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Constitution in Action Project

By: Brooke Alvarez and Leila Amidi

Connection: This is a prime example of the Legislative Branch and what they do because it shows the process of a law becoming offical within the government. In order for this law to come into effect, it was voted on as a bill and successfully passed through both House and Senate with a majority vote.

Current Event: On December 14th of 2022, Congress passed a law that aimed to train police officers on how to properly handle situations involving individuals with mental health issues. This law had the goal to prevent officer-involved fatalities with individuals who have been diagnosed with mental illnesses. This passed through Congress with Republican support (264-162) to ensure a stronger and safer community.

Legislative Branch

Current Event: In late 2020, former President Donald Trump selected Amy Coney Barrett to succeed former Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg , following her death. Due to the fact that there were only 38 days until the election, Trump and his fellow Senate Republicans scrambled to get her instated. This selection shifted the seats to the right from the previously centered bench.

Connection: Supreme Court Justices have life-long terms. Once deceased, the President holding the current term has the ability to instate a new justice of their choice. The Consititution requires the President to submit their choice to the Senate for approval. This process typically takes months, but was rushed in the circumstances of Trump.

Executive Branch

Current Event: Roe V. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court on June 24th, 2022. This meant that there was no longer a federal right for females to get an abortion. This led to abortion status to be determined by the states.

Connection: The role of the Judicial Branch is to perceive federal laws as constitutional or not. In this instance, the court ruled that Roe V. Wade was to be overturned on the primary justification that the Consitution did not outline abortion as a fundamental right. They ruled it to be unconstitutional.

Judicial Branch

Connection: This is an example of the Executive Branch, specifically the President's, power to veto an act by Congress they deem unconstitutional. In this instance, Trump vetoed a bipartisan agreement that was trying to be passed. This check keeps the branches of the U.S. government balanced, by allowing the Legislative branch's actions to be reviewed.

Current Event: President Trump, within his last two years of presidency issued ten vetoes of bills passed by Congress. Among these vetoes was the rejection of the Iran War Powers Resolution. Through this, Trump denied the use of military forces against Iran without congressional approval.

Checks & Balances

Connection: The Legislative branch has the power to reject the vetoes established by the Executive branch through the process of checks and balances. This is an example of the Legislative branch checking the ethicality of the president's power based on the Constitution. This case proves that checks and balances are being used effectively.

Current Event: In 2021, President Trump vetoed the National defense Authorization Act for fiscal year of 2021. This was done as a loyalty test, but was deemed unconstitutional. This was quickly overridden by the U.S. Senate because they wanted to defend the funds of the Department of Defense. They beleived it was of upmost importance to protect and supply the troops in the proper way.

Checks & Balances

Connection: Federalism is defining of the seprate powers of state and federal governments within one political system. In this instance of Covid-19, states had the ability to enforce there own regulations that differed from that of the federal government.

Current Event: During the Covid-19 pandemic, many found that federalism was a disadvantage. People argued that there were discrepancies between state enforcement of proper regulations and the claims made by Washington. The government wanted the states to follow federal recommendations, but it was ultimately up to the states on how they wanted to execute policies.

Federalism

Connection: The Supremacy Clause establishes that the Constitutional laws overrule any conflicting state law. This is shown in the United States V. Washington case because, despite the efforts to compensate workers, the federal government found it unjust under their previously established rules.

Current Event: On June 21st of 2022 the U.S. government enlisted the supremacy clause in United States V. Washington. Through this case, Washington State gave out compensation to workers on a federal nuclear site. This compensation was ruled to be unconstitutional due to its partisanship against the federal waiver of immunity.

Supremacy Clause

https://www.oyez.org/cases/2021/21-404

Current Event: Throughout the history of the United States there has been shown conflict among states. In 2021, Kyle Biedermann ad Allen West, former chair of the Texas GOP, threatened secession from the U.S. This was due to major conflicts between differing political parties. Texas, and its fellow red states, felt creating a nation apart from the blue states would cause less conflicts due to differing beliefs.

Connection: Politics have been a division between our nation's states, however the constitution highlights that there is no provision for the succession of states within our country. Through this example it is shown that this proves no different; our nation cannot divide over political differences.

Conflicts Between State

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