final exam Flashcards
The exclusionary rule is a demonstration of what type of judicial action?
Judicial Activism
A court-martial is a court which tries cases involving:
Military Personnel
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims handles:
Citizens wishing redress from the government
The majority opinion of a Supreme Court case is:
Appellate
The Supreme Court has which type of jurisdiction?
Appellate and original jurisdiction
These courts act as the judicial system for the nation’s capital:
The districts of Columbia court
Which court hears appeals from the Board of Veterans Appeals?
The court of Appeals for veterans claims
Which court reviews court-martial convictions?
The court of Appeals for Armed Forces
Which court hears civil disputes arising out of U.S. tax laws?
U.S. tax courts
Which court hears claims for damages against the Federal Government?
The united states courts of Federal Claims
What do we call the Federal Courts that were created by Congress to hear only certain special cases?
Special Courts
What do we call the period of time when Supreme Court Justices consider cases in which they have heard oral arguments?
The court in conference
What do we call the written documents that are drafted to support a party’s oral argument before the Supreme Court? (Some of these are filed as amicus curiae.)
Briefs
What are two ways a case may reach the supreme court of the U.S.?
Writ of Certiorari and Certificate
What are three opinions that can be issued by the supreme court of the U.S.?
Concurring, dissenting, and majority
What term is defined as the power of the federal court to determine the constitutionality of an act of government?
Judicial Review
How many justices sit on the Supreme Court of the United States?
9 Justices
The Federal Courts of appeals hear which types of cases?
Appellate Cases
The Federal District Courts have:
original jurisdiction over most cases that are heard in the federal courts
Which of the following is not an inferior Court?
Supreme Court
How many federal district courts are there?
94
In which federal court are most cases heard?
Federal District Courts
Which Federal Courts have original jurisdiction over the majority of cases in the federal caseload?
Federal District Courts
Federal judges are appointed by:
The President
Which of the following is the only court established by the Constitution?
United States Supreme Court
How long do federal constitutional court Justices serve?
Life
What are the four types of jurisdiction in the judiciary?
exclusive, concurring, original, and appellate
What are the two kinds of Federal Courts?
special courts and constitutional courts
What do we call the system of two levels of independently operating courts in the United States?
Duel-Court Systems
A state has the following four characteristics:
population, territory, sovereignty, government
in a democracy, the supreme political authority rests with:
the people
What constitutes a confederacy?
nation states that form together
What constitutes a federal system?
regional governments with superseding more powerful government
What constitutes a presidential system?
the president is elected separately from the legislature
What constitutes a parliamentary system?
the executive is chosen by legislative
What was the name of the original constitution of the United States?
Articles of Confederation
Which Article of the U.S. Constitution deals with the Congress of the United States?
Article 1
Which Article of the U.S. Constitution deals with the President and Vice President of the United States?
Article 2
Which Article of the Constitution establishes the legislative process?
Article 1
What are the two themes of Article 1 Section 8 (Powers of Congress)?
Military and Economy
Which amendment forbids excessive bail or fines?
8th amendment
Which amendment gave three electoral votes to Washington, D.C?
23rd amendment
Which amendment deals with substantive due process, and the equal protection clause?
14th amendment
Which amendment deals with limiting the terms of office of the POTUS to two terms or ten years?
22nd amendment
Which amendment deals with issues regarding unreasonable search and seizure?
4th amendment
Which amendment abolished slavery?
13th amendment
Which amendment legalized income tax?
16th amendment
Which amendment established the civil liberties of speech, press, religion, peaceful assembly and to petition the government?
Ist amendment
Which amendment resulted in suffrage for women?
19th amendment
Which amendment granted suffrage rights to those 18 years of age and older?
26th amendment
Which amendment guarantees those accused of crimes a fair, speedy trial, the right to know their accusers, the right to defense counsel, etcetera?
6th amendment
Which amendment is known as the direct election of Senators Amendment?
17th amendment
The principle of government that favors a national government with three independent branches is called:
separation of powers
This constitutional principle is drawn from constitutionalism. It expressly grants powers to the national government so that it doesn’t extend said power.
