A constitution is a document that gives rules and laws explaining how the government is organized and run.
Lawmakers must follow the Constitution when they make new laws.
Changes to the Constitution are called amendments.
The rights of the people are stated in the Bill of Rights which is the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
The Constitution limited the powers of the government by dividing the power into three parts.
Checks and balances allows the branches of government to check on each other so that no one branch has too much power.
The legislative branch makes the laws.
The executive branch makes sure the laws are enforced.
The judicial branch explains the laws and settles disputes.
Congress, the legislative branch, is composed of the Senate (100 members) and the House of Representatives (435 members).
Each state is represented by two senators.
Each state is represented by one or more representatives, depending on the state’s population.
North Dakota has one representative.
The court system makes up the judicial branch of the federal government.
The U.S. Supreme Court, made up of nine justices, is the highest court in the nation.
The U.S. Supreme Court explains the laws according to the Constitution.
The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C.
The city of Washington occupies all of the District of Columbia.
Each branch of the U.S. government has a main building where it meets.
State governments are set up the same way as the federal (national) government.
Federal laws are higher than state laws.
Both the national and state governments can make laws, manage a court system, collect taxes, borrow money, and take care of people.
The people have certain powers that the national and state governments cannot take away.
The North Dakota Constitution was written in 1889 when North Dakota became a state.
A preamble is an introduction.
A bill of rights is a list of people’s rights that the government must protect.
North Dakota’s bill of rights is called the “Declaration of Rights.”
Amendments, or changes, to the North Dakota Constitution must be approved by the voters.
North Dakota’s legislative branch is called the “Legislative Assembly.”
The Legislative Assembly meets biennially, or every two years during odd-numbered years (…2019, 2021, 2023, …).
The Legislative Assembly (like Congress) is bicameral, or made up of two houses that have equal power.
North Dakota’s 47 legislative districts are changed each decennial (every 10 years) after a census is taken.
Each legislative district has one senator and two representatives in the Legislative Assembly.
The House chamber is larger than the Senate chamber because there are twice as many representatives as senators.
The Speaker of the House is elected by the members of the House to conduct meetings in the House chamber.
The Lieutenant Governor is called the “President of the Senate” and conducts meetings in the Senate chamber.
Most of the work of the Legislative Assembly is done in committees.
Each bill, or draft of a law, has a hearing, or public discussion, before it is voted on.
A majority (over half ) of the senators and representatives must vote in favor of a bill in order for it to pass.
If the Governor signs a bill, it becomes a law.
If the Governor vetoes (rejects) a bill, it goes back to the Senate and House.
The Senate and House may override (win against) a Governor’s veto if two-thirds of both houses vote in favor of the bill.
The executive branch of North Dakota government is headed by 13 elected officials.
The judicial branch of state government is made up of the state court system.
The North Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court in the state.
Five justices serve on the North Dakota Supreme Court.
The Chief Justice is elected by the other justices to preside over the Supreme Court.
An appeal is a court case brought up from a lower court to a higher court.
The Court of Appeals helps the Supreme Court with certain cases.
District Courts serve the counties in the state.
A criminal case involves someone being accused of doing something illegal.
A civil case involves disputes about people’s rights.
Municipal Courts deal with violations of municipal ordinances, or city laws.
Citizens elect people to represent (speak for) them in government.
North Dakota citizens have the power to make or reject a law by getting enough signatures on a petition and having the citizens of the state vote on it.
