MOUNT VERNON — Local Attorney John Aebi spoke during the second half of the constitution lecture series on Wednesday night at the Memorial Theater.
Part Ten: Search,arrest warrants September 16, 2010
Part Nine: Right to bear arms September 16, 2010
Part Eight: Bill of Rights starts with expression September 9, 2010
Part Seven: Constitution ratified on promise of Bill of Rights September 9, 2010
Part Six: Guarding legal rights September 2, 2010
Part Five: Freedom of religion September 2, 2010
Part Four: Small parts have big meaning August 26, 2010
Part Three: Evolution of ‘We the people’ August 26, 2010
Part One: Creating a perfect union August 19, 2010
Part Two: Separation of powers August 19, 2010
Series to touch on Constitution August 13, 2010
U.S. Constitution National Archives
Aebi’s speech focused on the separation of constitutional powers of the legislative, the executive and the judicial branches.
During the time of the Constitutional Convention, kings ruled who made laws, enforced laws and interpreted the laws, said Aebi. With this understanding, the constitutional framers wanted to prevent one person, or one group, from gaining too much power. To prevent this, the powers were separated.
The separation consisted of three distinctive branches, all with different duties that worked together in a series of checks and balances. The legislative branch is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, which together, make up the Congress. The executive branch is comprised of the president, and the judicial branch has a court system.
“Initially, there were no set number of representatives and we currently have 435 representatives,” said Aebi.
kenesha.beheler@mountvernonnews.com