Limited Government
The constitutional principle that is drawn from the political ideal that legitimate government can only come from the will of the majority.
Democracy
The constitutional principle that states that federal courts may declare a law unconstitutional is known as:
Judicial Review
This constitutional principle states that one branch of government should have the power to, under certain circumstances, be able to interfere and inhibit another branch of government to prevent an abuse of power:
Checks and Balances
The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the
Bill of Rights
At present the number of formal amendments to the Constitution is:
27 Amendments
With what ancient culture does the idea of “rule of law” originate?
Roman
With what ancient culture does the idea of democracy originate?
Greek
These are gifts of money from the National Government with broadly defined purposes, and with very few strings attached:
Block grants
These are gifts of money from the National Government with many strings attached to insure the money is used for a specific purpose by the state governments:
grant and aid (Categorical Grants)
This is the legal process in which a fugitive from justice is returned to the state where he/she allegedly perpetrated the crime:
Extradition law
The nation’s first two political parties were:
Federalists and Democratic Republicans
Identify the linkage institutions discussed in class.
elections, media, interest groups, political parties
What are the social factors that typically influence political party membership?
split-ticket voting, scandals surrounding national conventions, and growth of single-issue organizations
This is the specified length of time served by elected officials in their elected offices.
6 years
This is the distribution of congressional seats (membership) among the states on the basis of their respective populations:
apportion
When Congress prepares to (re)apportion, or (re)distribute, the seats in the House of Representatives it:
apportions among the states based on population
If the territory of a congressional district is not compact, the States’ legislature may have drawn its districts’ boundaries using a process called:
gerrymandering
Unlike most House members, senators are elected by all State voters from one Statewide slate in a(n):
popular election
A citizen from the home State of a Congressman, whom he or she represents in Washington, D.C. is called a:
representative
The length of service for Congress begins on the 3rd day of January of every odd-numbered year and is called a:
session
To run for a House of Representatives seat, you must be no younger than:
25 years old
The main benefit of a bicameral Congress is that:
prevents legislative branch from having too much power
The total number of members in the House of Representatives is:
435 members
What classification of Congressman decides solely on their own how to vote on public policy?
trustees
The practical reason behind establishing a bicameral legislature was:
the necessity to find compromise between the New Jersey and Virginia Plans
Which of the following is a major role of members of Congress?
servants of their constituents
Three-fifths of the Senate can stop a filibuster by voting for a:
cloture vote
At its convention, a political party states its basic beliefs and ideas in its
Platform
A President is usually able to gain the nomination to run for reelection easily because he is
well known
When people vote for President, they are really voting for the State’s:
electoral college
The President’s responsibility to supervise the military is carried out in the role of:
commander in chief
The House of Representatives chooses the President if no candidate receives a majority of votes in the:
electoral college
To be President, you must be no younger than:
35 years old
The major event at a national convention is:
select nominees
Most of the delegates to a national convention are chosen by:
the party
The President’s annual salary is currently:
$400,000
Who is in line for presidential succession following the Vice President?
speaker of the house
Which amendment to the Constitution modified the electoral college to avoid electoral ties for the office of President?
12th amendment
Which of the following is a possible flaw of the electoral college system?
tie or no winner
Which one of the following is/are not official job(s) given to the vice president?
commander in chief
The Executive Article of the
Constitution is:
Article 2
The two views of presidential power are mostly centered on:
extent of powers
The President is commanded to execute the provisions of federal law by:
oath of office
Identify the government officials not appointed by the POTUS.
speaker of the house
What is a treaty?
formal agreement
This clause of the Constitution states that one state may not enforce another’s criminal laws, but does have to recognize another state’s civil judgments.
full faith and credit clause
These are the powers granted to the states:
reserved powers
These are powers shared by the National and State Governments:
concurrent powers
These are powers that can only be exercised by the National Government, as some are expressly forbidden to the states:
exclusive powers
This is an agreement among states. Over 200 exist today:
interstate compact
Which portion of the Constitution is largely responsible for the reserved powers of the U.S. Government?
