Legislature
· congress consists of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives; the Senate contains 100 senators, two representing each state, the 435 members of the House are elected by the different states on the basis of their population at the most recent US census; representatives serve two-year terms, and senators six-year terms, Every two years all 435 members of the House are elected, and one-third of the senators.
· the Senate tries all impeachments, with a two-thirds vote necessary to convict
Judiciary :
· the federal court system derives its powers from Article III of the Constitution, the system includes the Supreme Court, established by the Constitution and some more courts established by Congress
· the federal courts perform two constitutional functions : first, they interpret the meaning of laws, second, the courts determine whether any law passed by Congress or state legislatures violates the US Constitution
Political parties :
· two major political parties exist in the United States : The Democratic party founded in the 1790s and The Republican party founded in 1854
