American Government CLEP Prep Practice Exam

A state of emergency can only be declared by the President of the United States. This is due to the fact that the power to declare emergencies falls under the President's responsibility as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The Supreme Court does not have the authority to declare a state of emergency as their role is to interpret and uphold the laws of the country. Although Congress has the power to pass legislation related to emergencies, they do not possess the power to declare a state of emergency. Finally, while state governors may have the authority to declare a state of emergency within their own state, they do not have the power to declare a national state of emergency.