The role of the Supreme Court and the rest of the judicial branch of the federal government is covered by Article III.

Section 3 provides the power to make treaties (with the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate) and the power to nominate ambassadors, ministers, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States. Section 2 establishes him as the ' commander in chief' and grants him power to give pardons, except in cases of impeachment, for offenses against the United States. He is vested with the 'executive' power by section 1. The powers of the President are not as clearly enumerated as those of the Congress. I, § 10.Īrticle II of the Constitution establishes the presidency and the executive branch of government. Section 10 of Article I lists a number of specific actions that individual states may no longer take. For example, until the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment Congress could not directly tax the people of the United States unless it was proportioned to the population of each state. Section 9 of Article I prohibits Congress from taking certain actions. The sixteenth Amendment gives Congress the power to collect a national income tax without apportioning it among the states. Congress has specifically used its power to regulate commerce (the commerce clause) with foreign nations and among the states to enact broad and powerful legislation throughout the nation. Section 8 enumerates the powers of Congress. Article I establishes the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Constitution establishes the three branches of the federal government and enumerates their powers. While the topic also covers the interpretation and implementation of state constitutions, without qualification it is usually understood as referring to the Federal Constitution. Consequently, study of Constitutional Law focuses heavily on Supreme Court rulings. The Supreme Court has played a crucial role in interpreting the Constitution. The area of judicial review is an important subject within Constitutional Law. This includes relationships among the states, the states and the federal government, the three branches (executive, legislative, judicial) of the federal government, and the rights of the individual in relation to both federal and state government. As the Constitution is the foundation of the United States, constitutional law deals with some of the fundamental relationships within our society. The broad topic of constitutional law deals with the interpretation and implementation of the United States Constitution.

When was the constitution written