State governments of the United States - Wikipedia State governments of the United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search State-level governments of the 50 states which comprise the United States of America United States This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the United States Federal government Constitution of the United States Law Taxation Policy Legislature United States Congress House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D) Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) Congressional districts Senate President Kamala Harris (D) President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy (D) Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) Executive President of the United States Joe Biden (D) Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris (D) Cabinet Federal agencies Executive Office Judiciary Supreme Court of the United States Chief Justice John Roberts Thomas Breyer Alito Sotomayor Kagan Gorsuch Kavanaugh Barrett Courts of appeals District courts (list) Other tribunals Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Off-year elections Primary elections presidential primary Political parties Democratic Republican Third parties Libertarian Green Federalism State government Governors Legislatures (list) State courts local government Foreign relations Department of State Secretary of State: Antony Blinken Diplomatic missions of / in the United States Nationality law Passports Visa requirements Visa policy United States and the United Nations United Nations Security Council P5 NATO G20 G7 Russia China India European Union Latin America Arab League  United States portal Other countries v t e State governments of the United States are institutional units in the United States exercising functions of government at a level below that of the federal government. Each state's government holds legislative, executive, and judicial authority over[1] a defined geographic territory. The United States comprises 50 states: 13 that were already part of the United States at the time the present Constitution took effect in 1789, plus 37 that have been admitted since by Congress as authorized under Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution.[2] Contents 1 Legal status 2 Legislatures 2.1 Upper Houses 2.2 Lower Houses 3 Executive 4 Judiciary 5 Common government components 5.1 Education 5.2 Health care 6 State Government debt to Gross Domestic Product 7 See also 8 References Legal status[edit] While each of the state governments within the United States holds legal and administrative jurisdiction within its bounds,[3] they are not sovereign in the Westphalian sense in international law which says that each State has sovereignty over its territory and domestic affairs, to the exclusion of all external powers, on the principle of non-interference in another State's domestic affairs, and that each State (no matter how large or small) is equal in international law.[4] Additionally, the member states of the United States do not possess international legal sovereignty, meaning that they are not recognized by other sovereign States such as, for example, France, Germany or the United Kingdom,[4] nor do they possess full interdependence sovereignty (a term popularized by international relations professor Stephen D. Krasner),[5][6] meaning that they cannot control movement of persons across state borders.[4] The idea of "dual sovereignty" or "separate sovereigns" is derived from the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."[3] Structured in accordance with state law (including state constitutions and state statutes), state governments share the same structural model as the federal system, with three branches of government—executive, legislative, and judicial. The governments of the 13 states that formed the original Union under the Constitution trace their roots back to the colonial governments of the Thirteen Colonies. Most of the states admitted to the Union after the original 13 have been formed from organized territories established and governed by Congress in accord with its plenary power under Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 of the Constitution.[2] Six subsequent states were never an organized territory of the federal government, or part of one, before being admitted to the Union. Three were set off from an already existing state: Kentucky (1792, from Virginia),[7][8][9] Maine (1820, from Massachusetts),[7][8][9] and West Virginia (1863, from Virginia).[8][9][10] Two were sovereign states at the time of their admission: Texas (1845, previously the Republic of Texas),[7][8][11] and Vermont (1791, previously the De facto but unrecognized Vermont Republic).[7][8][12] One was established from unorganized territory: California (1850, from land ceded to the United States by Mexico in 1848 under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo).[7][8][13] Legislatures[edit] See also: List of United States state legislatures The legislative branch of the U.S. states consists of state legislatures. Every state except for Nebraska has a bicameral legislature, meaning it comprises two chambers. The unicameral Nebraska Legislature is commonly called the "Senate", and its members are officially called "Senators". In the majority of states (26), the state legislature is simply called "Legislature". Another 19 states call their legislature "General Assembly". Two states (Oregon and North Dakota) use the term "Legislative Assembly", while another two (Massachusetts and New Hampshire) use the term "General Court". Upper Houses[edit] In the 49 bicameral legislatures, the upper house is called the "Senate". Until 1964, state senators were generally elected from districts that were not necessarily equal in population. In some cases state senate districts were based partly on county lines; in the vast majority of states the senate districts provided proportionately greater representation to rural areas. However, in the 1964 decision Reynolds v. Sims, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that, unlike the United States Senate, state senates must be elected from districts of approximately equal population. Lower Houses[edit] In 40 of the 49 bicameral state legislatures, the lower house is called the "House of Representatives". The name "House of Delegates" is only used in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. California and Wisconsin call their lower house the "State Assembly", while Nevada and New York simply call the lower house the "Assembly". New Jersey calls its lower house the "General Assembly". Executive[edit] See also: Lists of United States governors The executive branch of every state is headed by an elected Governor. Most states have a plural executive, in which several key members of the executive branch are directly elected by the people and serve alongside the governor. These include the offices of lieutenant governor (often on a joint ticket with the governor) and attorney general, secretary of state, auditors (or comptrollers or controllers), treasurer, commissioner of agriculture, commissioner (or superintendent) of education, and commissioner of insurance.