Text 1 (E) The US Congress

The US Congress; the lawmaking arm of the federal government consists of two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Any congressman in either house, or the president, may initiate new legislation.

The proposed legislation, or bill, is first introduced in the House of Representatives, then referred to one of the standing committees, which organizes hearings on it and may approve, amend or shelve the draft. If the committee passes the bill, it is considered by the House of Representatives as a whole. If passed there, it goes to the Senate for a similar sequence of committee hearings and general debate.

In cases of disagreement, the House of Representatives and the Senate confer together. Once passed by the Senate as a whole, the bill has to be examined by two more standing committees - the Committee on House Administration and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration - and is then signed by the speaker of the House and by the president of the Senate.

Finally, it must be signed by the president, who has the right to veto it. If the president vetoes a bill, it can still become a law - but only if it is passed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress.

Text 1 (F) Sources of Law in the USA

The unique characteristic of American law is that a very substantial part of it is not to be found in statutes enacted by legislatures but rather in cases decided by the courts.

In the USA statutes must be in keeping with the constitutions — federal an state — and the courts can overrule a statute that is found to violate constitution provisions. Statutes and constitutions are classified as "written law". Also include under this heading are treaties that by the federal constitution are also a part of the law of the land. Case law, as opposed to written law, is not set forth formally but is derived from an analysis of each case that uncovers what legal propositions the case stands for. It is nor proper to call this "unwritten" law because it is in fact in writing. However, it must be distinguished from statutory law in that it is not the product the legislature but is rather the product of the courts. When a court decides a case particularly upon an appeal from a lower-court decision, the court writes an opinion setting forth among other things the reasons for its decision. From these written opinions rules of law can be deduced, and these make up the body of what is called case law or common law. The basic characteristic of the common law is that a case once decided establishes a precedent that will be followed by the courts when similar controversies are later presented.

A third source of law is administrative law. Federal, state, and local administrative agencies make law by promulgating rules and regulations as well as by making decisions concerning matters under their jurisdiction.

ВАРИАНТ I

Дата добавления: 2015-01-03