Who is a Governor in the United States? What are his responsibilities?

A Governor in the United States is the chief officer of the state. A governor acts as the head of the State government. She/he looks after the right functioning of the state.

The state and the federal system in the United States of America make sure that the state holds a myriad of powers as per the US Constitution. The States hold their very own legislative, judicial, and executive branches as per the Republican principles. Governors usually hold great powers in the state they are chosen. The state executive budget is one such important factor of their powers. Not to miss, there are so many governors in the states that have significant influence over the judiciary and the legislative. Such governors also sometimes hold powers like vetoing state bills, holding partial or full control over the power to pardon a criminal sentence, and appointing judges.

In almost all states, there are four-year terms that are to be held by the governor. However, this is not true only in the case of New Hampshire and Vermont, as in these states, the governors are chosen every two years. Also, in all the states except five, the governor actually works with a lieutenant governor, who plays the role of a deputy in case the governor is not able to perform their duties.

Key responsibilities of a governor

The responsibilities of a governor are not fixed and they vary from state to state. The state constitution mentions the powers of the governor. However, some of the common duties and responsibilities of a governor are given below:

• Command the National Guard of the state

All the states have their very own National Guard. The Governor holds the power to command the State National Guard.

• Appointment of state judges

The governors hold the power to appoint judges. Moreover, in a few states like Rhode Island and New Hampshire, the governors may also hold the power to nominate the judges to the Supreme Court of the state to be assented to either by a state board, State Senate, or the judicial nominating commission.

• Introduce and pass new laws

It is one of the key responsibilities of a governor to propose and sign new legislation. Moreover, governors are also entitled to issue executive orders to take fast actions sans the cooperation of the legislature. In case a legislature passes a bill and the governor due to any reason disapproves the bill, the governor holds the power to veto it. Interestingly, it is important to note that while the governors hold the veto power, many states give the legislature the power to overturn the veto of the governor with a two-thirds majority vote. In some cases, governors also hold the power to convene a specific legislative session to pass bills on short notice.

• Grant reprieves or clemency

Finally, one key power that governors enjoy is the power to issue pardons, reprieves, or prison commutations for the ones incarcerated in the prisons of the state.

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