PSCI 1040 1st Edition Lecture 6 Outline of Last Lecture Results Oriented Federalism Outline of Current Lecture Texas Constitution Texas in a Federalist System What a Constitution should be Texas Constitution in Comparison with the US Constitution Texas Constitutions State of Texas 1876 to now Summary Constitutional Basis of the Presidency What is a presidents role Office of the Vice President Side note Line of Succession Electoral College Requirements for the Office Oath of Office Current Lecture Texas Constitution A very specific document that says exactly what Texas powers and abilities are Texas in a Federalist System These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Individual rights based on the Constitutions and Bill of rights AKA already established governing documents Several Amendments have limited state powers Provide for orderly change What a Constitution should be 1 Be brief 2 Clearly define who has power 3 Should explain the process for which a President or government leader can be replaced Texas Constitution in Comparison with the US Constitution US Constitution very general very brief flexible constitution Texas Constitution very long 90 000 words restrictive document it is not open for change detailed list of laws All states are different Some have shorter constitutions and some have longer Some have more specific laws and rules than others Constitutions of Texas There have been 6 since the mid 1800 s Republic of Texas Constitution very similar to the US Constitution this is before they became a member of the United States Statehood Constitution expands the Bill of Rights adds a section on laws requirements about education Civil War Constitution this constitution was written was Texas left the Union They are now part of the confederate states of America instead of the United States of America provides greater protection for Slavery Reconstruction Constitution never went into effect Abolished slavery makes leaving the US illegal Radical Reconstruction Radical Republicans felt like Texas wasn t making any changes Anyone who supported the Confederacy was not allowed to vote Made centralized state government the most important Governor had a lot of power Professional Officials were paid extremely well Complaints about the Radical Republican Constitution Was not approved by democratic means because not all people could vote Corrupt Governor Constitutional Convention of 1875 the current constitution now the exact opposite of the Radical Reconstruction written as a reaction to what was felt as an abuse nature of the Radical Reconstruction there are 3 delegates from each of the 30 districts delegates were Democrats who were opposed to a big government State of Texas 1876 to now most power in the federal government weak state government the governor is part of a team much of the governors power has been removed governor terms are two years long changed to 4 years in 1972 legislative sessions happen once every 2 years Texas Bill of Rights very similar to the US Bill of Rights Legislative Branch also extremely similar to the US Legislative Branch But it is nonprofessional AKA not made up of full time legislatures Executive Branch Governor is the Chief Executive they can veto power Plural Executive power is dispersed among many different people who are part of the governors office AKA the governor has very little power Judicial Branch There are 6 different types of courts All judges are elected the run as a democrat or a republican What separates Texas from other states We have 2 high courts 1 A high civil court Texas Supreme Court 2 A high criminal court Court of Criminal Appeals Amendments Texas has the 4th most amended constitution 450 Amendments Proposal must have 2 3rds of all members elected in each chamber Summary Think about it as a document that reacted to the previous constitution AKA the weak central government 1876 Texas Constitution weak central government outlines government powers in a very specific manner very detailed limits the impact of government on the lives of individuals it is extremely hard to change laws in Texas without amending the Constitution Constitutional Basis of the Presidency What is a presidents role 4 year term There was originally no limit on terms but then the 22nd Amendment was made and stated that a President can serve no more than 2 Office of the Vice President Created in Article 2 First in line of succession will take over if anything happens to the President or they are impeached President of the Senate Side note Line of Succession VP Speaker of the House President pro tempore Secretary of State Next Secretary of the Treasury Based on date of creation of cabinet position Presidential Succession Act of 1947 All of this is set in place in case there was every any sort of disaster where all of these people were somehow unable to perform their duties Electoral College How are electors chosen They are active people in their political parties Originally the 1st place winner of the Presidential election becomes president and the 2nd place person became the Vice President It is no longer that way Requirements for Office 1 Must be a natural born citizen 2 Must be 35 3 Must be a resident of the United States What is a natural born citizen Born in the US or found under the age of 5 Born outside the US if parent is a citizen Indian or Eskimo as long as US citizenship does not effect their status within their tribe Oath of Office I swear that I will faithfully do my job to the best of my ability and defend the Constitution of the United States