Civics 3.1 Study Guide

What are the duties of the General Assembly?

Making state laws, passing the budget, levying taxes, and reviewing the performance and spending of executive branch agencies.

What are the responsibilities of the Governor’s role as Commander in Chief?

Leader of the state’s National Guard (can be put under the control of the President).N

What are the differences in the 4 types of NC State Courts?

NC Supreme Court: has 7 judges, elected for 8 year terms, highest court of appeals in NC.

NC Court of Appeals: 15 appeals court judges who work in panels of 3, elected for 8 year terms.

Superior Courts: handle civil cases of more than $10,000 and felony crimes (major crimes); jury trials.

District Courts: judge hears and decides cases; juvenile law, family law, traffic violations, civil cases involving less than $10,000 minor crimes called misdemeanors.

What are the duties of the Governor? Also give a description of the job.

• Appoint state officials

• Coordinates work of state agencies

• Administer state budget and laws (carries them out)

• Veto (have varying amounts of veto power)

  • Line-term veto is a no no in NC (basically you can’t say yes to some parts of the bills and no to other parts. It’s all or nothing)

• The Governor is the Chief Executive Officer of North Carolina, serving as the head of the state’s Executive branch.

What is the difference between the Cabinet and the Council of State, both at the state level?

Council of State:

• 8 officials elected by voters to head state departments

• 4-year terms and can be reelected an unlimited amount of times

• Head of their department and carry out the work of that department

Cabinet:

• 10 administrators appointed by the Governor to oversee certain departments and to assist the Governor in running state government.

What are the duties of the Lieutenant Governor?

• President of the Senate and replaces the Governor if needed.

• Must meet same qualifications as Governor and is elected separately.

• Break ties in voting.

• Sits as a voting member on several key educational and planning groups.

Describe the setup of the General Assembly — who leads each house, how laws are made, etc.

Bicameral:

• The House of Representatives leader is Speaker of the House.

• The Senate leader is the Lieutenant Governor.

Laws follow the same process as it is at the federal level.

Describe the makeup of the state executive branch.

Governor → Lieutenant Governor → Cabinet Council of State → Council of State → Executive Departments and Agencies

How can the NC state constitution be amended? *Written response question.

Legislative Initiation: The General Assembly proposes an amendment if it passes by a 3/5 (60%) majority in both the House and the Senate. It is then placed on a statewide ballot for the voters.

Constitutional Convention: A 2/3 vote in both the houses of the General Assembly can call for a statewide vote to hold a convention. If voters approve, delegates gather to propose revisions, which must then go back to the voters for final ratification.