10th amendment
According to the Constitution, what form of government must the national government guarantee to each state?
republican form of government
This clause of the Constitution states that national law supersedes state law:
supremacy clause
This Supreme Court case stated that full faith and credit did not extend to matters of divorce:
William vs. North Carolina
This Supreme Court case enforced the Supremacy Clause:
McCulloch vs. Maryland
This category of the reserved powers is responsible for building codes and motor vehicle laws:
Public Inconvenience
The Republican Party dominated the presidency from:
1860 - 1932
Identify the types of minor parties in the United States.
Green Party
Independent Party
Libertarian Party
(answer on test: except regulatory)
Identify the functions that political parties fulfill.
- Recruiting and nominating candidates
- Educating the electorate about campaign issues
- Helping candidates win elections
- Monitoring actions of officeholders (answer on test: except supplying all campaign funding)
When Democrats and Republicans cooperate with one another, they are acting in a way.
bipartisan
What political science law states that the simple majority, single ballot system favors the two-party political system?
Duverger’s law
When acting as head of the nation’s armed forces, the President is filling the role of:
commander in chief
A presidential veto of legislation can only be overturned by a
two thirds vote in both houses of congress
Reprieves and pardons are both examples of the President’s:
clemency power
If a President wishes to avoid involving the Senate in making foreign policy, he can negotiate a(n):
executive agreement
When the President forgives a large group of people for their illegal actions, he does so by granting:
amnesty
The National Security Council advises the President on:
integration of domestic, foreign, and military policies
The release of a person from punishment or legal consequences of a crime is called a:
pardon
Most of the informal powers of the
POTUS stem from which clause of the U. S. Constitution?
vesting clause
These are presidentially issued documents (informal Presidential power) that are kept by the Federal Register and defined as “rules, regulation issued by a chief executive or his/her subordinates, based upon either constitutional or statutory authority and having the force of law.”
executive orders
Staff agencies are created to
aid other agencies
All heads of the executive departments are known as secretaries except for the:
Head of the department of justice
- the attorney general
Members of the Cabinet act as heads of their departments as well as:
advisors to the president
The U.S. Postal Service is an example of:
government corporations
The Pendleton Act established:
merit as the basis for hiring and other personnel actions in the civil service
The function of the Office of Personnel Management is to:
Aid in the standing of civil service positions through civil tests and other means
What is responsible for running the Federal Government’s day-to-day business?
Federal Bureaucracy
The franking privilege allows members of Congress to:
send items in mail for free
The Constitution grants all of the following powers to Congress
EXCEPT: (category of Congressional
Powers)
reserved powers
Strict constructionists favored Congress exercising
only expressed powers
The commerce power gives Congress the right to
regulate interstate and foreign trade
The process by which a citizen of one country becomes a citizen of another is known as:
naturalization
Which of the following is not a jurisdiction granted by the Commerce Clause to the U.S. Congress?
interstate
Who determines modern fiscal policy for the United States?
federal government
Lowering taxes, granting subsidies, and decreasing or removing regulations are facets of which type of fiscal policy?
expansionary
Increasing taxes, lowering or removing subsidies, and high regulations are facets of which type of fiscal policy?
contractive
Identify the main tools of fiscal policy?
tax rates, government spending
The presiding officer of the House of Representatives is:
speaker of the house
Identify the responsibilities of the party whips.
provide communication and rounds up party members for votes
Identify the responsibilities of The House Rules Committee.
review most bills after they come from the full committee and before they go to the full chamber for consideration
A conference committee is formed to:
a temporary joint committee created to settle differences in versions of a bill passed by each house of Congress.
Riders are:
measures attached to a bill dealing with an unrelated matter
A filibuster is:
a method of using debate to end a bill in the Senate, delay a bill
What are options for the President for dealing with a bill once he receives it?
Sign and pass the bill, Refuse to sign, or veto the bill, or take no action and after 10 days will become a law
The most powerful member of the Senate is:
majority leader
