Exercise 8. Work in pairs. Translate the following two texts into Ukrainian. Use Vocabulary 3–4 and Exercises 3A–4A in case of difficulties.

TEXT 3 The Principles of Government

Although the Constitution has changed in many aspects since it was first adopted, its basic principles remain the same now as in 1789:

·The three main branches of government – executive, legislative, judicial – are sep­
arate and distinct from one another. The powers given to each are delicately balanced by the
powers of the other two. Each branch serves as a check on potential excesses of the others.

·The Constitution, together with laws passed according to its provisions and treaties
entered into by the president and approved by the Senate, stands above all other laws, exec­
utive acts, and regulations.

·All persons are equal before the law and are equally entitled to its protection. All
states are equal, and none can receive special treatment from the federal government. With­
in the limits of the Constitution, each state must recognize and respect the laws of the others.
State governments, like the federal government, must be democratic in form, with final au­
thority resting with the people.

·The people have the right to change their form of national government by legal
means defined in the Constitution itself.

Provisions for Amendment

The authors of the Constitution were keenly aware that changes would be needed from time to time if the Constitution was to endure and keep pace with the growth of the nation. They were also conscious that the process of change should not be facile, permitting ill-conceived and hastily passed amendments. By the same token, they wanted to ensure that a minority could not block action desired by most of the people. Their solution was to devise a dual process by which the Constitution could be revised.

TEXT 4

The Congress, by a two-thirds vote in each house, may initiate an amendment. Alterna­tively, the legislatures of two-thirds of the states may ask Congress to call a national conven­tion to discuss and draft amendments. In either case, amendments must have the approval of three-fourths of the states before they enter into force.

Aside from the direct process of changing the Constitution, the effect of its provisions may be changed by judicial interpretation. Early in the history of the republic, in the 1803 case of Marbury v. Madison (see Unit 5), the Supreme Court established the doctrine of judicial review, which is the power of the Court to interpret acts of Congress and decide their constitutionality. The doctrine also embraces the power of the Court to explain the meaning of various sections of the Constitution as they apply to changing legal, political, economic, and social conditions. Over the years, a series of Court decisions, on issues ranging from governmental regulation of radio and television to the rights of the accused in criminal cases, has had the effect of bringing up to date the thrust of constitutional law, with no substantive change in the Constitution itself.

Congressional legislation, passed to implement provisions of the basic law or to adapt it to changing conditions, also broadens and, in subtle ways, changes the meaning of the Consti­tution. Up to a point, the rules and regulations of the many agencies of the federal govern­ment may have a similar effect. The acid test in both cases is whether, in the opinion of the courts, such legislation and rules conform with the intent of the Constitution.