Exam Two Flashcards
Which of the following terms describes a permanent committee in Congress that has a defined legislative jurisdiction?
Standing Committee
The trend toward party unity in Congress can clearly be seen in voting records of members of Congress when their votes are officially recorded during a ________ vote.
roll-call
The most powerful leader in the House of Representatives is the…
Speaker of the House
If a “turf war” erupts as different committees vie for jurisdiction over a bill, who or what decides the committee assignment?
Party leaders decide the committee assignment.
What holds party lawmakers together?
They have far more in common with each other than they do with lawmakers of the other party.
In order to be a member of the House of Representatives, a person must be _______ years of age.
25
At present there are Blank______ standing committees in the House of Representatives.
20
Members of the House of Representatives typically serve on Blank______ committees, while members of the Senate serve on Blank______.
two; four
What has been one result of the decreasing number of moderates in Congress?
legislative deadlock
When a bill falls into the area in which a committee is authorized to act, that committee is said to have
jurisdiction
If congressional representatives find themselves having to choose between angering voters and donors or angering party leadership by refusing to go along with a vote, which will they likely choose?
angering leadership by voting the way their donors and voters want them to
Choosing committee chairs based on which member has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the ________ system.
seniority
Compared with their percentage of the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are ______ in Congress.
underrepresented
The minority party’s committee and subcommittee leaders are its _______
members.
ranking
What correctly describes the protocol for committee membership?
Most newly elected members of Congress request committee assignments.
Most vacancies occur after elections, either from retirements or incumbent defeats.
A(n) _______ is a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president becomes law.
bill
The partisan divide in Congress has grown in recent years, to the point where each party has a high level of ______, which is when party members band together on legislation and oppose the other party.
party unity
Why is the Rules Committee considered one of the most important committees in the House?
because it decides the length of debate that will occur on a bill and whether amendments will be allowed
One reason standing committees are powerful is that by law they have ______.
jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area
On major bills, it is increasingly typical for the majority party’s leaders to:
shape the bill’s broad content
direct the floor debate after the bill leaves the committee
Which of the following methods is most often used to select committee chairs?
the seniority system
The steps that a bill must pass through in order to become law:
- A member of the House of Representatives or the Senate formally proposes the bill.
- The bill is submitted to a committee for consideration.
- A majority of members in the House and Senate approve the bill.
- The president signs the bill.
A limit of ______ exists for how long a Republican member can chair a particular committee.
six years
What are the functions of Congress?
representation
oversight
lawmaking
When a committee or subcommittee holds a(n) _______, they are trying to gather information about a proposed bill.
hearing
In the House of Representatives, a debate is limited on the congressional floor by _______.
the Rules Committee
Whether or not Congress takes the lead in the making of laws usually depends on Blank______.
the type of policy at issue
True or false: After clearing the committee stage, floor debate on a bill is usually led by the majority party’s leadership in the House.
True
The increase in party polarization in Congress has led to increased ______.
policy deadlock
If the president chooses to veto a bill, Blank______.
Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
What oversight tools help Congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly?
congressional hearings
budgetary appropriations
Today, Congress and the president ______.
share legislative power
True statements about bills that are killed in committee?
They can be brought back to life by a vote of the full House or Senate.
Some bills are not supported by the members who introduced them.
Most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone.
An example of Congress’s ______ occurs when Congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.
lawmaking function
In Insecure Majorities, Frances Lee noted that, in the currently closely matched parties, members of Congress are engaged in “______” rather than “governing.”
messaging
Ensuring that laws are being administered by the executive branch in the way intended by Congress is an important function of Congress and is known as ________.
oversight (function)
What shift brought the president to a more central role in the legislative process?
National and international forces combined to place greater policy demands on the federal government.
Which function is the main responsibility of Congress, to which all other functions of Congress are related?
lawmaking
Positive aspects of party polarization include the fact that ______.
voters can more clearly see and understand party differences
Which function describes the process by which the legislature checks on the executive branch to make sure it is carrying out the laws in the way Congress intended?
oversight
True or false: The Constitution requires that federal judges be citizens and at least thirty years old.
False
Alexander Hamilton said that of all the branches of government, the Supreme Court was the ______.
weakest
The Supreme Court has…
original and appellate jurisdiction
What is the purpose of the writ of certiorari?
It is an order from a higher court for a lower court to submit a record of a case to the higher court.
The written brief in a court case ______.
is an argument by a party to the case as to why its position should be upheld by the court
They serve until they die or retire voluntarily.
They are appointed by the president, subject to confirmation by the Senate.
The only way to remove them is through impeachment.
Federal Judges
Alexander Hamilton said that the power of the Supreme Court rested on the power of ______.
judgment—the reasonableness and fairness of its actions
Members of the Supreme Court are called ______.
justices
When four Supreme Court justices agree to request a record of the case from a lower court, the court issues a ______.
writ of certiorari
What are issued by the Supreme Court after hearing a case?
one or more opinions
a decision
During a Supreme Court hearing, who presents oral arguments?
the attorneys for each side
Members of the Supreme Court who disagree with the decision of the Court’s majority have the option of writing a ______.
dissenting opinion
The Constitution establishes the Supreme Court. Which entity is empowered by the Constitution to establish the lower federal courts?
Congress
According to Alexander Hamilton’s argument in Federalist No. 78, the best way to ensure that the federal courts exercise their power reasonably and fairly is to ______.
appoint federal judges for life
Which of the following statements correctly describe U.S. district courts?
They are the chief trial courts of the federal court system.
They are the only federal courts where cases are decided by a jury.
The Supreme Court receives most of its cases through which jurisdiction?
appellate
True or false: The Supreme Court’s decision gives the legal basis for the Court’s ruling.
False.
When a majority of the Supreme Court justices agree on a decision but not the legal reasoning behind it, the Court issues a ______, which is the opinion having the most justices in support of it.
plurality opinion
True or false: The Constitution requires that federal judges be citizens and at least thirty years old.
False
Which type of federal court hears criminal cases?
district courts
Which of the following federal court levels does not have original jurisdiction?
courts of appeals
A Supreme Court ______ explains the justices’ legal basis for their decision.
opinion
What happens during the writing of a Supreme Court opinion?
The justice assigned to write the opinion will continue to speak with the other justices while preparing the opinion.
Each of the 50 states structures and maintains its own ______.
court system
The only type of federal court that features two sides presenting a case to a jury for a verdict is ______.
a district court
Eleven of the thirteen federal appellate courts cover specific geographic regions, which are called ______.
circuits
majority opinion
issued when all or most of the justices agree on the legal basis of a decision
plurality opinion
issued when some justices agree on the majority’s decision but disagree with the legal basis for it
concurring opinion
issued by a justice in the majority when that justice disagrees with all or part of the majority’s reasoning
dissenting opinion
issued by one or more justices on the losing side to explain their reasoning