26-30

=26. President Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate - Orrin Grant Hatch= President pro tempore meaning, "president for the time being" is the second highest ranking official of the U.S. Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the vice president. By custom, the position is filled by the senator of the majority party who has served the longest, however, it is ultimately elected by the Senate. Following the vice president and the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the president pro is third in line in succession to the president. The current president pro tempore is Orrin Grant Hatch, a Republican Senator from Utah.

In 1962, Leahy married his wife, Marcelle Pomerleau. Together they have three children and reside in Middlesex, Vermont. Born in 1932, Hatch grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. Hatch received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Hatch was elected to the Senate in 1976 and is in his seventh term as senator.

Hatch was elected to President Pro Tempore in 2015 for the 114th Congress. Hatch also currently serves on the Committee on Finance.

For more information visit []

For a list of previous president pro tempores, visit [|http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/President_Pro_Tempore.htm#5]

=27. Chief Justice of the United States - Robert Gates= Head of the judicial branch of the federal government and presiding officer of the Supreme Court. The chief justice maintains all the the duties of the Associate Justices but must also perform additional duties including; presiding over the Senate during an impeachment trial of the president, traditionally swearing in the president at his or her inauguration, appointing some court officers in consultation with the court, serving as Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution and reporting to Congress about the state of the federal system. Only 17 individuals have served in the position since 1789.The president nominates the chief justice, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

President George W. Bush nominated [|John Roberts Jr.], who has held the position since September 25, 2005. Roberts was the first addition to the Supreme Court in eleven years. Prior to his nomination, he attended Harvard University and then Harvard Law School. After graduating from law school, Roberts served as a law clerk under Judge Henry Friendly and former Associate Justice William Rehnquist on the United States Supreme Court. He worked as a special assistant to Attorney General William French Smith, during the Ronald Reagan administration. He then was Associate Counsel to President Reagan under White House Counsel [|Fred Fielding]. He finally served as Deputy Solicitor General, during the George H. W. Bush administration, before returning to the private sector in 1991. During this time, he argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court. He remained there until President Bush nominated him to be a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Under Roberts several controversial cases have been ruled on. The most recent was the ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. This case was regarding gay marriage. Roberts wrote a dissenting opinion in the case after the original ruling was reversed in a 5-4 vote.

Roberts was born in Buffalo, NY and graduated highest in his class at La Lumiere School, a Catholic boarding school in Indiana. He was captain of the football team, a student council representative and a wrestler. He also participate in drama and choir as well. He is now married to an attorney, former Jane Marie Sullivan. They have two adopted children.

For more information visit [], [] [] [] []

For a list of previous chief justices, visit []

For more information on the Obergefell v. Hodges case, visit the [|SCOTUS blog].

=28. U.S. Secretary of State - John Kerry= The head of the U.S. Department of State responsible for performing duties relating to correspondence, commission, or instructions to the U.S. or consuls abroad. The secretary of state conducts negotiations with foreign representatives and serves as the president's chief foreign affairs advisor. Also, he orshe informs Congress and citizens on the status of U.S. foreign relations. The secretary of state is the highest ranking cabinet secretary and is fourth in line in succession to the president. It is the privilege of the President to nominate someone to the position; however, the U.S. Senate must confirm the nomination.



The specific duties of the Secretary of State include:

