The Executive and

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• Part 2,
• The Executive and
• Judicial Branches

Greg Abbott, our current Governor
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The Executive Branch

• The governor is the chief executive of the state.
  He has the power to call together a special
  session of Congress, veto bills, and send
  messages to the legislature. He also appoints
  people to executive agencies.
• The Governor is elected to a 4 year term of
  office and there is no term limit. Examples of
  Governors

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TheLieutenant Governor

• Although part of the Executive Branch, the Lt.
  Governor is the head of the Texas Senate.
• He enforces the rules and procedures of the
  Senate.
• The Lieutenant Governor is actually considered
  the most powerful position in the state because
  he oversees the Texas Senate.

Dan Patrick, our current Lieutenant Governor
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• The Executive Branch is also in charge of
  Government agencies.
• The agencies carry out the laws of the State
• 1. Boards and commissions appointed by the
  Governor. Example Colleges and prisons
• And the Governors Cabinet
• 2. Members of the cabinet appointed by the
  Governor. Example The Secretary of State
• 3. Members of the cabinet who are elected by the
  people. Example The Attorney general (the top
  lawyer for the state)

Executive Agencies
Cabinet Are a group of officials who work for
and advise the Governor and control executive
agencies.
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Differences with the U.S. Executive

• In Texas the head of the Executive branch is the
  Governor,
• In the U.S. the head of the Executive branch is
  the President.
• The President has a 2 term limit.
• The Vice President has little power compared to
  the Lt. Governor

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The Judicial Branch

• The court system falls under the judicial branch
  which interprets the law.
• The Supreme Court is the highest court in Texas
• Texas has two Supreme Courts

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• Deals with Civil Law
• Civil Law Laws dealing with disputes between
  citizens (when someone sues someone else) as well
  as Juvenile Cases.

• Deals with Criminal Law
• Criminal Law Laws dealing with criminal acts and
  their punishments.

• The 9 Justices (judges) of each Supreme Court are
  elected to 6 year terms with no term limit.

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Differences with the U.S. Judicial Branch

• The United States Supreme Court is the final
  authority on the interpreting the Constitution
  for the entire country. Texas Supreme courts can
  appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Judges are appointed by the
President and approved by the Congress. They have
their position for life.