Midterm 3 Flashcards
House of Representatives Member
Age 25 7-year Citizen elected for 2 years so they're more responsive to local constituents & interest groups elected by districts deal with local interests & specifics
Iron triangle
Interest groups provide campaign contributions for members of Congress and it lobbies for larger budgets of agency
Agency provides gov’t contracts for interest group & constituency services for friendly members of congress
Congressional committee/subcommittee supports agency’s budgetary requests & programs the interest group favors
Senator
Age 30
9-year Citizen
elected for 6 years
elected equally
2/3 staggered terms so 1/3 of seats are up for election every 2 years
Seek instead of serve existing interests on a national level
Constituent
Residents in the area that an official is elected from
Constituent services
Questions and issues that are solved by that constituents representative through the use of communication (fb, twitter)
Ways of mobilization
Websites describing achievements social networking mailing newsletters influence on a rep's behalf present bills
Who gets elected?
Who runs (some candidates encourage more than others)
Incumbency advantage
how districts are drawn (districting, redistricting, gerrymandering issues)
Incumbent
Position they previously served and getting reelected for the same office
Important role in American electoral system
The kind of repa citizens get in Washington
Gerrymandering
Voters who are put together in the same district for another party to have an advantage over one racial/ethnic/political party during election time
Congressional organization
US Congress both represents and governs
Includes: political parties, committee system, congressional staff (majority & minority leader, whip, speaker of the house) the caucus, and parliamentary rules of House & Senate
Caucus
Closed political conference for Democrats
For Republicans, it’s called conference
Speaker of the house
Chief presiding officer of HofR who shapes legislative agenda
Most important party anf house leader
Conference committees
Temporary joint committees whose members are appointed by heads of both chambers
In charge of working out a compromise but in different versions
Presidential veto
Final test of dedication
May be overridden by 2/3 vote in each chamber
Articles 1,2,3
Legislative executive and judicial
Inherent powers
Presidential powers implied but not directly stated by the Constitution
“Rights, duties, and obligations”
Expressed powers of the President
Military Judicial Diplomatic -Executive agreement Executive Legislative -State of the Union address
War Powers resolution of 1973
Pres. can send troops abroad ONLY by authorization of Congress or serious threat
Limit on presidential power
NIXON’s veto was unconstitutional
Declaration of war
Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war
Congress is not declared war since December 8, 1941 in response to Pearl Harbor
Executive agreements
A contract bt 2 countries (kinda like a treaty) but does not require the Senate’s “advice and consent”
State of the Union address
Pres’s address to Congress recquired by Const each year
Opportunity for Pres to set legislative agenda & direct public attn to his goals (legislative initiative—spoiled brat)
Political value of Vice President
Bring in voters that the Pres. can’t cuz of what he lacks in
Origin of Federal Bureaus
Congress passes abroad law establishing and financing new agencies
“Bureau”“Cracy” = rule by offices & desks to implement policy
What’s required for federal bureaucracies to do their job effectively?
Resources and tools
Communication with others
Effective outreach to the public
Implementation
Process of putting a decision or plan into effect or execution
Bureaucracy defines what laws will mean by rules and actions
Regulatory agencies
Departments, bureaus, independent agencies who put restrictions & obligations on individuals or corporations in the private-sector
Rules made by regulatory agencies have the force & effect of law
Iron triangle
Relationship among congressional committee, administrative agency, 1+ interest groups
USA patriot act (2001)
Unprecedented powers to detain foreign suspects, carry out wire traps & searches, conduct secret military tribunals, and build an integrated law enforcement and intelligence system
*controversial cuz security vs liberty
Congressional oversight
Constitutionally essential way to make the bureaucracy responsible for holding the agency accountable
Freedom of information (FIOA)
Congress attempting to balance gov’t secrecy vs citizens’ right to know
Original jurisdiction
The authority to initially consider a case Trial courts (lowest federal courts) are responsible for discovering facts in controversy and creating a record of judgment (A factual record) 89 district courts in the 50 states staffed by 679 federal district judges
Appellate jurisdiction (Federal appeals courts)
Authority to hear appeals from a lower court’s decision (20%)
New facts cannot be presented before appellate courts
13 US Court of Appeals judicial districts with 179 judges
Except for cases selected for review by the Supreme Court, decisions made by appeals courts are final
Each court of appeals has 6-28 permanent judgeships, depending on the workload of the circuit
Candidates are generally suggested to Pres. by Justice Department
How many members does the Supreme Court have?
NINE MEMBERS since 1869: A Chief Justice and 8 associate Justices. They each cast one vote and Congress has the authority to change the quartz size
Chief Justice
Presides over the Supreme Court’s public sessions and whose official title is Chief Justice of United States
Senatorial courtesy
The practice where the pres seeks the indication that senators from the candidates own state support the nomination he wants for federal judgeship before he does
Nominees must be considered by Senate Judiciary Committee and confirmed by majority vote in the full Senate
Generally does not apply to Supreme Court appointments, only to district and circuit court nominations
Presidents appoint judges who possess legal experience and good character and whose views are similar to their own
Cases that come first to the Supreme COurt include (4)
- cases between the US & one of the 50 states
- cases between 2+ states
- cases involving foriegn ambassadors or other ministers
- cases brought by one state against citizens of another state or against a foriegn country
Writ of certiorari
granted whenever 4 of the 9 justices agree to review a decision of a lower court “certworthy” (someone who loses in a lower fed court has within 90 days to get a petition filed)
if a case is not placed on discuss list, it’s automatically denied certiorari
Solicitor general
The top gov’t lawyer in all cases before the Supreme Court in which gov’t is a party
Law clerks
Four clerks assigned to each SUpreme COurt justice hired to research legal issues & assist with preparation of opinions
Law clerks
Four clerks assigned to each SUpreme COurt justice hired to research legal issues & assist with preparation of opinions
Private sector
Sector of economy or a type of commercial activity
Executive order
A rule issued by the president that acts like a law
Council of economic advisers
Analyzes economic trends so Pres. can anticipate events
Signing statements
His way of changing up the interpretation of the law by pointing out benefits
Government corporations
Provide a public service like USPS or Amtrak
State Department’s primary mission
Engaging diplomacy
Who impeaches government officials?
House of Representatives
Stare Decisis
“Let the decision stand!”
Doctrine that a previous decision by a court applies as a precedent in similar cases until that decision is overruled
Precedent
Previous decisions from prior cases that are used to understand how laws applied
Due process
The right of every citizen against arbitrary action by national or state gov’ts
Guaranteed by Const
Hearing appeals from state-level courts
Writ of habeas corpus
For prisoners who have been stripped from their rights
Must raise issues not previously raised in their state appeals
US Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction for Federal Court habeus decisions
Supreme Court Justices
All appointed by Pres
Obama appointed Sonia Sotomayer (2009) & Glena Kagan (2010)
Judicial review
Power of the Judiciary to review and, if necessary, declare actions of the legislative & executive branches invalid or unconstitutional (monitors other branches)
Marbury v. Madison
1st US Sup Ct case to apply the principle of judicial review
Played a key role in making the Sup Ct a separate branch of gov’t
Dissenting opinions
A decision written by a Justice in the minority who wishes to express their reasoning in the case
Judicial restraint
Judicial philosophy whose adherents refuse to go beyond the clear words of the Constitution in interpreting the documents meaning
A.k.a. “strict constructionists”
Judicial activism
Gives into politics instead
“Hello!! It’s the 21st century!”