[citation needed] Each state government is free to organize its executive departments and agencies in any way it likes. This has resulted in substantial diversity among the states with regard to every aspect of how their governments are organized. Most state governments traditionally use the department as the standard highest-level component of the executive branch, in that the secretary of a department is normally considered to be a member of the governor's cabinet and serves as the main interface between the governor and all agencies in his or her assigned portfolio. A department in turn usually consists of several divisions, offices, and/or agencies. A state government may also include various boards, commissions, councils, corporations, offices, or authorities, which may either be subordinate to an existing department or division, or independent altogether. Judiciary[edit] The judicial branch in most states has a court of last resort usually called a supreme court that hears appeals from lower state courts. New York's highest court is called the Court of Appeals, while its trial court is known as the Supreme Court. Maryland also calls its highest court the Court of Appeals. Texas and Oklahoma each have separate courts of last resort for civil and criminal appeals. Each state's court of last resort has the last word on issues of state law and can be overruled only on issues of federal law by the U.S. Supreme Court. The structure of courts and the methods of selecting judges is determined by each state's constitution or legislature. Most states have at least one trial-level court and an intermediate appeals court from which only some cases are appealed to the highest court. Common government components[edit] See also: State constitutional officer and Comparison of U.S. state governments Although the exact position of each component may vary, there are certain components common to most state governments: Office of the Governor Office of the Lieutenant Governor Office of the State Attorney General Agriculture Arts council Banking/Financial institutions Civil service Consumer protection Corrections and parole supervision Economic development Education Emergency management Energy Environment Fire protection Health care Highway patrol Housing Insurance Justice Labor Law revision Lottery Motor vehicles Military affairs (National Guard)/Adjutant general Occupational safety and health Pensions (for public employees) Public health Secretary of state State parks State police State university system Transportation Unemployment insurance Veterans' affairs Workers' compensation Education[edit] See also: Governing boards of colleges and universities in the United States Education is one of the largest areas of spending by state governments.[14] This includes K–12 education (primary and secondary schools) as well as state university systems.[14] Health care[edit] See also: Health care in the United States Health care is one of the largest areas of spending by state governments.[14] This includes spending on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.[14] State Government debt to Gross Domestic Product[edit] See also: List of U.S. states by credit rating and List of U.S. state budgets See also[edit] List of people who have served in all three branches of a U.S. state government Local government in the United States Federal government of the United States Article Four of the United States Constitution Seals of the U.S. states Political divisions of the United States References[edit] ^ "Glossary of Statistical Terms: State Government". Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Retrieved February 26, 2017. ^ a b "Constitution of the United States, Article IV, Section 3, Paragraph 1". Legal Information Institute, Cornell University Law School. Retrieved 17 October 2015. ^ a b "Constitution of the United States, Amendment X". Legal Information Institute, Cornell University Law School. Retrieved 17 October 2015. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. ^ a b c Krasner, Stephen D. (2001). Problematic Sovereignty: Contested Rules and Political Possibilities. pp. 6–12. ISBN 9780231121798. ^ Lynch, Katherine L. (2003). The Forces of Economic Globalization: Challenges to the Regime of International Commercial Arbitration. The Hague: Kluwer Law International. p. 61. ISBN 9789041119940. Retrieved 4 November 2020. ^ Axtmann, Roland (2007). Democracy: Problems and Perspectives. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 136. ISBN 9780748620104. Retrieved 4 November 2020. ^ a b c d e Stein, Mark (2008). How the States Got Their Shapes. New York: HarperCollins. pp. xvi, 334. ISBN 9780061431395. ^ a b c d e f "Official Name and Status History of the several States and U.S. Territories". TheGreenPapers.com. ^ a b c Michael P. Riccards, "Lincoln and the Political Question: The Creation of the State of West Virginia" Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 27, 1997 online edition ^ "A State of Convenience: The Creation of West Virginia, Chapter Twelve, Reorganized Government of Virginia Approves Separation". Wvculture.org. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. ^ Holt, Michael F. (200). The fate of their country: politicians, slavery extension, and the coming of the Civil War. New York: Hill and Wang. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-8090-4439-9. ^ "The 14th State". Vermont History Explorer. Vermont Historical Society. ^ "California Admission Day September 9, 1850". CA.gov. California Department of Parks and Recreation. ^ a b c d "Policy Basics: Where Do Our State Tax Dollars Go?". Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 10 April 2009. v t e State governments of the United States States Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware 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 Federal district Washington, D.C. 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Category Portal v t e Legislatures of the United States United States Congress United States House of Representatives United States Senate State legislatures Alabama (H, S) Alaska (H, S) Arizona (H, S) Arkansas (H, S) California (A, S) Colorado (H, S) Connecticut (H, S) Delaware (H, S) Florida (H, S) Georgia (H, S) Hawaii (H, S) Idaho (H, S) Illinois (H, S) Indiana (H, S) Iowa (H, S) Kansas (H, S) Kentucky (H, S) Louisiana (H, S) Maine (H, S) Maryland (H, S) Massachusetts (H, S) Michigan (H, S) Minnesota (H, S) Mississippi (H, S) Missouri (H, S) Montana (H, S) Nebraska Nevada (A, S) New Hampshire (H, S) New Jersey (GA, S) New Mexico (H, S) New York (A, S) North Carolina (H, S) North Dakota (H, S) Ohio (H, S) Oklahoma (H, S) Oregon (H, S) Pennsylvania (H, S) Rhode Island (H, S) South Carolina (H, S) South Dakota (H, S) Tennessee (H, S) Texas (H, S) Utah (H, S) Vermont (H, S) Virginia (H, S) Washington (H, S) West Virginia (H, S) Wisconsin (A, S) Wyoming (H, S) Other legislatures District of Columbia American Samoa (H, S) Guam Northern Mariana Islands (H, S) Puerto Rico (H, S) U.S. Virgin Islands Legislative elections 2010 2018 2020 List of U.S. state legislators Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=State_governments_of_the_United_States&oldid=993418523" Categories: State governments of the United States Public governance Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2017 Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item 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