The current secretary of state is [|John Kerry] who was appointed by President Barack Obama. Clinton became the 68th secretary of state in 2013. Kerry is a former Massachusetts Senator, he served in the United States senate for 28 years. In 2004 Kerry was the Democratic Party's nominee for the President of the United States, he lost to George W. Bush.
 * Organizes and supervises the entire United States Department of State and the United States Foreign Service.
 * Supervises and supports the foreign affairs activities of other U.S. Government entities including the Defense Department, CIA, and Department of Homeland Security
 * Supervises the Special Activities Division of the National Clandestine Service.
 * Foreign trade missions and intelligence assets report directly to the Secretary of State.
 * Advises the President on matters relating to U.S. foreign policy, including the appointment of diplomatic representatives to other nations, and on the acceptance or dismissal of representatives from other nations.
 * Participates in high-level negotiations with other countries, either bilaterally or as part of an international conference or organization, or appoints representatives to do so. This includes the negotiation of international treaties and other agreements.
 * Responsible for overall direction, coordination, and supervision of interdepartmental activities of the U.S. Government overseas.
 * Providing information and services to U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad, including providing credentials in the form of passports and visas.
 * Supervises the United States immigration policy abroad.[[image:bdjwiki2/Kerry.jpg width="196" height="246" align="right"]]
 * Communicates issues relating the United States foreign policy to Congress and to U.S. citizens.

Prior to Kerry leaving the Senate he was the seventh-most senior Senator. Kerry is the author of //A Call to Service: My Vision for a Better America// and //This Moment on Earth,// a book about the environment.

Kerry and his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry have a blended family with two daughters, three sons and three grandchildren.

Main address: U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520

For more information visit __[]__

For a list of previous secretaries of state, visit []

=29. U.S. Secretary of Defense - Ashton B. Carter=

The Secretary of Defense is in the [|chain of command] and exercises [|command and control], subject only to the orders of the President, over all Department of Defense forces (the [|Army] , [|Navy] , [|Air Force] , and [|Marine Corps] ) for both operational and administrative purposes. [|[13]][|[14]][|[15]][|[16]][|[17]] Only the Secretary of Defense (or the President) can authorize the transfer of operational control of forces between the three Military Departments (the departments of the [|Army], [|Navy] , and [|Air Force] ) and the nine [|Combatant Commands] ( [|Africa Command] , [|Central Command] , [|European Command] , [|Northern Command] , [|Pacific Command] , [|Southern Command] , [|Special Ope]

[|rations Command], [|Strategic Command] , [|Transportation Command] ). [|[13]] Because the Office of Secretary of Defense is vested with legal powers which exceeds those of any [|commissioned officer] , and is second only to the President in the military hierarchy, it has sometimes unofficially been referred to as a // [|de facto] // "deputy [|commander-in-chief] ". [|[18]][|[19]][|[20]] The [|Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] is the principal military adviser to the Secretary of Defense and the President, and while the Chairman may assist the Secretary and President in their command functions, the Chairman is not in the chain of command. [|[21]] The Secretary of Defense, [|Secretary of State], the [|Attorney General] and the [|Secretary of the Treasury] , are generally regarded as the four most important cabinet officials because of the importance of their departments.

The current Secretary of Defense is Ashton B. Carter. Carter is the 25th Secretary of Defense and assumed office in February 2015. Prior to becoming Secretary of Defense, Carter was the Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2011 to 2013.

Carter is the author or co-author of 11 books. A native of Philadelphia, Carter is married to Stephanie Carter and has two children.

=30. U.S. Attorney General - Loretta Lynch= The Attorney General is the head of the [|U.S. Department of Justice] and Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the Federal Government. Appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, this position represents the United States in legal matters and gives advice and opinions to the President and Government department heads when called upon. The Attorney General appears before the Supreme Court in important cases. The Attorney General serves as a member of the President's Cabinet and is the only cabinet department head without the title secretary. There is no specific length of the term and can serve until removed from office by the President. The Attorney General is considered the chief lawyer of the United States.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, is the current U.S. Attorney General. Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2015, Lynch is the 83rd Attorney General. Lynch is only the second African American to hold the position of Attorney General, the first being Eric Holder Jr.. Lynch is the second woman to be the Attorney General.

Prior to being Attorney General, Lynch served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Lynch received her education from Harvard.

Lynch grew up in Durham, North Carolina and is the daughter of a retired minister and a librarian. Lynch is married to Stephen Hargrove and together they have two children.

For more information visit: [] and [] For a list of previous attorney generals, visit [] [|About the office]