American institutions

Extract

[...] - trial court : district courts - court of appeals : circuit courts - the supreme court of the US = court of last resort at federal and state level EPILOGUE : HOW ARE JUDGES SELECTED ? ? federal courts : appointed by the PR and confirmed by the Senate ? [...]

[...] to prevent tyranny of the gov, the framers (=rédacteurs) decided to divide power (horizontal & vertical) ? at federal level ? power ÷ between the national gov and the states : each (=chacun) has its own institutions ? CHECKS AND BALANCES (inspiration : Montesquieu) - mutual control between the 3 branches to limit their powers = safeguard against abuses III ) THE BILL OF RIGHTS ? PB : the powers granted (=accordés) to the federal government by the C would encroach (=empiéter) on states' rights and on individual rights ? [...]

[...] double sovereignty : people & states ? legislative branch = represented /Congress (seat = the Capitol : Washington) ? last congressional elections : 2022 « mid-term elections » years into the president's term) ? What powers and responsibilities does congress have ? ? makes and passes laws ? declare war ? regulate interstate (=interétatique) and foreign (=étranger) commerce ? [...]

[...] THE NIXON TAPES - Nixon finally accepted to hand over 7 tapes of the 9 - BUT experts determined the tapes were edited from 5 to 9 times = Nixon didn't want to cooperate : it means that he had something to hide - on one of the tapes, there was an 18min gap : (=écart de 18m), for which Nixon's secretary took full responsibility (she say that she erase accidentally the tape : with her foots) - Nixon decided to go for broke (=tente le tout pour le tout) ? he released the transcripts (the written) of 46 conversations (he want to be transparent) ? BUT it was obvious the transcripts could easily have been edited : EFFECT DEVASTATING - in US v. Nixon (1979), the SCOTUS unanimously held that the President must give up tapes to investigation : the tapes revealed lot of things? [...]

[...] deliberates after the trial and pronounces the verdict ? DSK was indicted bon 7 criminal counts by a grand jury - there was much DNA evidence bc DSK had agreed to a forensic examination - a judge granted DSK's bail request : paid several million dollars to avoid staying in the jail before the trial + 2 restrictions : 24-hours home detention + electronic monitoring ankle bracelet ? DSK decided to plead not guilty ? Aug : the prosecution filed a recommendation for dismissal of charges to drop the case (not enough evidence that it was rape) ? [...]