07 02 2009 Chapter 4 Individuals and Constitutions I Government A The United States Passage of the Patriot Act was instated after the 9 11 attacks To increase government surveillance Violates the First Amendment by effectively authorizing the FBI to launch investigations of American citizens in part for exercising their freedom of speech Violates the Fourth Amendment by allowing foreign intelligence searches for criminal purposes without probable cause of crime B Constitutions in the modern world Minority subgroup distinct by language ethnicity race religion within larger society Statute An ordinary law passed by a legislature not part of the constitution Constitution Basic rules that structure a government usually written Political scientists define constitution as the rules and customs either written or unwritten legally established or extralegal by which government conducts its affairs II The Constitution It s only been amended 17 times since the adoption of the bill of rights in 1791 A The Law of the Land To amend the US constitution a 2 3 majority vote is required from both the senate and the House of Representatives B The general nature of the constitutions Judicial review ability of courts to decide if laws are constitutional not present in all countries Judicial Activism willingness of some judges to override legislatures by declaring certain statutes unconstitutional Judicial restraint unwillingness of some judges to overturn statutes passed by legislatures Worker codetermination workers have the same rights s owners and managers in determining the long term future of the corporation Basic Law Germanys constitution since 1949