How Members of Congress Represent their Constituents
The U.S. Congress is the highest legislative body of the United States, which, along with the executive and judicial branches of government, form the federal government of the United States. I want to review the activities of Raphael Warnock, who recently became a Senator of Georgia. These results matter on many levels: for the candidates themselves, the state of Georgia, both major parties, the national political context and balance of power, and then for the world and U.S. politics, of course. Based on responsibilities, I will judge a given individual by such criteria as protecting the people of the state and representing them in Congress, the goodness of intent, and meeting demands from the congressman. This congressman represents his constituents with enough dignity; he equates himself with them and does not consider himself superior, which is commendable.
The intentions of this congressman are positive, and he wants to give the population more courage and enthusiasm. It gives them hope that the Trump era is ending, that he is no longer all-powerful within the party, and that he is losing his influence and the political intuition necessary for further victories. Warnock is fighting inaction by encouraging people to get better and move away from old beliefs, which are to be commended. Also, this person is fully qualified to be a congressman because he has lived his entire life in the state of Georgia, protects the people’s rights, and is willing to protect and steer people in the right direction.
The Executive Branch
The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch. The President and vice president are formally elected by an electoral college, which people vote for in each state on lists proposed by political parties (Muller 1532). The number of electors from each state equals the combined number of members of Congress and senators. The party with the highest number of votes of all the other lists “takes” all the electors from that state. The winner is the candidate who receives most of the electoral votes. The basic responsibilities of the President are as follows:
- The president has the authority to convene a special session of Congress in “emergencies,” albeit this seldom occurs in reality. He must also update Congress regularly about the “state of the Union”;
- The president has the authority to veto any bill or resolution offered by Congress, excluding joint resolutions proposing constitutional amendments. A 2/3 vote in each chamber is required to overcome a presidential veto;
- the President has the authority to select ambassadors, Supreme Court judges, and other officers whose appointment is not otherwise provided for, with the advice and approval of the Senate;
- The president has the authority to conclude foreign treaties “with the advice and agreement” of two-thirds of the voting senators.
- except in circumstances of impeachment, the President may grant pardons “for offenses against the United States” (Boer and Zieck 54).
The President today relies on an enormous apparatus of the executive branch to carry out his work. It can be divided into three main parts: the Administration, the Executive Office of the President, and independent regulatory bodies. The presidential administration occupies an important place in its structure, consisting of the heads of ministries (departments) – the Secretary of State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, and Labor. These responsibilities and competencies help counteract inaction and guide the country to success.
Bureaucracy and the Executive Branch
Bureaucracy has considerable technical advantages over other forms of organization, which depend on functioning well-oiled bureaucratic machinery. Bureaucracy is superior to any other system in accuracy, stability, rigor of discipline, reliability, and intensity (McGlade 176). Congressional committees, senators, and members of the House of Representatives used to employ only clerks – typists and secretaries – who had no serious influence over their employers. Under the bureaucracy’s influence, lawyers, sociologists, political scientists, and other highly qualified professionals are called upon to make recommendations on the most important economic and social issues at home and problems of foreign policy relations. Thus, legislators and congressional committees are guided in their actions by these recommendations, thanks to the bureaucracy. This phenomenon has helped to make the executive branch more professional and influential. In other words, in the legislative process, under the influence of the bureaucracy, the weight and influence are acquired by persons without authority from the voters. This inevitably leads to an undermining of the principles of representativeness and democracy.
The U.S. Court System
The U.S. Constitution established a unified, centralized federal court system comprised of three branches: district courts, and the Supreme Court. In addition, the federal court system includes so-called specialized courts, which have separate jurisdiction with sentencing and adjudicative powers. District courts hear criminal and civil cases as a court of first instance. Appellate (district) courts review the decisions of district courts, as well as complaints against the decisions of several administrative (quasi-judicial) bodies (for example, the National Office of Labor Relations).
The Supreme Court, consisting of nine judges, is the highest judicial authority. The Supreme Court is characterized by a written case procedure, which does not require the presence of the parties, witnesses, and other mandatory court proceedings. The Supreme Court uses its discretionary power extensively to take cases containing a “federal question.” In addition, the Supreme Court is the highest appellate court that reviews the decisions and judgments of lower courts (McFadden and Vetan 827). As a court of first instance, this court acts in all disputes between two or more states, between the Union and a state, and in cases brought by one state against citizens of another or aliens.
Works Cited
McFadden, Trevor N., and Vetan Kapoor. “The Precedential Effects of the Supreme Court’s Emergency Stays.” Harv. JL & Pub. Pol’y 44 (2021): 827.
McGlade, Jacqueline. “Bridging disciplines: the role of scientific advice, especially biological modeling.” Creative Governance. Routledge, 2019. 175-185. Web.
Muller, Derek T. “Electoral Votes Regularly Given.” Ga. L. Rev. 55 (2020): 1529.
Boer, Tom de, and Marjoleine Zieck. “The Legal Abyss of Discretion in the Resettlement of Refugees: Cherry-Picking and the Lack of Due Process in the EU.” International Journal of Refugee Law 32.1 (2020).