The United States implements the principle of separation of powers and checks and balances. Legislative, executive and judicial powers are in the hands of Congress, the President and the courts respectively. When the three departments exercise power, they check each other and achieve power checks and balances. Congress has legislative power, and the president has the right to veto bills passed by Congress. Congress has the power to override the president's veto under certain conditions. The president has the power to appoint senior officials, but must obtain the approval of the National Assembly, which has the power to impeach the president and senior civil servants in accordance with the law; judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court can declare a decision passed by the National Assembly as unconstitutional. law is invalid.
The United States is a federal country, a presidential system, a political system that combines separation of powers and checks and balances, and a two-party political party system.
Organizational form of political power
The United States implements a presidential system, and the president is the head of state and head of government.
The United States implements the principle of separation of powers and checks and balances. Legislative, executive and judicial powers are in the hands of Congress, the President and the courts respectively. When the three departments exercise power, they check each other and achieve power checks and balances. Congress has legislative power, and the president has the right to veto bills passed by Congress. Congress has the power to override the president's veto under certain conditions. The president has the power to appoint senior officials, but must obtain the approval of the National Assembly, which has the power to impeach the president and senior civil servants in accordance with the law; judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court can declare a decision passed by the National Assembly as unconstitutional. law is invalid.
State structure form
The United States is a confederate country. The Constitution of the United States of America promulgated in 1787 changed the national structure to a federal system. On the basis of establishing a unified federal power, the states still retain considerable autonomy.
The federation has the highest legislative, executive and judicial organs, but has a unified constitution and laws, and is the main body of international exchanges; each state has its own constitution, laws and government agencies; if the state constitution and laws are consistent with The federal constitution and laws conflict, and the federal constitution and laws take precedence over state constitutions and laws. The U.S. Constitution enumerates the powers enjoyed by the federal government, such as taxing, borrowing money, minting coins, maintaining an army, conducting diplomacy, and regulating interstate and international commerce. Other powers not enumerated in the Constitution shall be reserved to the State Governments unless expressly prohibited by the Constitution.
The power of the state is mainly to deal with internal affairs of the country, such as collecting taxes in the name of local areas, managing industry, commerce and labor in the country, organizing security forces and maintaining public order, etc. Over the past 200 years, the specific powers of federal central and local governments have been constantly changing.
Elective system
The US presidential election is an indirect election system. First, voters in each state vote for their own state's electors (a number equal to the number of members of their state's Congress), and then each state's electors simultaneously select the president and vice president in each state's capital.
Members of Congress are elected through direct election. Representatives are directly elected by state voters; senators are initially elected by state parliaments. The 1917th Amendment to the Constitution that took effect in 2003 stipulates that senators are also directly elected by state voters. In some states, governors, legislators, judges, and important administrative officials are elected by voters. Elections at all levels are generally run by the two parties. In order to ensure the dominance of the two parties, the "single-member constituency system" and the "majority representation system" are generally implemented.
Party System
The United States has a two-party system. Although the U.S. Constitution does not stipulate the status of political parties, political parties are an important part of the U.S. political system, and their influence permeates other political systems. The two-party system sprouted in the early days of the founding of the United States and was formally formed after the Civil War.
The main function of the two parties is to manipulate and arrange elections, especially presidential elections. Democrats and Republicans have long taken turns in power. In addition to the two major parties, there are other political parties in the United States, but they cannot affect the position of the two major parties to take turns in power.
Civil Rights System
The U.S. Constitution and laws stipulate that the power of the government comes from the people and ultimately belongs to the people; the power of the government is not absolute, but is limited by the Constitution and laws.
On the one hand, the federal constitution and laws stipulate that citizens enjoy freedoms such as personal protection, speech, publication, assembly, religious belief, private property rights and the right to vote; on the other hand, it stipulates that Congress shall not enact laws depriving citizens of speech, publication, The laws of freedom of peaceful assembly and petition shall prohibit unlawful searches or seizures of the persons, residences, papers, and property of citizens, and shall not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property except in accordance with due process established by law. In addition, state constitutions and laws also stipulate the rights of citizens. In fact, the rights of citizens are subject to the property owned by individuals, and only the bourgeoisie can enjoy full freedom rights.
Federal Legislature—Congress
The highest legislative body in the United States. It consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Congress exercises legislative power. Bills generally go through procedures such as proposal, committee review, and full house meeting. After passing the first hospital, he was sent to another hospital and went through the same procedures. The bill is passed by both houses and then submitted to the president for signature; if the president does not veto it, or if it is vetoed but is re-passed by two-thirds of the members of both houses, it officially becomes law. Congress also has other powers provided by the Constitution. For example, the power to declare war and amend the constitution. There are many committees in both houses, as well as joint committees composed of members of both houses. Most parliamentary work takes place in each committee.
The committee is divided into:
(1) The number of members of the Standing Committee of each congress is different, and the term of each congress is two years. Influential committees include: House Rules of Procedure, Taxation, Appropriations, Armed Services, Judiciary, and Foreign Affairs Committees, and Senate Foreign Affairs, Appropriations, Finance, Judiciary, and Armed Services Committees.
(2) Special investigation committees established to deal with temporary or specialized issues.
(3) When it is necessary to make decisions related to both houses, a joint committee should be established.
(4) Mediation Committee, whose task is to draft a bill acceptable to both parties. Congress also has affiliated agencies, such as the General Accounting Office and the Library of Congress.
