SMALL CHANGES, BIG IMPACT: HOW SINGULAR MODIFICATIONS SHIFTED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FROM ITS CONSTITUTIONAL ROLES
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Date
2021-06-30
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Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
This paper is an examination of “small” changes to each branch of the United States Federal Government that have had major implications on how the government works and its design. Each chapter focuses on a singular change to one branch of government; explores the historical significance; and assesses the potential future implications of those changes if the trends within the chapters continue.
Chapter One examines the changes of post- Seventeenth Amendment split party delegations using the DW-NOMINATE scoring method and senator party support; Chapter Two examines the polarization of the Supreme Court since the New Deal by assessing Supreme Court justices with the Martin-Quinn Scores and the overall polarization of each Court, and Chapter Three examines the power shift of the first fifteen presidential executive orders and how presidents are changing the way they use the power of the pen using the length of time to issue fifteen executive orders and what types of orders that are issued.
The conclusions that arise from each chapter highlight the trend that small changes to the federal government have long lasting and large implications that are often overlooked or are lumped into larger changes in the federal government. By understanding the small changes, the bigger picture can become clearer.
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Separation of powers, constitutional government, branches, Seventeenth Amendment, 17th Amendment, Supreme Court, polarization, executive orders, presidential power