Legal System of United States

United States is located in North America. It is geographically situated in north america, bordering both the north atlantic ocean and the north pacific ocean, between canada and mexico. The country achieved independence on 4 july 1776 (declared independence from great britain); 3 september 1783 (recognized by great britain). The capital is Washington, D.C..

Government Overview

Government Type: constitutional federal republic Chief of State: President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2025) Head of Government: President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2025) Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president, approved by the Senate Administrative Divisions: 50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming National Holiday: Independence Day, 4 July (1776) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of United States is described as common law system based on English common law at the federal level; state legal systems based on common law, except Louisiana, where state law is based on Napoleonic civil code; judicial review of legislative acts International Law: withdrew acceptance of compulsory ICJ jurisdiction in 2005; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: previous 1781 (Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union); latest drafted July - September 1787, submitted to the Congress of the Confederation 20 September 1787, submitted for states’ ratification 28 September 1787, ratification completed by nine of the 13 states 21 June 1788, effective 4 March 1789 Amendment Process: proposed as a “joint resolution” by Congress, which requires a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by at least two thirds of the state legislatures; passage requires ratification by three fourths of the state legislatures or passage in state-held constitutional conventions as specified by Congress; the US president has no role in the constitutional amendment process

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): US Supreme Court (consists of 9 justices – the chief justice and 8 associate justices) Judge Selection: president nominates and, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoints Supreme Court justices; justices serve for life Subordinate Courts: Courts of Appeal (includes the US Court of Appeal for the Federal District and 12 regional appeals courts); 94 federal district courts in 50 states and territories

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of bicameral Note: note: in addition to the regular members of the House of Representatives there are 6 non-voting delegates elected from the District of Columbia and the US territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands; these are single seat constituencies directly elected by simple majority vote to serve a 2-year term (except for the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico who serves a 4-year term); the delegate can vote when serving on a committee and when the House meets as the Committee of the Whole House, but not when legislation is submitted for a “full floor” House vote; election of delegates last held on 8 November 2022 (next to be held on 3 November 2024) Lower Chamber: House of Representatives (435 (all directly elected) seats) Electoral System (Lower Chamber): plurality/majority Upper Chamber: Senate

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: yes Citizenship by Descent: yes Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

Thirteen of Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of United States based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.