Three Branches of Government

The Judicial Branch

• The judicial branch of government is made up of the court system. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. It was established by the Constitution. Other federal courts were established by Congress.
• Courts decide arguments about:
• The meaning of laws
• How laws are applied
• Whether laws break the rules
• of the Constitution

• Lesson 2

The Supreme Court

• Lesson 2

• The Supreme Court hears cases that have made their way through the lower court system.
• There are more than 7,500 cases sent to the Supreme Court each year.
• Only about 80 to 100 cases are actually accepted.
• There are nine Supreme Court Justices, one of the nine being the Chief Justice.
• The Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President, approved by the Senate, and can serve for life.

The Legislative Branch

• House
• of
• Representatives

• Senate

• The U.S. Congress is made up of two parts, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress meets at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Its primary duty is to write, debate, and pass bills, which are then passed on to the President for approval to become laws.

• Lesson 2

The House of Representatives

• In the House, representation is based on the number of people living in each state.
• Therefore, states with larger populations have more representation than states with smaller populations. Each state has at least one representative in the House.
• Pennsylvania 19 Delaware 1

• Lesson 2

House of Representatives

• Each representative serves a term of 2 years. When the term is over, people from that state may choose to elect a new representative or keep the same one.
• Thinking of running for Representative from your state? You must:
• Be at least 25 years old
• Be a U.S. citizen for the past 7 years
• Live in the state you represent

• Lesson 2