5. The commissioner of education, who looks after the schools of the state.

Questions and Topics for Discussion

What is the work of the executive department of the state?
Who is the chief executive of the state? What is his name?
By whom is he elected? How long is his term of office?
Where does the governor live?

What are his duties? Name some of his powers?

Is there a lieutenant governor in your state?

What is his name? How is he elected?

What office does he hold in the senate?

Who are some of the other state officials in the executive department? What work do they do?

LESSON XV

THE JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT

The legislative department makes the laws.

The executive department enforces the laws.

The judicial department interprets the laws and administers justice.

It sometimes happens that the meaning of a law is not clear.

Sometimes it would seem that a law is not just, or that a person has not been treated justly.

Penalty for breaking the law must be imposed.

For these reasons we have a judicial department of the state government.

It is the duty of the judicial department to see that justice is done to all who are brought before the courts. The judicial department is made up of courts and judges. There are usually four grades of courts.

I. Justices' Courts and Police Courts

The justices' courts are the lowest grade of state courts.

The justices' courts are held in townships, and are of the same grade as the city courts, of which we read in Lesson IX.

Petty offenses against law and order, and less important disputes over property, are tried in these courts.

II. County Courts

Next come the county courts, where more important cases are heard.

Wills are probated in a county court.

III. Circuit, District, or Superior Courts

Higher than the county courts, in most states, are what are known as the circuit, district, or superior courts.

The state is divided into judicial districts which usually contain several counties.

The presiding judge holds court first in one county and then in another, until the circuit of counties in his district is completed.

Most of the business of the district court consists of cases which have been appealed from the lower courts. Trial by jury may be obtained in the county, district, or circuit courts.

IV. State Supreme Court

The supreme court is the highest court in the state. It is made up of several judges. Only cases of the greatest importance are heard in the supreme court.

If a person feels that he has not been treated justly in the justice's court, he may appeal his case to the county court. If he is not yet satisfied, he may appeal to the circuit court.

He can then take it to the supreme court.

If the supreme court thinks there has been any injustice done, it may grant a new trial, although in many states it does not try the case.

The judges of the courts may be appointed or elected. In some states they are appointed by the legislature or the governor.

In other states they are elected by the people.

Questions and Topics for Discussion

What is the work of the judicial department of the state government?

Of what is the judicial department made up?

How many grades of courts are there? Name them.

What is the work of each court?

Tell how a case is appealed from one court to another.

In what courts may trial by jury be obtained?
Are the judges in your state appointed or elected?

LESSON XVI

THE JUVENILE COURT

In order to take care of cases of the young who have done wrong, juvenile courts have been established in many cities.

The cases are kept from the public as much as possible. All of the circumstances leading up to each case are looked into.

Sometimes it is found that the home conditions are bad, and much is done to change these conditions.

Often a child is allowed to go on probation instead of being punished.

It is better to prevent crime than to punish the offender. Therefore, probation officers watch probation cases very carefully, and do all they can to lead the child to become a useful citizen.

The juvenile courts are presided over by judges who have a great interest in boys, and who do all they can to start them on the right road through life.

Parents can help the courts greatly by seeing that their children are not alone on the streets at night, and that they attend school regularly.

Being able to speak English is very useful to a parent in bringing his children up to obey the laws.

If a parent does not understand English, he has very little means of knowing what his child is doing outside his home.

He cannot understand the police officer or the school teacher if they complain of his boy, and the boy is sometimes in a fair way to grow up a criminal.