US Legal System
US Legal System
The US Legal System is a complex organization of Federal and State governmental divisions. In order to understand the US Legal System, you should first know which laws, rules or regulations control. In other words, which laws have priority or controlling effect.
The U.S. Constitution is the highest law of the land. Federal Laws enacted by the US Congress come next. This does not mean that the Federal Congress can adopt laws that control States in every situation. It can’t unless the law can be applied to the States under the US Constitution and Court decisions.
Each State has a legislature that adopts State Laws called “statutes”. Those statutes are sometimes complied into what is referred to ad a Code. This is nothing more than a codification of all the applicable statutes.
Inside US Legal System
- U.S. Constitution
- Articles of Confederation
- Amendments
- Preamble
- Article I
- Article I – The Legislative Branch
- Article II – Executive Branch
- Article III – Judicial Branch
- Article IV – The States
- Article V – The Amendment Process
- Article VI – Legal Status of the Constitution
- Article VII – Ratification
- Signers of the US Constitution
- Amendment I
- Amendment II
- Amendment III
- Amendment IV
- Amendment V
- Amendment VI – Criminal Prosecutions – Jury Trial, Right to Confront and to Counsel (1791)
- Amendment VII – Common Law Suits – Jury Trial (1791)
- Amendment VIII – Excess Bail or Fines, Cruel and Unusual Punishment (1791)
- Amendment IX – Non-Enumerated Rights (1791)
- Amendment X – Rights Reserved to States (1791)
- Amendment XI – Suits Against a State (1795)
- Amendment XII – Election of President and Vice-President (1804)
- Amendment XIII – Abolition Of Slavery (1865)
- Amendment XIV – Privileges and Immunities, Due Process, Equal Protection, Apportionment of Representatives, Civil War Disqualification and Debt (1868)
- Amendment XV – Right to Vote Not to Be Denied on Account of Race (1870)
- Amendment XVI – Income Tax (1913)
- Amendment XVII – Election of Senators (1913)
- Amendment XVIII – Prohibition (1919)
- Amendment XIX – Women’s Right to Vote (1920)
- Amendment XX – Presidential Term and Succession (1933)
- Amendment XXI-Repeal of Prohibition (1933)
- Amendment XXII – Two Term Limit on President (1951)
- Amendment XXIII – Presidential Vote in D.C. (1961)
- Amendment XXIV – Poll Tax (1964)
- Amendment XXV – Presidential Succession (1967)
- Amendment XXVI – Right to Vote at Age 18 (1971)
- Amendment XXVII – Compensation of Members of Congress (1992)
- Congress
- Executive Branch
- Cabinet – Department of Agriculture
- Executive Office of President
- President
- Past Presidents
- The Presidential Cabinet
- Vice President
- Office of the Vice President
- Council of Economic Advisers
- Council on Environmental Quality
- National Security Council
- Office of Administration
- Office of Management and Budget
- Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Office of Policy Development
- Office of Science and Technology Policy
- Office of the United States Trade Representative
- US Supreme Court
- US Courts of Appeals
- Federal District Courts
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- Other Federal Courts
- Federalism
- State Constitutions
- Alabama Constitution
- Alaska Constitution
- Arizona Constitution
- Arkansas Constitution
- California Constitution
- Colorado Constitution
- Connecticut Constitution
- Delaware Constitution
- Florida Constitution
- Georgia Constitution
- Hawaii Constitution
- Idaho Constitution
- Illinois Constitution
- Indiana Constitution
- Iowa Constitution
- Kansas Constitution
- Kentucky Constitution
- Louisiana Constitution
- Maine Constitution
- Maryland Constitution
- Massachusetts Constitution
- Michigan Constitution
- Minnesota Constitution
- Mississippi Constitution
- Missouri Constitution
- Montana Constitution
- Nebraska Constitution
- Nevada Constitution
- New Hampshire Constitution
- New Jersey Constitution
- New Mexico Constitution
- New York Constitution
- North Carolina Constitution
- North Dakota Constitution
- Ohio Constitution
- Oklahoma Constitution
- Oregon Constitution
- Pennsylvania Constitution
- Rhode Island Constitution
- South Carolina Constitution
- South Dakota Constitution
- Tennessee Constitution
- Texas Constitution
- Utah Constitution
- Vermont Constitution
- Virginia Constitution
- Washington Constitution
- West Virginia Constitution
- Wisconsin Constitution
- Wyoming Constitution
- State Legislatures
- Alabama State Legislature
- Alaska State Legislature
- Arizona State Legislature
- Arkansas State Legislature
- California State Legislature
- Colorado State Legislature
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- Tribal Governments
- Administrative Agencies
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