Hearing civil cases;
Protecting individual rights granted by the state constitution;
Determing the guilt or innocence of those accused of violating criminal laws of the
state;
Acting as a check upon the legislative and executive branches of state government.
The Supreme Court of Appeals is the highest court in West Virginia and supervises
the lower courts. It is comprised of five judges who are elected for twelve year
terms by the voters. The Supreme Court is required to meet twice a year, in January
and in September, and may hold special terms when necessary. The Supreme Court
has the authority to determine if state laws and actions of state officials, including
the Governor, are constitutional. Laws and executive orders cannot be enforced if
they violate the state constitution.
Most cases brought before the Supreme Court are appeals that have been tried in
the circuit or magistrate courts. Once a decision has been made by the Supreme
Court that is the final decision, with the exception of conflicts between state and
federal laws, which may be appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
Of the five Supreme Court justices, one is selected to be the Chief Justice. The
selection process is a rotation between the five justices, each who serve as the
chief justice for one year. The Chief Justice's duties include submitting a budget to
the Legislature, and according to the state constitution, the Supreme Court will be
appropriated for whatever amount it requests. The Chief Justice also assigns justices to write opinions and decisions of the Court.
The Judicial Branch The Judicial Branch
10
The Composition of the
West Virginia Legislature
West Virginia's state government is divided into branches -- The , the branch
which enforces the laws; The , the branch which interprets the laws; and the
, the branch which makes the laws.
West Virginia's Legislature is known as a legislature, which means there are two
bodies-- The Senate and the House of Delegates. West Virginia also has the two party
system --The Party and the Party.
West Virginia's Legislature is composed of West Virginia citizens. Lawmakers are elected
by the voters in their district, or area, to represent them in the lawmaking process.
The has 34 members and are elected to four-year terms with half of the membership up for election every two years. The __ is composed of 100 members
with all the membership up for election every two years.
Both the Senate and the House have presiding officers. In the Senate, that officer is the
who is first in the line of succession to the Governor. In other words, if for
any reason the Governor must resign or becomes unable to fulfill his or her duties, the
Senate President would become Governor.
The presiding officer in the House of Delegates is the __ ___ , and he/she is
second in the line of succession to the Governor. Both of these leaders are elected by
the membership of their respective bodies. In addition to maintaining order during the
floor sessions, the Speaker and the President also select the and the for
each of the committees and refer bills to the appropriate committees.
Now, the fun part. We have
covered a lot of information
about the legislature. Let’s see
how much we can remember!
11
There are other officers who are appointed by either the Speaker or the President. The
and the ___ help promote the party's position on issues, however,
the majority leader plays a more visible role.
In the event that the Speaker or President is absent, there is an appointed substitute.
Their title is Speaker or President ___ .
The party with the least number of members is known as the . It has both a
leader and a whip who perform the same duties as the Majority Leader and Whip. Both of
these leaders are elected by the members of the minority party.
Another officer who is elected by the legislative membership, but is not elected by the
voters, is the , who is the chief administrative officer for either the House or Senate.
The Clerk numbers and files the bills for introduction. The Clerk places the bills that are to
be introduced on a daily calendar. Both the Senate and House have their own clerk, with
each elected by their respective body.
Answers: 1. three; 2. Executive; 3. Judicial; 4. Legislative; 5. bicameral; 6. Democratic; 7.
Republican; 8. Senate; 9. House of Delegates; 10. Senate President; 11. Speaker of the
House; 12. chairs; 13. members; 14. majority leader; 15. majority whip; 16. pro tempore; 17.
Minority Party; 18. Clerk
How did you do? Check below
for the answers.
1
