Tag: American politics

The Judicial Branch of the American Government

On: By: Stefan

The Supreme Court is the highest court that America has in its federal court system.  Below them are courts of appeal and below this are district courts.

Individual court systems of each state also exist, and are separate from the federal court system, but they aren’t entirely divorced from the system or independent from it.  Each of these individual court systems in each state has its own laws and its own procedures.  Each state also has a Supreme Court for the state and they are the final authority on the interpretation of the state’s laws.

A case can move from a state court to the U.S. Surpreme Court when there is a federal question involved.

If you look at the break down of the court system in America, it consists of the following: the Supreme court, 13 courts of appeal, 94 district courts and two courts of special jurisdiction.

History about George Washington

On: By: Stefan

As everyone knows, the first president of the United States of America was George Washington.  On April 30, 1789, George Washington took his official oath of office while standing on a balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York.

He wrote to James Madison, understanding how important his swearing in was, that “As the first of everything, in our situation will serve to establish a Precedent.  It is devoutly wished on my part, that these precedents may be fixed on true principles.”

After the Revolutionary War, Washington actually longed to retire to his fields at Mount Vernon.  He realized, however, that a new Constitution was necessary in America and he worked tirelessly to see that it was ratified.  After its ratification at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, he was elected as president by a unanimous vote from the Electoral College.

The two party system developed by the end of his first term.  By the end of his second term, weary of politics and feeling old, he retired.  During his Farewell Address, he warned the people not to focus too much on geographical distinctions or on party lines.  He also warned about long-term alliances in foreign affairs.