Final Review Flashcards
How many electoral votes does California presently have?
55
What is the primary objective of a lobbyist?
To bear upon the legislative process their (organizations) belief.
Brown vs. Board of Edu of Topeka overturned what previous Supreme Court decision?
Overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson 1896.
“Segregation is a denial of equal protection of the laws.”
What is a quorum?
Least number of members who must be present for a legislative body to conduct business; majority.
Which political party has traditionally been the party of minority groups for most of the 20th century?
The Democratic Party.
Which two political parties are pro-choice?
Democratic and Libertarian Parties.
Which Supreme Court case established a woman’s right to choose with respect to abortion?
Roe vs. Wade 1973.
In the landmark case we studied concerning obscenity law, what was the most important aspect of the Court’s ruling?
Local, Community
What is the minimum age one must be in order to run for the US House of Representatives?
25 years old.
A federal crime will almost always be tried in what type of federal court?
Federal District Court
Who is the President of the Senate?
VP Joe Biden.
Who is Marin’s representative to the California State Assembly?
Jared Huffman?
Is political party identification and loyalty in the US, generally speaking, going up or down?
Down.
Which of the following is an example of Direct Democracy in action?
Proposition, Cont. Amend, Recall Election
A police officer must show what in order to get a search warrant?
Probable cause.
Which two political parties favor less government regulation of businesses?
The Republican and Constitution parties.
California State Assembly Representatives and Senators are limited to how many terms respectively?
Three; Two.
As Chief of State, the President is the:
Ceremonial Head.
What agency advises the President on fiscal ($) matters?
Office of Management and Budget.
Miranda Rights are drawn from the following Amendments to the US Constitution:
5, 6,14.
According to the Speedy Trial Act of 1974, what is the maximum amount of time allowed between a person’s arrest and their trial in federal criminal cases?
6 months.
How many cabinet dept. are there presently?
25.
Which Amendment gave women the right to vote?
19.
The establishment clause of the 1st Amendment concerns what?
Relationship of government to religion.
What are the requirements to run for President of the US?
35 years old, natural born, and 14 years residency.
What right does the 2nd Amendment guarantee American citizens?
Right to bear arms.
Who is the Chief Justice of US Supreme Court?
John Roberts.
The exclusionary rule states that:
Evidence gained as the result of illegal act by police cannot be used against the person from whom it was seized.
Which type of politician votes according to how his or her constituents feel?
Delegate.
Which Supreme Court case established the legitimacy of Congress’ implied powers?
McCulloch vs. Maryland 1819.
All of the following are permitted according to law concerning rights of the accused.
Due Process:
- Right to remain silent (5)
- All people have equal rights under the laws (14)
What are the choices the President has when he is given a bill to sign?
Sign it, pocket, veto, pocket veto
What tends to reduce a President’s power?
Congress, checks and balances, lame duck, legislations/investigations, media
What change was brought about by the Citizens United case?
gave way to SuperPacs because voted 5-4 that shouldn’t regulate corps for spending as much as they want.
What part of the Constitution allows Congress to pass laws that they do not have the specific power to write?
Elastic Clause.
What are the factors that affect a President’s power and effectiveness?
Media Congress Dist. of Colombia Pres. own abilities PACs, public opinion
A newly elected US Senator will serve for how many sessions of Congress before having to be reelected?
6.
Which two political parties support the idea of a strong, centralized government, rather than state control?
The Republican and Constitution parties.
If the House and the Senate pass different versions of a bill, what happens next?
A conference committee will form with both HOR and S to form a compromised bill.
Which political party favors smaller gov., less regulation of people’s personal lives, and generally speaking, maximum individual freedom?
The Republicans.
The US Supreme Court’s power of judicial review is defined as the power to:
The power of a court to determine the constitutionality of a governmental action.
If a state passed a law banning the publication of an anti-American newsletter, this would be an example of:
Prior Restraint
What rights are given to anyone who is arrested?
The Miranda Rights.
Who is the Senate majority leader?
Harry Reid
Which Supreme Court case established a three-pronged standard for allowing government support of private religious schools?
Lemon vs. Kurtzman 1971
The Lemon Test
The list of political parties in the correct order beginning with the most “liberal” and ending with the most “conservative.”
Pease/Freedom Green Democratic Libertarian Republican Constitution
How many members are there in the US House and the US Senate repectively?
435 HOR
100 S
Which Amendment states that an individual accused of a crime has the right to an attorney?
6.
Who is the Speaker of the House in the US Congress?
John Boehner
List of Supreme Court Justices:
John Roberts, Elena Kagan, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, and Sonia Sotomayor.
What Supreme Court case involved a 1st Amend. issue?
Tinker vs. Des Moines 1969 (Public Schools)
What demographic group was the SECOND TO LAST to LEGALLY obtain suffrage?
DC
What are the Presidential roles?
Commander in Chief Chief of State Chief Executive Chief Diplomat Chief Legislator Party Chief Chief Citizen
The formation of SuperPACs was made possible by what US Supreme Court case?
