Module Three Worksheet

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Question 1

The term plural executive denotes an executive branch whereby the functions have been distributed among a number of mostly elected officeholders instead of existing in a single individual, the Governor. Texas uses a plural executive which signifies the authority of the Governor are limited and shared between other government executives. There is no one government in Texas that is exclusively in charge of Texas Executive Branch. The Texas constitution of 1876 was made with an intention in mind to limit executive authority in the nation (Gathman, 2019). It was attained by creating the plural executive. Seven chosen officials share executive power to make sure no single person had a lot of executive supremacy. Those who make up the plural executive include the Governor, commissioner of the general land office, comptroller of public accounts, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.

Texas uses the plural executive to have common confidence and cooperation between the executive and the legislature. As specified in Article 4 of the Texas constitution, the plural executive influence Texas government since it guarantees that every affiliate of the plural executive has a self-governing base of power. It safeguards against the concentration of power. It diffuses the functions of the executive among many offices.      

Question 2

Upon comparing the similarities and differences in power between the Texas Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor, the Lieutenant governor can make appointments to committees and also assign bills to the committee of his choice. On the other hand, the speaker maintains order, appoints members of all standing committees, and appoints how many on the standing committee before the Rule of seniority takes over. The speaker is also responsible for appointing the conference committee. The Lieutenant Governor serves as the chairman of legislature budget and legislature council. He also serves as a vice-chairman of the legislative audit committee and legislature education board. The speaker functions as the legislative budget board’s vice-chairman and is an affiliate of the legislature redistricting board. 

The Constitution of Texas limits or restricts government power. This standard is recognized as limited government. Most of the limits protect the citizens of Texas civil rights. The Governor’s limitations comprise of appointed power (Morrow, 2020). Those who are appointed as governors serve six-year duration, and new governors are never able to fire appointees of the preceding government.

Question 3

There are four federal district courts, trial courts, a state court of appeals in Texas, a state supreme court, and both limited and general jurisdiction. They all serve different purposes. There are 94 district courts, one Supreme Court, 13 circuit courts, and all over the nation. Courts in the federal structure-function in a different way in several methods than national courts. 

In order to serve as a judge in theses courts, one must be a United States citizen and a resident of Texas. An individual should also be between the ages of 25 and 75 years and licensed to practice law in the States. An individual ought to be a practicing judge for at least four years. One should also be the resident of his/her respective judicial district for at least two years. These courts’ duties in that they are responsible for the effective administration of the judicial branch and they authorized to promulgate rules of administration not changeable with the regulations of the State as might be essential for the uniform and efficient administration of justice in the various courts. These courts play a role in administrative decision-making.

Question 4

The three types of states courts include appeal courts, general trial courts, and a state supreme court. Lower courts normally rule on minor cases, including civil cases involving small amounts of money and misdemeanor criminal cases and Judges do hearings in these courts devoid of a jury. District courts are the primary trial courts in Texas. The trial courts are the most numerous, including over 500 county courts, 450 state district courts, over 900 municipal courts, and over 800 Justice of the Peace courts.

In Texas, there are certain types of the court that the legislator can create. The legislative courts’ examples include the Court of Federal Claims, the United States Tax Court, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and federal district courts. The state courts hear all the cases not mainly selected for federal courts. The same way as the federal courts interpret federal laws. State courts interpret state laws. Every State gets to establish and interpret its laws.

Question 5

There are some aspects of the Texas Legislature that assist the legislature in providing services. In Texas, just like the Congress and a number of other states, the lawmaking procedure consists of four major stages: introduction, committee action, floor action, and enrollment. The Texas legislature comprises two different chambers, a 150 member House of Representatives and 31 house of the senate (Morrow, 2020). The state representatives and senators are chosen from single-member localities to work on two-year terms and four-years, respectively. The legislature of the State of Texas is their lawmaking body. Its main function is to pass laws, provide for the well-being, health, environment, education, and financial and overall well-being of Texas citizens. The effect of low pay, redistricting, ad person cost of running for office make the position undesirable and hinders it

Reference

Gathman, A. E. (2019). Divided Plural Executives: Examining the Where, the Why, and the Do They Even Matter (Doctoral dissertation).

Morrow, J. (2020). There Is Only One Texas Constitution.