Constitution and Systems of the State - Essay Example

The main components of the government of Oregon as outlined in its constitution are the legislature whose duty is to make the laws of the state; the judiciary whose role is to make sure that justice is carried out in the state and that it implements the laws, which have been passed by the legislature. Finally, there is the executive headed by the governor who is elected by the people of the state for a term of four years, and who oversees the administration of the state on a day-to-day basis. The constitution further outlines the distribution of powers within the state with all three arms of government being considered to be equal and each serving as a check over the other two (Cama, 2012).

The role of each is well defined and one would find very little reason for any branch of the government to infringe on the roles of the other. There are many services provided by the state that are authorized by the state constitution and these services serve as one of the rights of the people of Oregon. The state constitution specifies that the state government shall provide services, which are required by the people of the state, but which they cannot provide for themselves. Some of these services may be basic such as mandatory education for all children in the state, to more complex services such as the state providing legal representation for those people who cannot afford a lawyer in court.

The constitution of the state has been put in place to protect the rights and privileges as well as to ensure that all the people within the state are treated equally (Staff, 2008). This is the reason why it specifies that the state shall provide those services that one would otherwise not be able to afford. For example, when a person is in need of legal representation but cannot afford to have a lawyer. The state is under the obligation to provide a lawyer for the defendant in a case so that his or her trial is carried out justly and without any