Exam 2

Question 1

Bicameral

Answer 1

having a legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses, distinguished from unicameral

Question 2

Jurisdiction

Answer 2

The sphere of a court’s power and authority

Question 3

enumerated powers

Answer 3

Specific powers granted to Congress as outlined in Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution. Origin U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8

Question 4

Art. 1 sec. 8

Answer 4

The power goes to Congress

Question 5

bureaucracy/bureaucrats

Answer 5

A bureaucracy is an organization, whether publicly or privately owned, made up of several policymaking departments or units. People who work in bureaucracies are informally known as bureaucrats.

Question 6

Apportionment

Answer 6

the process, occurring after every decennial census, that allocates congressional seats among the 50 states

Question 7

divided govt

Answer 7

One party controls the White House, and other controls one or both houses of Congress

Question 8

judicial review

Answer 8

The power of the courts to review, and, if necessary, declare actions of the legislative and executive branches invalid or unconstitutional; the Supreme Court asserted this power in Marbury v. Madison.

Question 9

Pendleton Act

Answer 9

1883 -Banned Federal candidates from requiring that federal employees work on their campaigns or make financial contributions. -Extended the about rule to all federal civil service workers-Previously, government workers were expected to make campaign contributions to keep their jobs.

Question 10

Precedent or Stare Decisis

Answer 10

Prior cases whose principles are used by judges as the basis for their decisions in present cases or literally, “let the decision stand”; the doctrine that a previous decision by a court applies as a precedent in similar cases until that decision is overruled.

Question 11

writ of certiorari

Answer 11

A decision of at least four of the nine Supreme Court justices to review a decision of a lower court; certiorari is Latin, meaning “to make more certain.”

Question 12

amicus brief

Answer 12

Literally, “friend of the court”; individuals or groups who are not parties to a lawsuit but who seek to assist the Supreme Court in real decisions presenting additional briefs.

Question 13

Brief

Answer 13

written documents in which attorneys explain, using case precedents, why the court should find in favor of their client

Question 14

Rule of Four

Answer 14

The rule of four is a US Supreme Court practice that permits four of the nine justices to grant a writ of certiorari. It has the specific purpose to prevent a majority of the Court’s members from controlling their docket. The rule of four is not required by the US Constitution, any law, or even the Court’s own published rules.

Question 15

senatorial courtesy

Answer 15

the ranking is given to an individual based on length of continuous service on a committee in Congress

Question 16

How is congress structured

Answer 16

The Constitution created a bicameral, or two-house, the legislature in which one house, the House of Representatives, would be based on population, and the other chamber, the Senate, would be based on state representation.

Question 17

What are the terms and qualifications for Congress members:

Answer 17

Senators serve 6-year terms, and there are no term limits. * Senators must be 30 years old when they take office and have been a citizen for 9 years. They must reside in the state they represent. Each House term is 2 years; there are no term limits in Congress. * Members must be at least 25 years old and have been citizens for at least 7 years.

Question 18

Which Constitutional Article deals with Congress

Answer 18

Article 1

Question 19

The President

Answer 19

Article 2

Question 20

The Courts

Answer 20

Article 3

Question 21

What is the size of each house of Congress

Answer 21

House has 435 members whereas the senate has 100

Question 22

What are revenue bills and where do they start

Answer 22

Proposals that deal w/taxation or gov spending. Bills aim to generate revenue for gov or allocate funds for specific programs. Originate in the House of Reps.

Question 23

How is Congress organized

Answer 23

The two chambers have evolved to meet the demands of law making* Both are organized by party affiliation * The need to organize large numbers of people to make decisions led to the party leadership structure * Both are more important in the House* Senate is small enough to operate by informal coordination and negotiation * The need to divide the labor created the committee system - specialized policy areas. Typically, the entire membership relies on the decisions made in the committee

Question 24

How do the two houses differ

Answer 24

The House of Representatives has: Larger (435 members), a Shorter electoral cycle (2-year term), a Narrow constituency (congressional districts), is less prestigious, and originates all revenue bills.
The Senate: Smaller (100 members), longer electoral cycle (6-year term), Broas constituency (states), More prestigious, and ratifies treaties; confirms presidential nominees

Question 25

What is the role of parties

Answer 25

Party Caucus- All Democratic members of the House or Senate. Members in the caucus elect the party leaders, ratify the choice of committee leaders, and debate party positions on issues* Party Conference- What Republicans call their party caucus Members also caucus by interest and state, regardless of party

Question 26

What does the constitution say concerning the leadership of each house?

Question 27

Who is powerful and why?

Question 28

Why committees

Answer 28

Committees represent a significant role in the legislative process by helping to coordinate the most important assignment of the Congress

Question 29

Are they alike?

Question 30

Which Constitutional Article deals with the judiciary?

