Branches of Government Test Flashcards
T/F: When you first begin a trial, you will be in appellate court
False
T/F: If an appellate court thinks a decision is wrong, it will affirm the decision
False
T/F: A jury decides the case in a bench trial
False
T/F: The President can appoint a governor for each state
False
T/F: It’s easy to figure out whether someone was compelled
False
T/F: State courts were created by the U.S. Constitution
False
T/F: A precedent case acts like a law for future cases with very similar facts
True
The Court of Appeals does not hold a trial all over again because
Trials are for finding out what really happened, and C.o.A decides if the law was directly applied by the lower court judge
Decisions from the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court are precedent for new cases because
precedent cases help people know what to expect
Oral argument is an important part of an appeal because
It allows the appeals court judges or Supreme Court justices to ask specific questions
Cases decided by the Supreme Court are particularly important because
its decisions affect the whole country by setting precedent for similar cases
The Supreme Court does nit take every case that comes along because
there are too many petitions for one court to hear
T/F: The Court doesn’t care how police get a confession as long as the criminal is caught
False
T/F: The Supreme Court must take every case that gets appealed to it
False
T/F: The Supreme Court gets the last word about what the Constitution really says
True
5 Legislative Powers
Create rules for naturalization, coin money/punish counterfeiters, punish pirates, declare war, regulate laws
T/F: Members of Congress vote based ONLY on their personal opinions
False
Does the Constitution say Congress can set people’s wages?
No
A draft of a law
Bill
The Department of ______ is responsible for federal highways, railroads, and drivers’ safety
Transportation
Implied: Research ways to make dollar bills harder to counterfeit
Expressed:
Coin money
Implied: Contract with an airline company to carry mail over long distances
Expressed:
Establish post offices and post roads
Implied: Use drone airplanes to spy on the enemy
Expressed:
Declare war
Implied: Hire border patrol officers
Expressed:
Establish naturalization
Implied: Develop high-tech submarine
Expressed:
Provide and maintain a navy
H/S: Approves presidential appointments
Senate
H/S: Passes bills onto the President
Both
T/F: The President can give a speech to Congress about the state of the union
True
T/F: The President can pardon a politician who has been impeached
False
T/F: People suspected of a crime have the right to remain silent
True
T/F: The President is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces
True
H/S: Can override a presidential veto with a 2/3 vote
Both
T/F: A panel of three judges in the Court of Appeals is called an “en banc” panel
False
T/F: The President has the power to draft laws and pass them
False
The Department of ___________ includes all parts of the U.S. military
Defense
T/F: Congress can make any law as long as it is necessary and proper
False
Does Congress have the power to establish post offices?
Yes
T/F: The President decides who wins court cases
False
T/F: Being a “witness” against yourself only applies to communicating information
True
T/F: If you break a state law, your case will probably be in a state court system
True
Four factors members of Congress consider while deciding on their vote
Does the Constitution give Congress the power to pass it, what is their personal opinion, what are the views of their political party, what do their voters think
The Department of _________ works to protect against terrorism and make sure the borders are safe
Homeland Security
T/F: Members of Congress always agree with their political party about bills
False
The Department of _______ supports farmers, makes food safe, and gives nutrition recommendations
Agriculture
T/F: The President nominates Supreme Court justices
True
Julie is charged with breaking curfew and released to her parents, so she probably broke
Juvenile law
Researches sources of fuel and electricity for the nation
Secretary of Energy
Fights crime and runs the federal court system
Attorney General
Manages and protects the nation’s public lands
Secretary of the Interior
Works with farmers and regulates farm products
Secretary of Agriculture
Supervises and promotes US business
Secretary of Commerce
H/S: Serves 2 year terms
House
H/S: Members represent their entire state
Senate
A divorce can be categorized as
Civil law
T/F: Congress has the power to create armies
True
T/F: The President can tell Congress what laws it must pass
False
T/F: The President can tell Congress what laws it must pass
False
T/F: If you appeal a case, you are going to appellate court
True
T/F: In an oral argument, the lawyers yell at each other
False
T/F: Compelled means forced
True
T/F: Congress may not make any laws about immigration
False
T/F: Congress can pass any law it wants to
False
T/F: a word that means “relating to the rights of the citizens” is “civil”
True
People in the same political parties share similar
opinions and values
H/S: Bills about taxes and money must start at…
House
How old myst someone be to serve in the House?
