Determining the Elite Within Politics and the Judiciary Abstract To begin addressing this question, it was first necessary to define the term elite. From here, it was then possible to clarify the specific positions within the upper ranks of politics and the senior judiciary that I would be examining. Once this was established, the relationship between British elites and the social structure both past and present was outlined, along with the basic views of those who have commented upon this association. This provided the appropriate context through which to compare the recruitment, structure and power of the named elites. Following the analysis of these three dimensions, it was then possible to assess their relationship with the current British social structure as a totality. Defining the Elite The development of ideas concerning elites in society has led to the application of the term elite in a number ways. I intend to employ a definition similar to that proposed by Stanworth (1984 p247), which simply signifies those individuals occupying high positions of authority within an institution or organisation. However, the attribution of authority does not automatically equate with a given amount of power and I will examine this association in more detail later in the paper. Determining the Elite within Politics and the Judiciary The Political Elite ------------------- By applying the definitions I have just outlined to the sectors I have chosen for comparison, it is now possible to establish which members of these groups can be termed the 'elite'. Within the area of Politics, I will focus on the formal positi... ... middle of paper ... ...tain groups have to elite membership and their ability to maintain a system that protects their existing interests is a core aspect of how we define privilege itself. Such a definition incorporates the discrimination experienced by many women and ethnic minority groups, as well as those within the working class. Indeed, I would have liked to explore the disparities of gender and race in more detail, however the information available concerning these groups in relation to elite positions was somewhat limited. In Britain today, the only real prospect of severing this structural bias is greater European integration and the consequent adoption of fairer financial and social policy. However, the likelihood of changes so unfavourable to the current dominant interests being accepted into our system is somewhat questionable.
Kairys, David. "Legal Education As Training For Hierarchy." The Politics of Law: a Progressive Critique. By Duncan Kennedy. New York: Basic, 1998. 54-75. Print.
A conception of the American public opinion is that the judicial branch is our most powerful branch of government. It can be argued as such that our judicial branch is in charge of deciding the meaning of laws, how to apply them to real situations and whether the law breaks the rules of the Constitution. Obviously our Constitution is the highest law of our Nation. But does the judicial branch really find itself more powerful than the legislative and executive branches? I firmly believe that this is a misconception and hold the theory that our legislative branch is by far the most powerful. Not only is it constructed in our constitution
Power elite: a. A small group of people that have high influence and power in society.
We elect politicians on the basis on the issues by which they stand, and these issues are either held up or weakened by the numerous interest groups that exist today. Interest groups target both major and minor issues, using all of their resources to sponsor or overpower the groups’ concern. Interest groups are composed of a limited range of the body of voters who have a great stake in the issues their group support. They make evident the issues their group supports. Their resources are used in an attempt to make their issue public policy. Interest groups are persistent; they do not give up until they succeed. They lobby congress, take legal action, and attempt to influence election results in order to benefit their cause. ”The AARP monitors local and national legislation of interest to its members.”1 The AARP, an example of a non-PAC interest group, focus their efforts to electioneering and media. They influence the elections through their voter guides, election forums and the large senior voting population. Through television, radio, and periodicals the AARP is able to achieve many of their goals to aid retired persons.
changed in terms of its power of deciding cases. It has on the other hand
The Committee will consider if the person has the qualities to serve as a magistrate or is disqualified from being appointed. The Committee will also consider the local bench requirements. Each bench should broadly reflect the community it serves in terms of age, gender, ethnic origin, geographical spread, occupation, political affiliation, and membership of clubs/organisations. The applicant will then be interviewed. The Committee will recommend suitable candidates to the Lord Chancellor.
Executive - the President of the United States makes up the executive branch of the United States. He or she has the power to pass or veto a law put forth by congress. “A Chief Executive (the president) whose function is to execute or enforce the laws, and helps create a federal judiciary to interpret the laws”. Business Law, 16th edition, McGraw Hill. The President picks the justices for the supreme court, which can swing the constitution one way or the other, to the right or left.