Senate
Treaties concluded by the President with foreign countries and senior officials appointed by the President must be approved by the Senate. The Senate also has the power to hear impeachment cases and reelect the Vice President under special circumstances. Senators are directly elected by voters in each state. There are two senators from each state, and the principle of equal representation of each state is implemented. There are currently 100 members. Elected senators must be at least 30 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for nine years, and be a resident of the state in which they are elected at the time of the election. The term of office is 6 years, with 1/3 being re-elected every 2 years and can be re-elected. The Vice President is ex-officio Speaker of the Senate.
House of Representatives
The House of Representatives has the power to propose financial bills and impeachment cases, and has the power to re-elect the president under special circumstances. The number of members of the House of Representatives is distributed in proportion to the population of each state, with each state having at least one member. According to the 1929 Seat Apportionment Act, the total number of members of the House of Representatives is fixed at 435, and the seat allocation to each state is readjusted based on the population changes in each state provided by the Bureau of Statistics of the Federal Department of Commerce every 10 years. Representatives are directly elected. They must be over 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for seven years, and be a resident of the state in which they were elected. The term is 2 years and can be reappointed. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is elected by the General Assembly.
It is extremely common for members of both houses of parliament to be re-elected for long periods of time. Members may not hold other government positions concurrently.
Federal executive agencies
Federal executive agencies, also known as executive and cabinet ministries. The State Department is in charge of the Cabinet. The Secretary of State is the president's principal diplomatic advisor and is responsible for the overall guidance, coordination, and management of U.S. foreign affairs. He is also the top member of the Cabinet and a member of the National Security Council.
The Cabinet Department implements the ministerial responsibility system. The subordinate departments are divided into departments (bureaus) and divisions. Generally speaking, agencies within the ministry are divided into two categories: business management agencies and agency management agencies. Due to the different historical development and responsibilities of each department, the business management organization settings of each department vary greatly. The management structure of each ministry agency is roughly the same, generally including office affairs management; personnel, budget, finance and public relations agencies, as well as the general counsel's office, the inspector general's office and local agencies that accept matters within the scope of the department's regulations. Departments (bureaus) within the Ministry are led by Assistant Ministers (Directors), and all locations are led by Assistant Ministers.
State Department
The State Department is the administrative department of the federal government responsible for foreign affairs and some internal affairs. Reorganized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in September 1789. It is the earliest ministerial agency established in the U.S. government and occupies a dominant position among all government departments.
The executive head of the State Department is the Secretary of State, who is appointed by the President (with Senate approval) and is responsible to the President. He is the senior administrative official after the President and Vice President. He is also the president's principal adviser on foreign affairs and chairman of the Cabinet and National Security Council. The State Department has an undersecretary of state, an undersecretary of state for political affairs, an undersecretary of state responsible for coordinating security assistance programs, as well as undersecretaries of state, assistant secretaries of state and other officials. The State Department is a large institution, with the Office of the Secretary of State; Regional Divisions for Africa, Europe, the Far East and the Pacific, Latin America, the Near East, and South Asia; Professional Divisions for Economics and Commerce, Intelligence and Research, Legal Counsel, and Public Affairs; and many embassies around the world. , delegations, consulates general, consulates and missions to the United Nations.
The specific responsibilities of the State Department are: to supervise the work of the U.S. ambassador and consular network and foreign-related officials around the world, assist the president in signing treaties and agreements with foreign countries, arrange for the president to receive foreign envoys, and recognize new countries or The government makes recommendations to the president.
United States Court Organization
The United States is a common law country. The main features of the American judicial system are: implementing the principle of separation of powers and implementing judicial independence; the court organization is divided into the federal system and the local system; the Federal Supreme Court enjoys special judicial review powers, etc. Judicial organization courts are complex and divided into two systems: federal courts and state courts, which apply their own constitutions and laws and govern different cases and regions. In addition, the National Assembly establishes special courts by relevant decrees as needed, such as the Federal Court of Appeal. Judges implement an irreplaceable system, with a full-time system, a high-salary system, and a retirement system. There is no unified administrative court in the United States; administrative dispute cases are heard by ordinary courts, and independent agencies also have the power to accept and adjudicate.
The prosecutorial agencies in the United States are no different from the judicial administration. The Attorney General of the Federation is the Minister of Justice and is the legal advisor to the President and the government. He oversees the administration of justice and represents the government in court and participates in litigation before the Federal Supreme Court in major cases. Prosecutors are under the leadership of the Ministry of Justice and affiliated with courts at all levels. Litigation Procedures Civil litigation procedures adopt a debate system and are heard by a single judge; some lawsuits, especially tort lawsuits, are decided by a jury and decided by a judge. The characteristics of criminal proceedings are: the federal and some states retain the grand jury review system for felony prosecutions; illegally obtained evidence is not admissible; "plea bargaining" is widely used before trial; in defense, the plaintiff and defendant lawyers in civil cases, criminal The prosecutor and the defendant's lawyer in the case confronted each other and argued. The judge does not actively investigate and only plays the role of "passive arbiter". Judicial review was formally established as a federal principle in the 1803 Marbury v. Madison case of the Federal Supreme Court. Chief Justice J Marshall held on behalf of the court that "unconstitutional laws are not laws" and "the Constitution prohibits all laws that conflict with it" and clearly declared that Section 13 of the Judicial Regulations enacted by Congress in 1789 was unconstitutional, thereby establishing The authority of the courts to review laws passed by Congress was established, and a judicial review system was gradually formed. This system became a political means to maintain the ruling order and implement power checks and balances, and was later imitated by many countries. The power of judicial review in the United States is exercised by ordinary courts, mainly the Federal Supreme Court. The method is to examine whether the law applicable to a specific case is unconstitutional, and the objects of review include not only laws enacted by Congress, but also executive actions of the president.