JOURNAL

Week Three Journal

Prepare: Prior to beginning your reflection this week, read Chapters 5, 6, and 7 in American Government, review the Week Three Instructor Guidance.

Reflect: The executive and judicial branches of the U.S. national government often seem to operate independently and with little conflict. Many laws are signed by the President and then implemented without a word from the judicial branch. However, there are times when executive decisions are challenged by the judicial branch in a process called judicial review. In addition, there are times when a judicial review has direct impact on your life. For example, when the Supreme Court declared the Affordable Care Act constitutional, many people without health care insurance were finally able to purchase health care insurance. Additionally, when the Supreme Court declared sections of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, some of the constraints that prevented many gay and lesbian couples from marrying were eliminated. Executive Order 13658 on February 20, 2014 also had a direct impact on many business people that contract with the federal government by increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. Clearly, the actions of the executive and judicial branches often directly affect our lives. Think about how you have been personally impacted by a Supreme Court decision.

Write: In your journal, explain how the actions of the executive and/or judicial branches have personally affected your life.

Your journal response must be a minimum one page, double-spaced. Justify your conclusions with facts and persuasive reasoning. Fully respond to all parts of the question and write your response in your own words.  Outside research and references are not required for journal assignments, but if you choose to utilize outside sources they must be correctly cited utilizing APA format both within the body of your journal and include a full reference page.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.