Mills’s purpose for writing The Power Elite was to provide an answer to the question, “Who rules America?” The answer Mills gives is a three-part elite compromised of corporate, political, and military leaders. These three sections of American life are connected and molding other organizations to suit their needs. Churches, families, and schools have adapted to modern life and the needs that the government presents them with. Mills wrote The Power Elite to show people that there are people who can affect the world with just a world, but the ordinary man cannot. Not everyone has the same amount of powers.
Judicial diversity has been a continuous topic of discussion in both society and in the English legal system. Currently, the process of the merit system causes a lack of diversity in the English bench, which is highly due to the undiverse characters of the upper reaches of the legal profession. There have been numerous unsuccessful attempts to promote diversity within the judiciary. The Constitution Reform Act 2005 (CRA 2005) was then introduced to ensure selection is based on merit and to promote judicial diversity. Lord Sumption views that the judiciary will remain very standardized in its makeup without any form of positive discrimination. This will create issues within the English legal system, as opportunities are not equal
Should a reform proposal attempt to alter the requirement that High Court Justices‘[s]hall be appointed by the Governor-General in Council’, it would require the proposed law to be ‘passed by an absolute majority of each House of the Parliament’. If successful, it will then only be ‘presented to the Governor-General’ for assent if ‘in a majority of the States a majority of the electors voting approve the proposed law, and if a majority of all the electors voting also approve the proposed law’. The high threshold of the double majority is clearly reflected in the low success rate of passed referendums.
Article Two of the United States Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government, which carries out and enforces federal laws. The executive branch includes the President, the Vice President, the Cabinet, executive departments, independent agencies, and other boards, commissions, and committees. The power is vested in the President, who is currently our 45th President, Donald J. Trump. The President is the leader of the executive branch and is elected every four years. One president may serve a maximum of two, four-year terms. In addition, the President is responsible for appointing the heads of all executive agencies and federal commissions. Moreover, The President holds all the power for this branch of the government and the other members report to the
...top positions in the governmental and business hierarchy from communal principles and beliefs. Majority come from the upper third of the salary and professional pyramids, their upbringings were from the same upper class, some attended the same preparatory school and Ivy League universities. Also, they belong to the same organizations. The power elite have the power to control programs and actions of important governmental, financial, legal, educational, national, scientific, and public institutions. The ones in power influence half of the nation’s manufacturing, infrastructures, transportation, banking possessions, and two thirds of all insurance possessions. The occupants take essential actions that could affect everyone’s’ life in American society. Rulings made in meetings of significant corporations and banks can influence the rates of inflation and unemployment.
The most power in the constitution is the legislative branch I learned this from the Preamble, the Articles. In my opinion the legislative branch it's the most important of all the other two branches which are the executive and judicial branch. The legislative branch this is the branch that includes congress, they are responsible for making laws. The second branch of government is the executive branch this is the branch that includes the president, they are responsible for carrying our laws. The last branch of government is the judicial branch, this branch includes the supreme court they are responsible for making sure laws are constitutional.
The American political system was designed to foster cooperation¬¬¬¬ to achieve public interest – individuals’ goals for their community (Stone 2011, 24) – by subordinating individual self-interest to other interests (Stone 2011, 27). According to Federalist Paper 10, the main driving factor behind Madison’s idea of the republic was the desire to control the effects of factions, or the “tyranny of the majority”. Madison believed that a larger republic would lead to more factions that would have a difficult time uniting. Thus, the minority would have protection against the volition of the majority. However, the current American political system allows the opposite to occur ‒ interest groups are able to exert power over other groups
America prides itself on being a democracy when in fact, these ideals are only a political illusion. The Constitution of the United States deems the nation a republic, thus regarding the people’s desire to be a democracy, yet there is much evidence that suggests America is an oligarchy. While a republic’s citizens elect many representatives to make governmental decisions on their behalf, an oligarchic country is controlled by a small group of elites. The idea of America being an oligarchy assumes that elites have the power in many aspects of government, such as the election process and the Electoral College, in Congress, and federal judges in the Supreme Court. The Constitution creates a political illusion of democracy that gives the impression of the people having power in the many aspects of government when, in reality, the elites dominate the Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary branches of government, creating an oligarchy.