration amongst the American citizens. What I also found disturbing is that Congressional candidates are asking for money, appealing to lobbyists, and attending fundraisers. I think that the current structure should be changed to support the needs of the American people and open their eyes to more than just wealth and power.

With this being said about Congress I want to shift gears to a topic where it is sad and really makes you think about Congress and Washington today.  Friday March 11^th, 2011 JeffCo School District announced a 40 Million budget cut.  This budget cut will take 3% away from each teacher’s salary and at the end of the school year 110 teachers in this district alone will be jobless.  There will be a few elementary schools closing and programs will be eliminated.  Each student who uses the school’s bus system will be charged $150.  They say there are many more budget cuts to come in the next three years.  Here is the video:

http://www.9news.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=823019899001

Why are teachers increasingly losing their jobs, but NFL players and owners are arguing about money?

In what ways does the U.S. Presidency support and limit the formation of an ideal democracy?

The presidency as an institution expanded when corporate capitalism developed and federal government grew in both power and size. This led to federal government increases in that federal law could regulate the firm’s behavior that now operates nationally. The federal government became in charge of economic management. Third the federal government created a welfare state and lastly federal government grew in response to the global character of corporate capitalism and how the US became globally powerful. The President contributes to the federal government and makes decisions. The U.S. Presidency has power amongst members of Congress, their standing with the media, and their popularity amongst American citizens. The President of the United States is both head of state and head of government. The President also manages the executive branch which helps influence how federal policy is interpreted and implemented.

The President has a major impact in foreign policy.  First he is the still the Commander in Chief of Armed Forces.  Second the President can uses crises to focus attention on Congress and their office where this does not allow the Congress to challenge it.  Third the president is still in control over foreign affairs and information regarding foreign affairs.  Lastly the President has huge staff resources that can help defend him to the media. 

Resources:

Katznelson, Ira, Mark Kesselman, and Alan Draper. The Politics of Power: a Critical Introduction to American Government. Belmont, CA: Thomson Higher Education, 2006. Print.

The Electoral College is America’s voting system and even if a candidate wins popular vote he or she must win the state’s electoral vote to be the next President.  Here are a few resources that show what states are mostly Republican and Democrat and what their electoral vote is.

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/historical.html

What are your predictions for the 2012 Presidential elections?  What states will change parties or grow with their current party?