On November 7, 2000, American voters went to the polls to elect the 43rd president of the United States. Ritualistically, the nation watched that evening for the election returns. The tallies for Democrat Albert Gore and Republican George W. Bush teetered in the makings of a dead heat. It soon be...

The federal courts and state courts differ in the structure, jurisdiction, and types of cases brought into the court. The basis of the Constitutional Law from an official document delineates powers for the federal law and state law that define the Federal Judicial System which derived from the U.S. ...

Courts As LegislatorsThe purpose of this paper is to show that although not originally intended to, some our modern day courts in the United States have in essence become legislators. I will give a brief overview of the history of courts and site some cases where the decisions handed down or the op...

THE LEAST DANGEROUS BRANCH In Federalist Paper 78, Alexander Hamilton believed that the Supreme Court (or the judiciary) was the least dangerous branch. The United States Government contains three branches: the executive branch, or the President, the Legislative branch consisting of t...

When the founding fathers of our country, and by that I mean the Federalists, were creating the system of government for America, they knew that a separation of power would be necessary to protect the American people from the evils of a monarchy or dictatorship. In doing this, they created the t...

Law constituting various sets of rules and regulations survives to date and came into existence in order to safeguard the rights of its people, its followers. However, how these laws are formulated and used in order to defend the innocent and punish the guilty still depends largely on judg...

Should Euthanasia be Legal? Throughout the twentieth century, major scientific and medical advances have greatly enhanced the life expectancy of the average person. However, there are many instances where doctors can preserve life artificially. In these cases where the ...

In 1954, the Pledge of Allegiance was changed to include the phrase "under God." In the last few years, the controversy over this phrase has grown substantially to where it has become a problem. Many Americans do not see any harm in this phrase because they believe in God, but our forefa...

National Judiciary 1. During the period before the Constitution was ratified, the Articles of Confederation gave a 2. The Dual Court System works by splitting the courts into 2 distinct systems; the national judiciary system and the state judiciary system. The State Courts deal with ...

The formation of the constitution was not only developed to change the American government but to enable the change in government as time changed the political and cultural face of the land. This allows the Constitution to adapt to the people's needs for each generation and will continue to pr...

There have been many attempts to look at the decision in Brown v.Board of Education of Topeka and claim it was erroneous in some respect.One of the most often used is the 'social policy' argument. Someconstitutional scholars believe that the Supreme Court went too far in thedecision, far beyo...

A civil right is an enforceable right or privilege, which if interfered with by another gives rise to an action for injury. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, assembly, the right to vote, freedom from involuntary servitude, and the right to equality in public places. Discriminati...

The Dred Scott DecisionThere have been several cases in the history of the Supreme Court that have had a powerful impact on both the highest court of the land and the history of the United States. The Dred Scott decision can definitely be included in this category of monumental cases that changed th...

The Dred Scott DecisionThere have been several cases in the history of the Supreme Court that have had a powerful impact on both the highest court of the land and the history of the United States. The Dred Scott decision can definitely be included in this category of monumental cases that changed th...

Article VIII: What Does It Really Mean? Article VIII states: " Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment" (American Experience, p. 22). Excessive bail was borrowed with a few slight changes from the English Bil...

Assisted Suicide Most people want to live their life with dignity and die with dignity. People live their life the way they choose to. They make important choices and decisions all through their life. Some of these decisions are very difficult, life changing decisions. We live in a democratic so...

Martin Luther King Jr. stated in his famous "I have a dream" speech that, "I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! (3) King's speech...

Cruel and unusual punishment is the term used to describe criminal punishment which is considered unacceptable due to the suffering or humiliation it causes on the person. Cruel and unusual punishment has a very long history and is now noted in the constitution. There are several cases that deal wit...

Government, one of the most important factors in our life, is very complicated. After I have studied the American government, I find out that the American government is the most perfect and democratic government in the world. The government is doing their jobs in the best interest of people, to pr...

Article Five, clause two of the United States Constitution states, "under the Authority of the United States, [the Constitution] shall be the supreme law of the land." As a result of the fact that the current activist government is pursuing inconsistent policies, many believe ...

The U.S. Constitution Article Five, clause two of the United States Constitution states, "under the Authority of the United States, [the Constitution] shall be the supreme law of the land." As a result of the fact that the current activist government is pursuing inconsistent polic...

Should Gays Be Allowed to Marry in the United States? The legalization of same sex marriages has become one of the most important domestic issues in the United States. Passed eight years ago and signed by President Clinton, The Defense of Marriage Act, defines marriage as the legal union between...

The Amistad Conflict In January 1839, fifty-three African natives were kidnapped from eastern Africa and sold into the Spanish slave trade. They were then placed aboard a Spanish slave ship bound for Havana, Cuba. Once in Havana, the Africans were classified as native Cuban slaves and purchased...

Flag Desecration For many Americans the flag of the United States has been a symbol of freedom. However political turmoil and involvement in foreign wars has led to a new form of protest, protected under the first amendment of the Constitution-flag burning. Citizenship in America is not easy. A...

Throughout the history of mankind, a portion of the population have felt the need to remove or suppress material that they consider to be morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable, such as books, films, or other materials. Censorship can be dated back to ancient Greek and Roman times. Some of...