Constitution Flashcards
what does the preamble do?
States the purpose of the Constitution,
States the six goals of the Constitution
What is Article 1 about?
the Legislative branch
what is Congress made of?
2 houses (bicameral)
what does the senate represent?
states
what does the House of Representatives represent?
people
what is the term for a representative?
2 years
what are the qualifications for a representative?
At least 25 years old,
Citizen for 7 years,
Lives in the state they are elected from
At least how many representatives will there be per state?
1
The house of Rep. is limited to how many people since 1913
435
what is enumeration?
a count of citizens
vacancies in the house are filled by what?
a special election called by the state’s governor
who is the leader of the house of reps.
the Speaker of the House
These are the 4 sole powers of which house of Congress: Originate bill of revenue, Elect the President if the Electoral College fails to do so, Present charges of impeachment, Govern its own operations
House of Representatives
what is the term for a senator
6 years
how many senators are there from each state?
2
who are the senators appointed by and what changed this
the people and the 17th amendment
what are the qualifications to be a senator?
At least 30 years old, Citizen of the U.S. for 9 years, Live in state they are elected from
what is the job of the Vice President/President Pro Tempore
preside over the Senate and votes only in the event of a tie
what is impeachment?
removal from office
who brings impeachment charges?
the House
who serves as the jury for impeachment trials
Senate
who serves as a judge for impeachment trials?
Chief Justice if the President is being tried
These are the sole powers of which house: Ratifies treaties by two-thirds vote, Elect the Vice President if the Electoral College fails to do so, Try impeachment cases, Confirm appointments made by the President, Govern its own operations
Senate
at least how many times does Congress have to meet?
1
when is the General Election
Tuesday following the first monday in November of even numbered years
what does quorum mean
1 more than half (51/100 and 218/435)
where are records of all proceedings kept?
Congressional Record
where are Congressional salaries paid from?
U.S. Treasury
All revenue (tax) laws must begin in which house?
House of Representatives
how does a bill become a law?
it must be passed by both houses and signed by the President
what are these powers granted to: Power to tax, Power to borrow money, Power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce, Power to control money, Power to control the counterfeiting of money, the Post office, Copyrights and patents, the Power to establish the federal court system, the Power to protect American ships at sea, the Power to declare war, the power to establish an army, the power to establish a navy, the power to discipline the armed forces, the power to a national guard, the power to regulate the national guard, the power to make laws for Washington D.C., and the power to regulate anything that is necessary to government.
Congress
who is in charge of the Executive Branch
the President
how long is the term for President and Vice President
4 years
who chooses the President and Vice President by popular vote?
electoral college
what are the qualifications for President
Natural Born Citizen, At least 35 years old, Lived in the U.S. for 14 years
what is the Succession of the President?
Vice President, Speaker, President Pro Tempore, and Secretary of State
what is the salary of the President
$400,000
on what day will the new President and Vice President be sworn into office?
January 20
who administers the Oath of Office
generally the Chief Justice
who is Commander in Chief?
President
who has the power to grant reprieves and pardons?
President
who receives foreign diplomats?
President
what is the Executive Branch for?
carry out laws
what does the Judicial Branch do?
Makes sure laws are in agreement with the Constitution
how many justices are there?
9
what two types of justices are there and how many of each?
1 Chief Justice and 8 Associate Justices
how long is the term for a Justice?
life
who appoints the spots for the vacancies for Justices
President
what is a statute law
law passed by Congress
what is an Original Jurisdiction?
when you hear the case for the first time
what is an Appellate Jurisdiction
when you hear a case from a lower court (appeal)
representation in each state is based on what?
the state’s population
what requires a law official to bring a prisoner to court to show cause to hold
Habeas Corpus
what was the Bill of Attainder?
bill that punishes a person without a jury trial
what makes an act a crime after the act had been committed
Ex Post Facto
what is Article II about?
Executive Branch
How often will the President inform Congress with the “State of the Union” address?
once a year
what is article IV about
Relationship among the States
Each state must give what to other states
full acceptance of the laws and judicial proceedings
what is full faith and credit
it is used to express that the states will honor the other states
what is extradition
if convicted of a crime, and you are in a different state than the one that it was committed, you will be sent back to the state in which it was committed
Congress has the power to do what to the Union
admit new states
Congress will guarantee every state what?
a representative government, or a republic
what is Article V about
Amending the Constitution
Amendment may be proposed by which two methods?
By a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress, and by 2/3 of state legislatures call for a convention for proposing an amendment
what is Article VI about?
Constitution is Supreme Law of the Land, or Supremacy clause
what is Article VII about
Ratification or Approval of the Constitution
The Constitution will be approved by how many out of the thirteen states?
9
which amendment stated that Congress will begin its regular session on January 3
20th Amendment
Can Congress be impeached?
No
Neither house can adjourn for more than how many days without the approval of the other house?
3
