Exam 3 Flashcards
Framers intended _____ to be the strongest branch.
Legislative
Framers intended _____ to be the weakest branch.
executive
House of Reps elections held every
two years
Senate elections held every
six years
power shared by congress and president
policy making
President CANNOT
declare war
Powers of Congress
change federal judiciary officers, change size of the court, alternate jurisdiction of the court; CANNOT overturn Supreme Court decisions
Approximate reelection rate in Congress
95%
Fenno’s Paradox
We don’t like the group as a whole, but we like the individuals
Problems with Fenno’s Paradox
conflict between what’s good for the nation v. your home district
Factors of Incumbency Advantage
Name recognition, staff, mail, media, money, seniority
Primary job of a Congress member
represent those who elected them
Trustee representation
model in which we trust representatives to make decisions for us
General Electorate
All voting members in a district
Gerrymandering
redrawing districts to favor one party or class
primary motivations of elected legislators
reelection, position in the chamber, passing policy
Three main influences on congressional decision making
constituency, interest group, party
three types of committees in congress
joint committee, standing committee, conference committee
Process of bill becoming law
legislator introduces bill, bill is referred to appropriate committee, committee votes on bill, bill goes to floor of house or senate, if passes both houses it goes to president, congress can override veto with 2/3 majority vote
Which committee must a bill go through first in the house?
Rules Committee
Qualifications to be U.S. President
35 years old, natural born citizen (does not mean born in the U.S.), lived in the U.S. for 14 years
Which amendment declared that the VP becomes president in case of death or resignation?
25th amendment
What are expressed presidential powers? Examples?
powers given by the constitution; power to pardon, military power, judicial power, commander in chief
How many days does the President have to veto a bill?
10
Federal court cannot review rulings of what court?
Supreme Court
Which party supported abolition of slavery?
Republican
Impeachment
process by which a legislative body levels charges against a powerful official
Dissenting opinion
the opinion written by a justice who disagrees with the majority opinion
Per Curiam
the judgement of a majority in a supreme court ruling that does not have a specific author
What is NOT in the first five positions in line of presidential secession?
Secretary of Defense
bureaucracy
system of government in which most important decisions are made by state officials rather than elected officials
Problems with bureaucracies
conflict, red tape, duplication, imperialism, waste
powers shared by president and senate
Nominate SC justices, nominate ambassadors, nominate high officials
Judiciary Act of 1789
established that there were six supreme court justices, created attorney general position, established judicial review
Hierarchy of federal courts
Supreme Court, Court of Appeals (Circuit), District Court
Marbury v. Madison
established judicial review
