hidden pixel

State Governments of the United States Information

State governments in the United States are those republics formed by citizens in the jurisdiction thereof as provided by the United States Constitution; with the original 13 States forming the first Articles of Confederation, and later the aforementioned Constitution. Within the U.S. constitution are provisions as to the formation of new States within the Union.

Structured in accordance with state law (including state constitutions and state statutes), most state governments are modeled on the federal system, with three branches of government—executive, legislative, and judicial.

Under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, all governmental powers not granted to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved for the states or to the people.

The governments of the 13 colonies that formed the original union under the Constitution trace their history back to the royal charters which established them during the era of colonialism. Most other states were organized as federal territories or parts of other states before forming their governments and requesting admittance into the union. Notable exceptions are California, Vermont, Texas and Hawaii, which were sovereign nations before joining the union.

Contents

Legislatures

See also: List of U.S. state legislatures

The legislative branch of the U.S. states consists of state legislatures. Every state except for Nebraska has a bicameral legislature, meaning it comprises two chambers.

The unicameral Nebraska Legislature is commonly called the "Senate", and its members are officially called "Senators".

In the majority of states (26), the state legislature is simply called the "Legislature." Another 19 states call their legislature the "General Assembly". Two states (Oregon and North Dakota) use the term "Legislative Assembly", while another two (Massachusetts and New Hampshire) use the term "General Court".

Upper Houses

In the 49 bicameral legislatures, the upper house is called the "Senate".

Until 1964, state senators were generally elected from districts that were not necessarily equal in population. In some cases state senate districts were based partly on county lines; in the vast majority of states the senate districts provided proportionately greater representation to rural areas. However, in the 1964 decision Reynolds v. Sims, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that, unlike the United States Senate, state senates must be elected from districts of approximately equal population.

Lower Houses

In 41 of the 49 bicameral state legislatures, the lower house is called the "House of Representatives". The name "House of Delegates" is used in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. California and Wisconsin call their lower house the "State Assembly", while Nevada and New York simply call the lower house the "Assembly". New Jersey calls its lower house the "General Assembly".

Executive

The executive branch of every state is headed by an elected Governor. Most states have a plural executive, in which several key members of the executive branch are directly elected by the people and serve alongside the governor. These include the offices of lieutenant governor (often on a joint ticket with the governor) and attorney general, secretary of state, auditors (or comptrollers or controllers), treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, and commissioner of education.

Each state government is free to organize its executive departments and agencies in any way it likes. This has resulted in substantial diversity among the states with regard to every aspect of how their governments are organized.

Judiciary

The judicial branch in most states is topped by a court of last resort usually called a supreme court that hears appeals from lower state courts. Oddly, New York's highest court is called the Court of Appeals, while its trial court is known as the Supreme Court. Maryland also calls its highest court the Court of Appeals. Texas and Oklahoma each separate courts of last resort for civil and criminal appeals. Each state's court has the last word on issues of state law and can only be overruled by federal courts on issues of Constitutional law.

The structure of courts and the methods of selecting judges is determined by each state's constitution or legislature. Most states have at least one trial-level court and an intermediate appeals court from which only some cases are appealed to the highest court.

Offices

In order to complete their duties states form a variety of offices with particular assignments designated by the various branches. These offices may include:

Additional information

Each state has an official seal.

