The Branch's Dilemma: Applying Laws To Facts

The quote We apply laws to facts, we do not apply feelings to facts was said by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who is part of the Judicial Branch. The Judicial Branch is one of the three branches of the U.S. government, alongside the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch. The Judicial Branch is headed by the Supreme Court and is responsible for interpreting the law, determining the constitutionality of the law, and applying it to individual cases. The quote highlights the importance of objectivity and impartiality in the application of laws, ensuring that decisions are based on facts rather than emotions or personal biases.

The Legislative Branch is headed by the Speaker of the House

The Legislative Branch of the United States government is headed by the Speaker of the House. The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section II, of the U.S. Constitution.

The Speaker of the House is elected by the Representatives and is third in the line of succession to the Presidency. The Speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the House and is simultaneously its presiding officer, de facto leader of the body's majority party, and the institution's administrative head. They also perform various other administrative and procedural functions.

The Speaker of the House is responsible for ensuring that the House passes legislation supported by the majority party. They may use their influence over the Rules committee, which is in charge of the business of the House. The Speaker chairs the majority party's House steering committee, which selects the majority members of each House standing committee, including the Rules committee.

The Speaker of the House is also in charge of deciding which committee a bill will be assigned to, of determining whether to allow a member to make a motion to suspend the rules, and of appointing members to select committees and conference committees.

The Speaker of the House is second in the presidential line of succession under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, immediately after the vice president and before the president pro tempore of the Senate.

The Speaker of the House is third in line to the Presidency

This has not always been the case. In the late 19th century, the protocol specified that after the Vice President, the Senate's President pro tempore would be next in line. However, this caused an issue in 1881 when President James Garfield was assassinated, and his Vice President, Chester Allen Arthur, was seriously ill. At the time, Congress was not in session, so there was no elected officer to be second in line. As a result, in 1886, Congress passed a new Presidential Succession Act, making the Secretary of State next in line after the Vice President.

In 1945, President Harry Truman requested that the law be changed, suggesting that the Speaker of the House and then the Senate President pro tempore be ahead of the Secretary of State. Truman's rationale was that the President should not be able to choose their own successor by naming a Secretary of State. In 1947, Congress passed Truman's suggested law, and the Speaker became "just one heartbeat from the White House".

The Speaker of the House is a powerful position, and the potential to become President adds to this power. The Speaker already wields enormous power in Congress, but the knowledge that they could become President in the event of a national tragedy is an important consideration. This also raises a tricky situation for ruling parties, as the Speaker may be a political opponent of the Administration they would take over.

The House has the power to initiate revenue bills

The House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress, the other being the Senate. The House has several powers assigned exclusively to it, including the power to initiate revenue bills. This power is enshrined in Article I, Section 7, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution, which states: "All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills."

The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population. The presiding officer of the chamber is the Speaker of the House, who is third in the line of succession to the Presidency. Members of the House are elected every two years and must be 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and a resident of the state (but not necessarily the district) they represent.

The House plays a crucial role in the legislative process, which begins with the introduction of a bill to Congress. While anyone can write a bill, only members of Congress can introduce legislation. The bill is then referred to the appropriate committee for review, where it may be accepted, amended, or rejected entirely. If the committee approves the bill, it is reported to the floor of the House, and the majority party leadership decides when to place the bill on the calendar for consideration. The House has a structured debate process, with each member who wishes to speak having only a few minutes, and the number and kind of amendments usually limited.

For a bill to become law, it must pass both houses of Congress and be signed by the President. The Constitution requires that the two bills have the exact same wording, although this rarely happens in practice. To bring the bills into alignment, a Conference Committee is formed, consisting of members from both chambers. The Conference Committee produces a conference report, intended as the final version of the bill, which is then voted on by each chamber. If the bill is passed, it is then enrolled by either the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate and presented to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate for their signatures before being sent to the President.

The House can impeach federal officials

The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, which is the federal government's lawmaking branch. The House has the sole power to impeach federal officials, including the President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States.

The impeachment process begins in the House, where any member may introduce impeachment charges. The charges are then referred to the House Judiciary Committee, which conducts an investigation and votes on whether grounds for impeachment exist. If the committee determines that grounds for impeachment exist, it will report its findings to the full House, which will then debate and vote on the articles of impeachment. If the House adopts any articles of impeachment by a simple majority vote, the individual is considered impeached. The House will then select members known as House managers to present the charges to the Senate, which acts as a jury and tries the impeached official.

The House has initiated impeachment proceedings more than 60 times, but fewer than a third of these proceedings have led to full impeachments. Just eight individuals—all federal judges—have been convicted and removed from office by the Senate. In addition to these judges, the House has impeached three presidents, one senator, one cabinet secretary, and one U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.

The House elects the President in the case of an electoral college tie

In the United States, the President is elected by the Electoral College, which consists of 538 electors from the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each state is allocated a certain number of electors, and these electors cast their votes for the President. In most states, the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state receives all of the state's electoral votes.

However, in the event of an electoral college tie, where no candidate receives the majority of 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency, the election is decided by the House of Representatives. This process is known as a "contingent election". Each state delegation in the House of Representatives casts one vote, and the candidate who receives a majority of state delegation votes (at least 26 votes) becomes the President.

The House of Representatives has played a crucial role in resolving tied presidential elections in American history. Notably, in the 1800 election between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, who received an equal number of electoral votes, the House of Representatives was responsible for breaking the tie. After a series of ballots, Jefferson was elected President, which ultimately led to the passage of the Twelfth Amendment to prevent similar situations in the future.

The House of Representatives, as the legislative branch of the federal government, holds the power to elect the President in cases of an electoral college tie. This process ensures that a President is chosen even when there is no clear winner in the Electoral College.

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