Final exam review

Question 1

What was Shay’s rebellion?

Answer 1

A march of angry farmers demanding debt relief in western Massachusetts.

Question 2

What were the articles of confederation?

Answer 2

The first U.S. constitution, adopted in 1777. It created a “League of Friendship” among the states.

Question 3

What were the problems with the articles of confederation?

Answer 3

Economic troubles, drought, and crop failure. demands for relief were placed on states. national government didn’t have the power to stabilize the economy.

Question 4

When/where was the constitutional convention?

Answer 4

1786, Annapolis

Question 5

What was federalist 10?

Answer 5

James Madison on the dangers of factions.

Question 6

What was federalist 51?

Answer 6

James Madison on the separation of powers.

Question 7

What is a Super PAC?

Answer 7

Larger PACs, cover many interests. they do not fund candidates. they fund their own initiative campaigns.

Question 8

What happened in the citizens united case?

Answer 8

The bipartisan campaign finance reform act restricted campaign financing. Restricted how much people could give. Citizens United created an ad about Hillary Clinton (negative). They did not give money directly to a candidate. However, the FEC fined them for a violation of campaign finance laws. Supreme court decided that the part of the BCRA that stated that funds raised by groups of people for or against candidates was unconstitutional. (still can’t go directly to a candidate)

Question 9

What is a PAC?

Answer 9

Part of an interest group that raises funds for a candidate. (Political Action Committee). They report their fundraising and comply with non-profit status.

Question 10

What are linkage instituttions?

Answer 10

Media, public opinion polls, parties, interest groups.

They link voters to their candidates.

Question 11

What is a mediated citizen? What are the impacts? How does it affect government?

Answer 11

people always receiving information through multiple channels that can and do shape their political views but also have the ability to use those channels to create their own narratives.

Question 12

What is de jure discrimination?

Answer 12

Discrimination by laws

Question 13

What is de facto discrimination?

Answer 13

Discrimination by life circumstance, habit, custom, or socioeconomic status.

Question 14

What are the three main types of economic policy?

Answer 14

Fiscal Policy
Monetary policy
tax policy

Question 15

What is fiscal policy?

Answer 15

The government’s power to tax and spend to stabilize the economy.

Question 16

What is monetary policy?

Answer 16

The government’s power to control the money supply by manipulating interest rates.

Question 17

What is tax policy?

Answer 17

The government’s power to require that individuals and businesses contribute to collective costs

Question 18

When was judicial review established?

Answer 18

1803

Question 19

What court case decided judicial review?

Answer 19

Marbury v. Madison

Question 20

When was the bill of rights added?

Answer 20

1791

Question 21

How do Cases Get to the Court?

Answer 21

First step – Petition for Writ of Certiorari (formal request for the court to take a case from the lower courts) – The court gets thousands of these a year.
Second Step -The court does not have to even consider each one and the overall lists goes to each justices’ office with clerk comments. Clerks review all and help to shorten the list to the ones they believe are most important.
A smaller list is made from this list called the Discuss List by the clerks (also circulated to the Judges so that they may add to it; cases can also be removed) which will be discussed at the Judges’ Friday meeting. It is important to note that the overall list can be cut down from hundreds to a very select few, possibly even one. There is no regulation of this practice.
Third Step – At the discussion, the judges use a Rule of 4 to decide whether or not to grant the writ of certiorari to each case on the list. So, this gives some power to a minority of the court if they want to hear a case (9 justices total).
*If the federal government is a party, the court is more likely to hear the case especially if it is the Federal Government (solicitor general – government’s lawyer) appealing the case.
Cases that are denied are usually denied because they are not considered as important or the justices may agree with the decision. However, a denial does not necessarily mean that SCOTUS agrees with a lower court decision. This does, though, allow that decision to stand as precedent.
Fourth Step – If the court authorizes the writ of certiorari, a demand is sent to the lower court for the case files to be sent to SCOTUS. The court begins considering the case and groups, even political and interest groups, try to influence the decision by submitting amicus curiae briefs. These are documents that try to influence the court’s decision in a certain way by pointing out issues, facts, position, possible ramifications. These can also be submitted prior to the court taking the case to encourage the court accept the writ of certiorari.
Fifth Step – Proceedings begin. The lawyers for each side submit a written brief. They each get about an hour to argue the case before the court and the justices can question throughout that hour.
Important note: The Solicitor General (government’s lawyer) has the most experience with this usually, so some claim this gives them the advantage in this short process. They learn quickly how to get their point across even in the midst of questions and observations by the judges. Other lawyers, often, are not as prepared for the firestorm of questions and the brevity of time. Some argue this hurts their ability to get to their point and can ultimately harm their side of the case.
Sixth Step - Justices consider the case. They do this on their own and in conference. Justices will try to convince other justices to side with them and all deliberations are private.
All justices want the majority to decide with them, so they will try to convince other justices through debate, deal-making, discussion, review of case facts, and argument.
Seventh Step – Justice come to a decision. The majority opinion is written by one of the judges. Either the Chief Justice (if in the majority opinion) or the most senior justice makes the decision of who writes the majority opinion. He or she can assign this task to him/herself. Other justices in the majority write concurring opinions to show their individual takes on the case and to highlight important points about why they made this decision. Concurring opinions are not required.
These are usually added to show a difference or additional information from the majority opinion.
Those who disagree can write a dissenting opinion to show why they disagree with the majority discussion and break down the major points of their argument. These can be used by future judges when a precedent is being overruled to support their decision to overrule the case.

Question 22

What are the 4 main journalists’ roles? How are they significant to politics?

Answer 22

Gatekeepers: Deciding what should be covered and what shouldn’t be.

Disseminators: Reporters who only report the facts with as little bias or context as possible.

Investigators/Analysts: in opposition to disseminator, they dig for information AND interpret its significance.

Public Mobilizers: Reporters with an agenda that encourage people to take action

Question 23

What the media’s tools of the trade?

Answer 23

Agenda Setting
Framing
Reliance on professional communicators
sticking to an easy, existing narrative
feeding frenzy
horse race journalism
soundbites

Question 24

What is agenda setting?

Answer 24

The process through which issues attain the status of being seriously debated by politically relevant actors

Question 25

What is framing?

Answer 25

Framing the story a journalist tells. usually done by telling people what parts of a story are important

Question 26

What is the feeding frenzy?

Answer 26

Refers to the way journalists can “circle” potential stories. much like how sharks circle prey.

Question 27

horse race journalism

Answer 27

When journalists focus on the political race more than the candidates views.

Question 28

What are the two types of federalism?

Answer 28

Dual Federalism: Separate, clearly defined powers

Cooperative Federalism: Powers are more mixed and less clearly defined. (marijuana policies fall into here)

Question 29

What happened in Wickard v. Filburn? (PBS Video) How did it impact the interpretation of the Commerce Clause, and how does that impact federalism’s power distribution?

Answer 29

Ohio farmer Roscoe Filburn planted wheat to feed his livestock. The federal government fined him for growing too much wheat. Filburn argued that, because the law was an interstate commerce law, and he was growing the wheat for his own personal use, he shouldn’t be fined. The supreme court rule that because his growing of wheat could prevent him from buying wheat, so it did fall under interstate commerce.

This allowed anything even remotely related to commerce to be federally regulated.

The precedent of Wickard v. Filburn has served as the legal underpinning for federal laws covering everything from labor standards, to consumer protection, to endangered species.

And it was at the center of the debate over the Affordable Care Act in the spring of 2012.