Josh Nudelman December 5, 2013Introduction To Comparative PoliticsAndrew Manson Fall2013Canadian Government vs United States Government On the beloved CBS nighttime television show, “How I Met Your Mother”, one of the main characters, Robin Scherbatsky, is from Vancouver, Canada. As Robin is the only Canadian in the group, there are inevitable jokes made about her life in Canada. From being afraid of the dark, to the metric system, Robin’s Canadian heritage is definitely a topic of interest. While the show highlights the differences between Canada and America, it is interesting to note how similar they are politically. Considering that there are 1,062,640 Canadian Americans, it is essential to understand the political structure of Canada in relation to America. In his book, “Defining and Measuring Democracy,” David Beetham explains that the United States government is in a democracy, meaning that it is ruled by the people. One of the most important aspects of the government system in the United States is the Three Party system. As seen in the book “The Spirit of the Law” by Montesquieu, it clearly laid out the concept of having three separate branches of government in which each would check on each other and ensure that each branch is fulfilling their required duty.
One of the branches of government is the Judicial branch whose power, in accordance to the Constitution “shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and Establish” (Constitution 1788). Located in the Judicial branch is the Supreme Court, which is deemed to be the highest court in the lands. The Supreme Court consists of nine judges; however, this number has fluctuated throughout the years as it is up to Congress to decide the number of judges serving at one time. Each justice is appointed by the president and serves a term for life. The assignment of the review appellate jurisdiction with cases involving issues of federal concern. The Supreme Court has the final say on the constitutional law and ensures that every law passed is consistent with the Constitution. State, Bankruptcy courts, tax courts and other specialized courts also fall under the Judicial branch of government. One important part of the Judicial Branch is the belief and idea of Judicial Review. According to the article “Prompt Judicial Review of Administrative Decisions: Providing Due Process in Unsure Water” by the Florida Bar Journal, it defines Judicial Review as by how the “certiorari legal principle is accessed in regards to agency judgments”. Judicial Review can also mean the fact that all legislative and also executive actions can be subject to review by the judicial branch as their check on the branch. With the Judicial Review power, the courts can change and point out any acts in which they find incompatible with a higher point of law. Lastly, according to whitehouse.gov the Judicial Branch leaves congress a good amount of discretion to choose what the current shape and structure of the federal judiciary is
