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Each state is itself a sovereign entity, and as such, reserves the right to organize in any way (within the above stated parameter) deemed appropriate by its people. As a result, while the governments of the various states share many similar features, they often vary greatly with regard to form and substance.
A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at the national level. Generally, the same system of checks and balances that exists at the federal level also exists between the state legislature, the state executive officer (governor) and the state judiciary.
In Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Wyoming, the attorney general is appointed by the governor. [1] The attorney general in Tennessee is appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court for an eight-year term. [1] [2] In Maine, the attorney general is elected by the state Legislature for a two-year term. [1] [2]
Most state governments traditionally use the department as the standard highest-level component of the executive branch, in that the secretary of a department is normally considered to be a member of the Governor's cabinet and serves as the main interface between the Governor and all agencies in his or her assigned portfolio.
The first female governor elected without being the wife or widow of a past state governor was Ella T. Grasso of Connecticut, elected in 1974 and sworn in on January 8, 1975. Connecticut , Arizona , and New Mexico are the only three states to have elected female governors from both major parties.
State law and state constitutions, controlled by state legislatures regulate elections at state level and local level. Various officials at state level are elected. Since the separation of powers applies to states as well as the federal government, state legislatures and the executive (the governor) are elected separately.
Each state, regardless of size, is entitled to two senators as part of the Connecticut Compromise between the small and large states. [4] This contrasted with the House of Representatives , a body elected by popular vote, and was described as an uncontroversial decision; at the time, James Wilson was the sole advocate of popularly electing the ...
Federal law generally takes preference over State law when the two conflict, due to a number of constitutional clauses and judicial precedents. In most states, governors are the directly elected head of state and commander-in-chief of their state's respective military structure. State legislatures exercise legislative authority.