Mississippi State Government vs. North Dakota State Government

Compare Mississippi’s state government to North Dakota’s state government. Requires legislature, executive, and judicial (the branches of government). Provide cover sheet with subject.

ANSWER

Compare Mississippi’s State Government to North Dakota’s State Government

Mississippi

Legislature

The legislature writes laws for the state of Mississippi. It is divided into two chambers comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives. Mississippi is divided into 52 senate districts which elect one senator each while the House of Representatives consists of 122 members. All members of the legislature are elected for four-year terms and begin the legislature every January. Bills mass pass in both chambers and duly signed by the governor before they become. Bills passed by the two chambers can be vetoed by the governor or returned with recommendations. The two chambers can vote and override the governor’s veto if two-thirds of legislators in each chamber are in agreement. If the governor fails to veto or sign a bill into law, the bill automatically becomes law (Haynes 17).

Executive

The Mississippi executive branch is responsible for the enforcement of the State’s laws (Winkle 4). The executive is made up of the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, the attorney general, the state auditor, the state treasurer, the commissioner of agriculture and commerce, the commissioner of insurance, 3 public service commissioners, and 3 transportation commissioners. The governor and the lieutenant governor are elected in four-year terms and can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. Other executive officer holders like the secretary of state are also elected for four-year terms. The governor is the chief executive officer of the state and is responsible for submitting budgets to the legislature for approval, signing into law, or vetoing bills from the legislature. The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate and votes to break ties. He automatically assumes the office of the governor if the governor dies, is absent from the state, or in long illness.

Judiciary

The judiciary ensures that the laws of Mississippi do not conflict with the constitution of the state. The courts preside in criminal cases to punish those who break the law and settle disputes in the state. The Mississippi Supreme Court is the highest in the state and has nine elected justices. The justices are elected by Mississippi citizens and serve eight-year terms staggered to provide continuity. The Supreme Court is the final judicial authority in the state and hears appeals from lower courts and ensures laws are in line with the constitution. The Mississippi has the Court of Appeals which has ten judges elected by the people to serve eight-year terms. Mississippi has 22 circuit court districts that hear criminal cases and some civil matters. There are chancery courts in the state that hear civil matters like divorce, wills, among others. Judges in circuit and chancery courts are elected by the people to four-year terms.

North Dakota

Legislature

The North Dakota legislature is responsible for making laws in the state and appropriating funds to run the government. North Dakota had the House of Representatives and Senate that are equal in power in consideration of legislation. North Dakota has 47 legislative districts that each provide three legislators. Each district provides two members of the House of Representatives totaling 94 and one members of the Senate totaling 47. Senators and representatives are elected for four-year renewal terms without term limits. A bill has to have majority support from each chamber then sent to the governor to append his signature for it to become law. The governor can veto a bill and send it back to the house but this veto can be overridden when two-thirds of each chamber agrees.

Executive

The North Dakota executive branch has 13 elected officials including the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Auditor, the Insurance Commissioner, the Agriculture Commissioner, the Tax Commissioner, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and three Public Service Commissioners. The governor is the chief executive and supervisor of the entire executive branch. The governor appoints people to state agencies, signs or vetoes bills from the legislature, commander in chief of the national guard. The Lieutenant governor assumes the office of governor if the governor resigns, dies, or is unable to fulfill his duties (Tufte 417).

Judiciary

The judicial branch of the North Dakota government has four types of courts. These include the North Dakota Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, District Courts, and Municipal Courts. The North Dakota Supreme Court, the highest court in the state has five judges elected for a ten-year term which can be renewed. The Supreme Court Justices elect one of them to serve as Chief Justice and preside over the operations of the body. The Supreme Court decides the constitutionality of all state laws and hears appeals from lower courts in the state. The Court of Appeals has three judges appointed by the Supreme Court and presides over cases assigned to it by the highest court. There are District Courts distributed in the districts and have over 40 judges who preside over criminal and some civil cases. The Municipal Court handles violations of municipal or city ordinances. The municipal courts can also preside over certain criminal cases.

Works Cited

Haynes, Robert. The Mississippi Territory and the Southwest Frontier, 1795-1817. University      Press of Kentucky, 2010.

Tufte, Jerod. “The North Dakota Constitution: An Original Approach since 1889.” NDL Rev. 95 (2020): 417.

Winkle III, John W. The Mississippi State Constitution. Oxford Commentaries on the Sta, 2014.