Notes

Constitutional Provisions
Article 2, Section 1 (The President)
Article 2, Section 2 (Civilian Power Over Military, Cabinet, Pardon Power, Appointments)
Article 2, Section 3 (State of the Union, Convening Congress)
Article 2, Section 4 (Disqualification)

Amendments
Amendment 12 (Choosing the President, Vice-President)
Amendment 20 (Presidential, Congressional terms)
Amendment 22 (Presidential term limits)
Amendment 23 (Presidential vote for District of Columbia)
Amendment 25 (Presidential disability and succession)

Official Order of Succession
1. Vice President
2. Speaker of the House
3. President Pro Tempore of the Senate
4. Secretary of State 

Early federal bureaucracy
a. People would be put in mainly for their loyalty to a political party of the winning presidential candidate, lots of corruption, Used to be very small
1. Treasury
2. Foreign affairs
3. War department
b. Lincoln : department of agriculture
c. FDR’s new deal
1. Agricultural Adjustment Administration
2. Social Security Administration
3. Securities and Exchange Commission

Death of James Garfield: civil service reform act (Pendleton Act: positions in fed gov should be awarded on the basis of merit instead of political affiliation)

President’s power to appoint positions for independent regulatory commissions
President can appoint certain members to an independent (regulatory) commission, the president can’t fire them because that is the whole point of independent commissions. They have the freedom to see if even the white house did something wrong

Marbury v. Madison (1803): (given power at the national judicial level) they decided that the congress deals with commerce, which branch does what and the constitutionality of actions

Timeline of Constitutional Development
1827 – Combined state of Texas and Coahuila
1836 – Independence from Mexico; 17 article constitution with bicameral Congress, president, and four-level judiciary; Recognized slavery and male suffrage
1845 – Adopts a constitution for state hood in order to join the United States; termed “best of its time” and had a provision for the emancipation of slaves
1861 – Secedes from the U.S. to join the Confederate States of America, adopting a new constitution, which deleted 1845 emancipation provision
1866 – Rejoins the United States, adopting a revised constitution to comply with the presidential Reconstruction effort; abolition of slavery and line-item veto
1869 – Congressional Reconstruction requires yet another revised constitution; universal male suffrage
1876 – Current Constitution

Statutory – Incorporates detailed provisions in order to limit the powers of government

b. Control over procedures in house: house speaker
c. Control over procedures in the senate: Lieutenant governor &
d. TX governor should have good relations with the two