Answer 30

Article 3

Question 31

Why the “least dangerous branch

Answer 31

explains that the judicial branch is the “least dangerous” out of all the branches because it only has the power to judge but not to act, unlike the legislative and executive branches. If the judicial branch does come to a ruling in the court, it must go through the other branches before it can actually get carried out.

Question 32

Who was John Marshall and why was he so important

Answer 32

John Marshall was the fourth chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1801-35). In Marbury v. Madison (1803) and other landmark cases, Marshall asserted the Supreme Court’s authority to determine the constitutionality of the nation’s laws—a principle known as judicial review—and shaped the judicial branch into a powerful force in the U.S. government

Question 33

Why was Marbury v. Madison so important

Answer 33

it established the principle of judicial review—the power of the Court to rule acts of Congress unconstitutional. As Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall wrote, a “Law repugnant to the Constitution is void.”

Question 34

How is the court system structured

Answer 34

The federal court system has three main levels: district courts (the trial court), circuit courts which are the first level of appeal, and the Supreme Court of the United States, the final level of appeal in the federal system. There are 94 district courts, 13 circuit courts, and one Supreme Court throughout the country.

Question 35

What act decided how the court system is structured

Answer 35

Judiciary Act of 1789

Question 36

Why does the constitution give life tenure to judges

Answer 36

Independence from Politics Without question, life tenure for federal judges serves an extraordinarily important purpose: It shields judges from the political pressure that comes with periodic accountability to an electorate.

Question 37

Who selects judges, and how are they approved:

Answer 37

The president appoints all federal judges. legislative branch must approve appointments that the president makes; the Senate must approve treaties that the president makes, and the legislative branch may investigate the executive branch.

Question 38

How large is the U.S. Supreme Court

Answer 38

Only has 9 justices one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices.

Question 39

What is the difference between trial and appellate courts?

Answer 39

Yet one of the most powerful differences between trial and appellate courts involves the latter’s ability to make binding decisions beyond the case being heard. While trial judges’ decisions apply only to the case at hand, appellate courts decide on legal issues that include whether laws are constitutionally binding.

Question 40

Who writes Amicus briefs and why

Answer 40

An amicus brief is a legal brief filed in appeals cased to aid the court by providing extra relevant information or arguments. Amicus briefs are filed by amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” a third party who has a special interest or expertise in the case and wants to influence the court’s decisions in a particular way.

Question 41

Does Congress have term limits

Answer 41

No, they do not have turns

Question 42

Does the president

Answer 42

Yes, the president can only serve 2 terms

Question 43

When and why were they established?

Answer 43

The Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution, proposed by Congress in 1947 and ratified by the states in 1951, confines any president to two elected terms. Proponents argued that the amendment was needed to ratify a sacred American tradition, begun by George Washington, that a president should step away from his duties after filling eight years.

Question 44

What are the qualifications for President

Answer 44

President must be a natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35 years old, a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years

Question 45

What qualifies as “natural-born” and why does it matter:

Question 46

How does the Veto process work

Answer 46

this occurs when Congress has adjourned, and the President waits 10 days before signing a bill. The bill dies automatically

Question 47

What are some of the powers of the President:

Question 48

President’s Roles

Answer 48

Head of the Executive Branch (responsible for enforcing laws through the Justice Dept. and other executive agencies) Commander in chief means he is responsible for military actions- as well as military losses. Chief of state - both symbolically and in a formal sense. Politically he is also the leader of his party. The power to inform and persuade: the State of the Union address, as well as through his speeches. Shaper of domestic policy- both ideologically and in practice: this makes him a powerful yet restrained player in the legislative process.

Question 49

How does patronage work:

Answer 49

Spoils system, also the called patronage system, practice in which the political party winning an election rewards its campaign workers and other active supporters by appointment to government posts and with favorsavours. The spoils system involves political activity by public employees in support of their party and the employees’ removal from office if their party loses the election.

Question 50

Why

Answer 50

Patronage strengthens party discipline and combats political fragmentation, thereby protecting elected government from small, cohesive interest groups. Patronage thickens the ranks of party activists and allows them to rely more on people-intensive and less on money-intensive campaigning.

Question 51

What is civil service and why is it important

Answer 51

the civil service is there to provide public services and help the government of the day implements its policies. Unsurprisingly, civil servants are the people that work in the civil service. They are also often called public servants, and to be honest, this name makes more sense as they serve the public.

Question 52

How is the Executive branch organized?

Question 53

What is the Cabinet

Answer 53

cabinet, in political systems, is a body of advisers to a head of state who also serve as the heads of government departments.

Question 54

What purpose do agencies serve?

Question 55

Why does the government seem to struggle with efficiency?

Question 56

Why is presidential appointment power so important to him?

Question 57

What purposes does it serve?

Question 58

Partisan vs. Non-Partisan Elections

Question 59

Does Congress have term limits