See also

Government of the United States by political division
States Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · North Dakota · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
Federal district Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia)
Insular areas American Samoa · Guam · Northern Mariana Islands · Puerto Rico · U.S. Virgin Islands
Outlying islands Bajo Nuevo Bank · Baker Island · Howland Island · Jarvis Island · Johnston Atoll · Kingman Reef · Midway Atoll · Navassa Island · Palmyra Atoll · Serranilla Bank · Wake Island
United States (Outline)
History
Timeline Pre-Columbian era · Colonial era (Thirteen Colonies · Colonial American military history) · American Revolution (War) · Federalist Era · War of 1812 · Territorial acquisitions · Territorial evolution · Mexican–American War · American Civil War · Reconstruction era · American Indian Wars · Gilded Age · African-American Civil Rights Movement (1896–1954) · Spanish–American War · American imperialism · World War I · Roaring Twenties · Great Depression · World War II (Home front) · Cold War · Korean War · Space Race · African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968) · Feminist Movement · Vietnam War · Post-Cold War (1991–present) · War on Terror (War in Afghanistan · Iraq War)
Topics Demographic · Discoveries · Economic · Inventions (before 1890 · 1890-1991 · after 1991) · Military · Postal · Technological and industrial
Federal government
Law Constitution · Federalism · Preemption · Separation of powers Bill of Rights · Civil liberties Code of Federal Regulations Federal Reporter United States Code United States Reports Legislature- Congress Senate · Vice President · President pro tem House of Representatives · Speaker Executive - President Executive Office Cabinet / Executive departments Civil service Independent agencies Law enforcement · Policies Judiciary - Supreme Court Federal courts Courts of appeal District courts Intelligence Intelligence Community · Central Intelligence Agency · Defense Intelligence Agency · National Security Agency Armed Forces Department of Defense · Air Force · Army · Marine Corps · Navy · National Guard Department of Homeland Security · Coast Guard
Politics Divisions · Elections (Electoral College) · Ideologies · Local governments · Parties (Democratic Party · Republican Party · Third parties) · Political status of Puerto Rico · Red states and blue states · Scandals · State governments · Uncle Sam
Geography Cities, towns, and villages · Counties · Extreme points · Islands · Mountains (Peaks · Appalachian · Rocky) · National Park System · Regions (Great Plains · Mid-Atlantic · Midwestern · New England · Northwestern · Southern · Southwestern · Pacific · Western) · Rivers (Colorado · Columbia · Mississippi · Missouri · Ohio · Rio Grande) · States · Territory · Water supply and sanitation
Economy Agriculture · Banking · Communications · Companies · Dollar · Energy · Federal Budget · Federal Reserve System · Financial position · Insurance · Mining · Public debt · Taxation · Tourism · Trade · Transportation · Wall Street
Society
Topics Crime · Demographics · Education · Family structure · Health care · Health insurance · Incarceration · Languages (American English · Spanish) · Media · People · Public holidays · Religion · Sports
Social class Affluence · American Dream · Educational attainment · Homelessness · Homeownership · Household income · Income inequality · Middle class · Personal income · Poverty · Professional and working class conflict · Standard of living · Wealth
Culture Architecture · Cinema · Cuisine · Dance · Fashion · Flag · Folklore · Literature · Music · Philosophy · Radio · Television · Theater · Visual arts
Issues Abortion · Affirmative action · Anti-Americanism · Capital punishment · Drug policy · Energy policy · Environmental movement · Exceptionalism · Gun politics · Health care reform · Human rights · Immigration · LGBT rights (Same-sex marriage) · Obesity · Racism · Terrorism
Book · Category · Portal · WikiProject
Legislatures of the United States
United States Congress United States House of Representatives · United States Senate
State legislatures Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S)
Territorial legislatures American Samoa (H, S) · District of Columbia · Guam · Northern Mariana Islands (H, S) · Puerto Rico (H, S) · U.S. Virgin Islands
Obsolete

Philippine Islands (A, C, NA)

Categories: State governments of the United States

 

The above information uses material from Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Some facts may not have been fully verified for accuracy. [Disclaimers]
This page was last archived by our server on Fri Aug 12 13:21:11 2011.
Displaying this page or its contents does not use any Wikimedia Foundation's resources.
The owners of this site proudly support the Wikimedia Foundation.

More Information Results for "State Governments of the United States"
[Hide]▼
'State Governments of the United States' Images
'State Governments of the United States' Definition

Matching Results for State Governments of the United States:

state
Wikipedia state (plural states) Any sovereign polity. A government. 20C, Albert Einstein, as quoted by Virgil Henshaw in Albert Einstein: Philosopher ...

arbiter
A person appointed, or chosen, by parties to determine a controversy between them; an arbitrator. 1931, William Bennett Munro, The government of the United ...


from: Wiktionary: state governments of the united states,
Wed Oct 26 04:13:22 2011
'State Governments of the United States' Quotes

Matching Results for State Governments of the United States:

Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, relating to the right to bear arms, was enacted as part of the Bill of Rights, its ratification occuring on ...

Thomas Jefferson
If I am to succeed, the sooner I know it, the less uneasiness I shall have to go through. If I am to meet with a disappointment, the sooner I know it, the more of life I ...

United States Declaration of Independence
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the ...


from: Wikiquote: state governments of the united states,
Wed Aug 3 19:24:15 2011
[Hide]▲