What offices are there in the executive branch

Much of the work in the executive branch is done by federal agencies, departments, committees, and other groups. The Executive Office of the president communicates the president's message and deals with the federal budget, security, and other high priorities.

These are the main agencies of the federal government. The heads of these 15 agencies are also members of the president's cabinet. These agencies are not represented in the cabinet and are not part of the Executive Office of the president.

They deal with government operations, the economy, and regulatory oversight. Congress or the president establish these smaller organizations to manage specific tasks and areas that don't fall under parent agencies. Although they're not officially part of the executive branch, these agencies are required by federal statute to release certain information about their programs and activities in the Federal Register , the daily journal of government activities.

The judicial branch interprets the meaning of laws, applies laws to individual cases, and decides if laws violate the Constitution. It is comprised of the Supreme Court and other federal courts.

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. The Justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to establish other federal courts to handle cases that involve federal laws including tax and bankruptcy, lawsuits involving U. Other federal judicial agencies and programs support the courts and research judicial policy. Appointments for Supreme Court Justices and other federal judgeships follow the same basic process:.

Learn how cases reach the Supreme Court and how the justices make their decisions. Use this lesson plan in class. View a larger version of the infographic. An appeal is a request for a higher court to reverse the decision of a lower court. Most appeals come from federal courts.

Other offices commonly included in a state's constitution are treasurer and superintendent of schools. Other executive officers are established by statute rather than the state constitution. Such offices often include auditor , agriculture commissioner , natural resources commissioner , insurance commissioner and others. Executive officers are ordinarily either elected or appointed by the governor.

In some cases, officers are chosen by the state legislature or supreme court. There are an estimated 13 state executive offices in the United States.

However, not all offices exist across all states. Of the 13 offices, seven appear in all 50 states, including: governor , attorney general , superintendent of schools , insurance commissioner , agriculture commissioner , labor commissioner and public service commissioner. The chart below is a breakdown of the political party landscape of the United States' 13 distinct state executives offices. Seat totals for each office may not match up with partisan totals due to current vacancies.

State executive offices up for election in include 36 gubernatorial seats , 30 lieutenant gubernatorial seats , 30 attorney general seats , and 26 secretary of state seats. Including down-ballot races, there are state executive offices up for election across 43 states in State executive offices up for election in included gubernatorial seats , lieutenant gubernatorial seats , and an attorney general seat.

Including down-ballot races, there were seven state executive offices up for election across four states in Additionally, California held a recall election for Gov. Gavin Newsom D on September 14, State executive offices up for election in included 11 gubernatorial seats , nine lieutenant gubernatorial seats , 10 attorney general seats , and seven secretary of state seats.

Including down-ballot races, there were state executive offices up for election across 29 states in Three states held state executive elections in , with a total of 23 seats up for election. The general election in Kentucky and Mississippi took place on November 5, , while Louisiana held its general election on November Forty-three states held state executive elections in , with a total of seats up for election.

The general election took place on November 6, , with primaries held on varying dates throughout the year. Four states held state executive elections in , with a total of eight seats up for election. The general election in New Jersey and Virginia took place on November 7, , while Wisconsin held its general election on April 4 and Louisiana had its election on November Twenty-three states held state executive elections in , with a total of 93 seats up for election.

The general election took place on November 8, , with primaries held on varying dates throughout the year. Instead of a general election, Louisiana held a primary election on November 8, , with a runoff election scheduled for December 10, , for races in which no candidate earned at least 50 percent of the primary vote.

Three states held state executive elections in A total of 25 state executive seats were up for election. The general election in Kentucky and Mississippi took place on November 3, , with primaries held on varying dates throughout the year. Louisiana's primary took place on October 24, , and a runoff election was held on November 21, , for races in which no candidate earned at least 50 percent of the primary vote.

Forty-three states held state executive elections in A total of state executive seats were up for election. The general election was held on November 4, , with primaries held on varying dates earlier in the year. Two other states, New Jersey and Virginia, held state executive elections in A total of five state executive seats were up for election.

The general election took place on November 5, Twenty-two states held state executive elections in A total of 37 state executive seats and 46 down ballot seats were up for election. The general election in most states was held on November 6, Primary elections, however varied from state to state. Main article: State executive official elections, Four states held executive official elections in A total of 13 state executive seats and 13 down ballot seats were up for election.

Positions included gubernatorial offices in four states and state commissioners in three states. The general election in most states was held on November 8, Primary elections, however varied from state to state and took place in May , August and October. Click on each tab for a brief description and links to office-specific overviews. The Governor is the chief executive of a state and position established by all 50 state constitutions.

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