25
T/F: If you break a law of the U.S., you will probably be punished in federal court
True
T/F: The main consequence of violating the 5th Amendment is not being able to use the evidence in court
True
T/F: There is only one judge in a trial court
True
T/F: Each government department has a leader called a secretary
True, except for not true, because the ATTORNEY GENERAL IS NOT CALLED THE “SECRETARY ATTORNEY GENERAL” BECAUSE THAT WOULDN’T MAKE ANY SENSE SO THIS IS WRONG
Congress is divided into the ______ and the House
Senate
Each state has ________ senators
Two
T/F: Congress cannot control business that happens in more than one state
False
7 steps of a bill
Proposal, introduction, report, floor debate, vote, delivery, veto/sign
The Department of _______ tries to enforce federal laws, prevent crime, and punish criminals
Justice
The Department of ________ provides health insurance, tries to keep people healthy, and supports finding cures for diseases
Health and Human Services
T/F: The Cabinet is made of people who guard the President
False
T/F: Some parts of the executive branch are businesses the government owns
True
T/F: The President executes laws that have been passed
True
T/F: Congress may collect taxes for certain reasons
True
T/F: Congress may collect taxes for certain reasons
True
In Congress, being on a political party is like being on a
team
To serve in the House of Reps, you must be a U.S. citizen for
7 years
Congress is in the ________ branch
Legislative
T/F: With the 5th Amendment, the Court is worried about the police wrongdoing that forces a confession
True
H/S: Members represent citizens
Both
Congress’s main job is to
Make laws
T/F: The federal court system was created by Congress
True
T/F: The Supreme Court can strike down an unconstitutional law
True
H/S: There are 100 members of this chamber
Senate
Gives Congress the power to establish post offices
The Constitution
Laws about the Postal Service made by Congress
statutes
Laws created by the Postal Service so it can run smoothly
Regulations
Decisions made by courts about any of the laws regarding the Postal Service
Precedent
Laws about what you can and cannot do on city sidewalks
Ordinance
When can Congress do something not listed in the Constitution?
When it relates to something that IS listed
How old must you be to serve in the Senate?
30
T/F: The President can nominate ambassadors
True
The Department of _______ makes money, tries to help the economy, and collects taxes
Treasury
T/F: The executive branch is only the President
False
Young person found guilty of a crime
delinquent
Interpretation of a law that is used in later trials
Precedent
Collection of laws passed by the U.S. Congress
The U.S. Code
Disagreement brought to the courts for resolution
lawsuit
Set of laws specifically for the U.S. military
UCMJ
T/F: Lawyers don’t have to file paperwork in the Court of Appeals
False
The Department of ________ provides funding to public schools
Education
When the Court of Appeals affirms a case, it sends the case back to the trial court
False
T/F: In order to be a member of the House, you must live in the state you represent
True
T/F: The President can make treaties without approval
False
T/F: The President can approve or reject the laws that have been passed
True
T/F: The Supreme Court’s power to decide if something is constitutional is called judicial review
True
T/F: Government agencies make rules, but cannot enforce them
False
A man was caught robbing a gas station. ______ law would handle this
Criminal
When considering a bill, Congress should think about
The voters back home
T/F: The decision in a case is called the evidence
False
T/F: The President has the power to protect and defend the Constitution
True
T/F: The Supreme Court is a trial court
False
The number of representatives in the House is based on
Population
T/F: If members of Congress do a bad job, voters can kick them out
True
T/F: When someone is accused of a crime, the type of case is civil
False
T/F: To ask the Supreme Court to take your case, you file a petition
True
T/F: Suspects are completely protected because police can’t make them be a witness against themselves
False
“Legislate”
To make laws
“Legislator”
Person who makes laws
“Legislative”
lawmaking
“Legislation”
Written document that is or may become law
If a soldier is charged for going AWOL, they come under…
Military law
How long must a person be a U.S. citizen to serve in the Senate?
9 years
T/F: Higher courts use totally different factors to judge a case than the lower court used
False
T/F: The President can recommend laws for Congress to consider
True
T/F: The Supreme Court has nine justices
True
T/F: The 15 department heads are all part of the President’s cabinet
True
