The Judicial Branch of Power. Government Oversight

Unit IX

Notes

Government Oversight

Oversight of the executive branch is an important Congressional check on the President's power and a balance against his discretion in implementing laws and making regulations.

A major way that Congress conducts oversight is through hearings. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs are both devoted to overseeing and reforming government operations, and each committee conducts oversight in its policy area.

Congress also maintains an investigative organization, the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Founded in 1921 as the General Accounting Office, its original mission was to audit the budgets and financial statements sent to Congress by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Today, the GAO audits and generates reports on every aspect of the government, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent with the effectiveness and efficiency that the American people deserve.

The executive branch also polices itself: Sixty-four Inspectors General, each responsible for a different agency, regularly audit and report on the agencies to which they are attached.

1. oversight – контроль; наблюдение; надзор

2. discretion – 1) усмотрение; свобода действий; дискреционное право; 2) благоразумие; осторожность

3. area – область; зона; сфера

4. to audit – проверять отчетность

5. General Accounting Office – Главное бюджетно-контрольное управление США

6. financial statement – финансовый отчет

7. the Office of Management and Budget – Административно-бюджетное управление (в составе Исполнительного управления президента США)

Ex. I. Read the following words and word-combinations. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1. federal judiciary федеральная судебная власть	Congress has extensive powers to determine the shape and structure of the federal judiciary.
2. district court федеральный районный суд (федеральный суд первой инстанции в США)	District courts try most federal cases.
3. federal trial court – федеральный суд первой инстанции	The US district courts are federal trial courts.
4. federal case дело федеральной юрисдикции	Federal cases are heard in the US district courts.
5. to testify давать показания, свидетельствовать	Several key witnesses have agreed to testify against a child killer.
6. bankruptcy court суд по делам о несостоятельности	There is a US bankruptcy court within each district.
7. a circuit судебный округ	Each circuit has a court of appeals.
8. subject – matter предмет (договора, спора и т. д.)	The jurisdiction of a US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is defined by subject – matter rather than by geography.
9. to review пересматривать	If you lose a case in a district court, it can be reviewed in the court of appeals.
10. Court of Claims ист. претензионный суд (суд для рассмотрения исков к США)	The United States Court of Federal Claims is a special trial court that has nationwide jurisdiction over certain types of cases.
11. Court of International Trade федеральный суд по вопросам международной торговли (США)	The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has nationwide jurisdiction to hear appeals in cases decided by the Court of International Trade and the Court of Federal Claims.
12. Chief Justice председатель Верховного суда США	Chief Justice is the presiding officer of the supreme Court of the United States.
13. Associate Justice член Верховного суда США	The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and eight Associate Justices.
14. to confirm утверждать	All Justices are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
15. caseload нагрузк а	The Supreme Courts caseload is almost entirely appellate in nature.
16. arbiter арбитр	The US Supreme Court acts as final arbiter when district courts disagree.
17. impartial беспристрастный	Judges need to be impartial.
18. to interpret толковать (правовую норму, закон, договор)	Federal courts enjoy the sole power to interpret the law, determine the constitutionality, of the law, and to apply it to individual cases.
19. to resolve решать	They called a meeting to resolve the dispute.
20. State court суд штата (в отличие от федерального суда)	State courts have more contact with the public than federal courts do.
21. inferior court нижестоящий суд	The lowest level of state courts is often known as the inferior courts.
21. General court законодательное собрание (в штатах Массачусетс и Нью-Хэмпшир)	The states have a system of general courts.
22. along with наряду с, вместе с	He was arrested along with eleven other men.
23. superior court вышестоящий суд	More serious offences are heard in superior court.
24. circuit court выездная сессия окружного суда (в ряде штатов США)	Circuit court is one of a number of courts of law in an area that a judge visits regularly in order to deal with local cases.
25. civil suit гражданский иск	Civil suits are brought in both state and federal courts.
26. Appellate court апелляционный суд (промежуточная инстанция между судами первой инстанции и верховным судом штата в ряде штатов США)	Appellate court is a court of law that can change the decision made in other courts.

Ex. II. Match these words to their definitions.

1. judiciary	1. organized with grades of authority from lowest to highest
2. to testily	2. to examine all the information again relevant (относящийся к) to a situation
3. to resolve	3. to formally accept someone new in an important position
4. to confirm	4. to solve a problem or to find a satisfactory way of dealing with a disagreement
5. caseload	5. not connected to or influenced by one particular person or group
6. arbiter	6. a person or organization that has official power to settle disagreements
7. rather than	7. used for mentioning additional people or things that are also included or involved in something
8. ambassador	8. a claim or complaint that someone makes in a court
9. within	9. different from someone or something else
10. impartial	10. used for saying that one thing is preferred to another or happens instead of another
11. through	11. the system of law courts in the country
12. along with	12. by means of something
13. unlike	13. inside a place
14. hierarchically	14. for one particular thing or type of thing
15. a guardian	15. all the cases that someone is responsible for dealing at the same time
16. specifically	16. a person or organization that guards or protects something
17. to review	17. to give evidence to make a statement about something you saw, know, experienced, usually in a court
18. ruling	18. a senior official, who live in a foreign country and represents his or her country
19. to interpret	19. to understand an action or situation in a particular way
20. suit	20. an official decision made by a court or by someone in a position of authority

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