Citizens United vs. FEC
How many Justices serve on the Supreme Court?
9.
What is the correct order of the presidential election process?
Declare Candidacy, Party Primaries, Party Convention, General Election, Inauguration
How many electors are there in the electoral college?
538 (need 270 to win)
What are the lengths of terms for the President, US Senators, and US House Reps?
Pres: 4yrs.
Senators: 6yrs.
HR: 2yrs.
What Amendment was under consideration in Tinker vs. Des Moines Public Schools?
1st Amendment.
The head of a cabinet department is called:
Secretary of….
The Supreme Courts power of judicial review was established by which landmark case?
Marbury vs. Madison 1803
What are the functions of the media with respect to politics?
Gatekeeper - designs who gets average
Scorekeeper - make it exciting, not well informed
Watchdog - let the people know about the news
Which political parties support stronger gun control?
Peace/Freedom
Green
Demorcrat
Types of third parties:
Libertarian, Green, and Constitution.
In what type of election does a political party’s candidate for the Presidency get chosen?
Party primaries.
Definition of bureaucracy?
an organization based on hierarchical authority, job specialization, and rules/procedures.
Requirements to vote in 1790:
citizen, resident, 21, male, white, property, religious
What is the length of office for a federal judge?
For life.
How many circuit courts are there in the US?
89.
A temporary committee set up by both houses of Congress to address disagreements over a specific bill is called a what?
Conference Committee.
What are the Presidential powers?
Executive: executes law, admin. gov., gives executive orders, appts. dept. heads/fed judges, removes appties.
Military: forms treaties, agreements, recognize other nations, head of military
Legislative: recommend legislation, veto legislation, grants pardons, calls special sessions of Congress
A minimum age of 30 is required to run for which federal office?
Senate
Who is the President Pro-tempore of the Senate?
Daniel Inouye
What is not an expressed power of Federal Legislature according to the Constitution of the US?
Peace (war powers)
What makes the current era fundamentally different from the previous three eras?
No single party controls both branches of the Senate at a time.
California’s upper (Senate) and lower (Assembly) houses have how many members respectively?
40, 180
Who is Marins rep to the CA State Senate?
Lynn Wosley
What are problems with CA direct democracy?
Confusion, disinterest, more $ wins
How many signatures are needed in order to get a ballot initiative on the ballot in CA?
5% of the last Gubbartoral (10% for Governor)
Which of the following is the correct order for the CA initiative process?
Write, sign, submit too sec state, ballot, vote
Libel differs from slander in that:
Libel is slander in the media, slander is spoken.
A court that has the power to hear a case the first time it is presented to a court is said to have:
Original Jurisdiction
What methods were used by Southern States to keep African Americans from voting?
Gerrymandering and Jim Crowe Laws
- Literacy test, grandfather clause, and poll tax
Which of the following is NOT one of the ways that a branch of the federal government can check the power of another branch?
Checks and Balances
- see sheet for specifics, #64
Which of the following is the best summation of the dissenting argument in the Citizens United Case?
Corporations are not people and to treat them as such is misguided and dangerous
Factors that effect a Presidents selection of a Supreme Court nominee include all of the following?
- experience
- agrees with the prez
- able to be confirmed by the Senate
- elite background
- clean background
- will they help the prez get reelected if needed?
House Rep Maj Floor Leader
Eric Cantor
House Rep Min Floor LEader
Nancy
Functions of political parties
- nominating function
- informing/activation function
- bonding agent function
- governing function
- watchdog function
Which Amendment states that an individual may not be compelled to testify against themselves?
5th
Cabinet Levels of Dept……I know what they are and arent
Defense, Homeland Security, Education, Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, State, Veteran Affairs, Energy, Justic, Transportation, Labor
Gerrymandering is defined as:
the dividing of state districts illegally for political gain (in terms of population and voting) - illegally reapportioning.
Which of the following Supreme Court cases do deal with public schools?
Tinker vs Des Moines
New Jersey vs TLO
Under what circumstance is a state allowed to ban abortion?
During the 3rd trimester
What does the HOR have that the Senate does not?
Speaker of the House
Why do people choose not to vote?
vote will not make a difference, laziness, time zone fallout, not informed
Which type of politician votes according to their conscience?
Trustee
When Senators attempt to “talk a bill to death” it is called what?
Filibuster
What are some of the major principles the US Constitution is based on?
can be modified, purposely vague, open to interpretation, fits from era to era
What are factors that influenced the writers of the US Constitution?
demographics, english political heritage, experience as colonists, native americans
What are examples of how Presidential signing statements alter the checks and balances of the branches of our federal government?
Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, National Defense Authorization Act of 2008
Who is the Senate Minority Leader?
Mitch McConnell
Which branch of government has an oversight function?
the legislative branch has the duty of overseeing the Executive branch
What did the Fairness Doctrine guarantee?
The Fairness Doctrine required holders of broadcast licenses to give equal airtime to both sides of controversial issues
