multiple choice Flashcards
study
how many senators are there and how many from each state and how long term
100 and 2 and 6 years
how many us house members? from each state? how long is their term of office?
435 variety from each state
and 2 year term
Speaker of house?
senate majority?
and Chief justice?
speaker: Mike Johnson
Senate majority: John thune
Chief justice: John roberts
who is the main author of declaration of independence
Thomas jefferson
main premise is declaration of independence
people have natural rights that cannot be taken away and it is the gov job to protect these rights and can remove leaders who violate these rights
what were the weaknesses of the articles of confederation
the national gov couldn’t tax
no independent leader
gov couldn’t regulate commerce
how were votes determined in articles of confederation how many votes were needed?
one vote from each state and needed 9/13 votes needed
what were the Virginia and New Jersey plans?
Virginia plan-legislative branch would have 2 houses both would be decided on population of state
New Jersey- 1 house and all states would have the same # of reps
what was the great compromise
2 chambers 1 Each states have the same # of reps and and 2 based of population
how many votes does each state get for president under electoral college
the number of senators plus # of HOR
what clause speaks to when state laws conflict with national laws
supremacy clause
what year was the constitution written
1787
what is the separation of powers
assigning law makeing, law enforcing, and law interpenetrating
what happens if no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes
the house of reps pick president
what was the OG plan for how the President and V.P. were selected
the person with the most votes was president and the 2nd highest is V.P.
how long of a term do federal judges serve? How are federal judges appointed?
Life time appointed by the president confirmed by the senate
what compromises were made regarding slavery in order to ratify the constitution?
3/5 compromise can ban slave trade for 20 years and fugitive slaves had to be returned
What were supporters of the Constitution called? Why did they support this?
federalist they thought the articles of confederation were to weak
What were opponents of the Constitution called? Why did they oppose this?
anti federalists they feared a strong national gov and states would loose lots of rights
What were the Federalist papers?
85 newspaper articles written to defend the constitution
What were the main arguments of Federalist 10, 51, 70, and 78?
10-factions to argue that gov wouldn’t be ruled by one
51-tyranny would be prevented by checks and balances, and separation of powers
70- arguing 1 single executive as leader of executive branch
78-judical branch is least dangerous because they have no force or will only judgement
What were the main arguments of Brutus 1?
the size of US was to large for efficient central government.
What was added to ensure the ratification of the Constitution?
bill of rights
Which Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review?
marbury vs madison
What are grants-in-aid?
general term for money paid by 1 level of gov or another
What is selective incorporation?
process that the supreme court applies the bill or rights to states on a case by case basis
What is fiscal federalism?
the federal gov use of grants in aid to influence powers in the states
What was decided in the Supreme Court case of United States vs. Lopez?
limits to the national gov to the national gov ability to regulate behavior based on the commerce clause(gave states more power)
what is federalism?
division of power between national gov and state gov
What are characteristics of Dual Federalism?
(layer cake) a belief that the power of national gov and states are differentiated
What are characteristics of Cooperative Federalism?
(marble cake)National gov and state govs to share power
What was decided in the Supreme Court case of McCulloch vs. Maryland?
a national bank is constitutional and states can not tax it(gave national gov more power)
What is the 10 th Amendment to the Constitution?
any powers not specifically given to national gov more denied to the states go to the states
What are enumerated powers?
Powers specifically given to the national gov especially congress
What is the necessary and proper clause?
it grants Congress authority to legislate as it seems fit to carry out its constitutionally granted powers
What is the commerce clause?
grants congress power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among states, and foreign tribes
What is the role of both the House of Representatives and the Senate regarding
impeachment?
the HOR can impeach a president with majority vote and the Senate holds a trial with needs 2/3 vote for removal
What is descriptive representation?
a belief constituents are most effectively represented by legislators that have similar demographics
Why does Congress use committees? What are standing committees?
to break up work load and standing committees a perminate committee divided by policy area
What is the role of a committee chair?
head of a committee of the majority party and tend to set the agenda for committee
What is a select committee? When are these used?
a temporary committee for investigations and they disband
What are the names of the roles of leaders in both the House of Representatives and the
Senate called?
most powerful person in HOR is the speaker but in the Senate is majority leader
What Constitutional Amendment changes the method in which Senators were selected?
How did this happen?
17th amendment in 1913 they appointed until then
What is reapportionment? When does this occur?
redistribution of representatives among the states occurs when population changes
What is gerrymandering?
a belief that political districts are redrawn to the advantage of the political party in power
What is an incumbent? What is the incumbency advantage? Describe some advantages
incumbents have?
a current office holder
grader name recognition usually have more money on hand and also have the franking privilege
What is a filibuster? What is cloture?
filibuster non stop speak making to prevent a vote in senate
cloture is limits the amount of time that can be spent debating a bill
What is divided government?
1 party controls white house and the other is the majority in atleast 1 of the 2 chambers of congress
What is the budget setting process?
budget is sent to Congress by the president for approval
What is mandatory spending?
spending that is requred by law that Congress doesn’t need to approve each year
What is discretionary spending?
1/3 of budget they vote of each year for military and education
What is a budget surplus? What is a budget deficit?
when gov collects more money in taxes then they spend in a year
What is bipartisanship?
2 political party’s work together to pass legislation
What is the delegate role? What is the trustee role?
a member of Congress votes on constituents wishes
member of Congress votes on there personal values
What was decided in the case of Baker vs. Carr?
state legislative districts have to be approximately equal
What was decided in the Supreme Court case of Shaw vs. Reno?
race cant be the only factor in creating a congressional district
What are the requirements to become president?
natural born citizen
35yrs old
lived in us 14 years
How are vacancies in the role of vice president now filled? What caused this change?
the president appoints new VP with is approved by both chambers of congress
What role does the president have in the legislative process?
they are increasingly active in all stage of the legislative process
How long can a president serve in office total? According to what?
2 four year terms for total of 10 years under the 2nd amendment
What are some of the main reasons someone running for President may consider in choosing his/her running mate as Vice President?
appeals to different geographic regions or different strength then the presidential candidate
What is executive privilege?
rights by the president keep certain convos and records and transcripts private especially from congress
What is the official process for someone to become a Cabinet member?
appointed by president confirmed by senate
What is the State of the Union Address?
annual speech from the president to congress updating Congress on the state of the national affairs
Describe the role of Chief Executive.
overseeing the federal bureaucracy
What are executive orders?
a presidential corrective that creates of modifys a law without the approval of congress
What is the role of commander in chief? Who can declare war?
the president overseas the military command
only Congress can declare war
How many Cabinet departments exist today? How are cabinet departments created?
15
created by congress
What is civil service?
a system where most appointments of the bureaucracy based on merit ( how qualified you are) and not loyalty based
What is an iron triangle?
a relationship between bureaucratic agency, congressional committees, and interest groups to join together and create policy
What is deregulation? What is the general belief of conservatives regarding
deregulation? What challenges can occur due to deregulation?
deregulation is a bureaucratic reform with the gov reduces its role as a regulator of business
What is oversight?
hearing that allows Congress to ensure laws are being held to there intent or to investigate members of executive branch
Describe the terms for commissioners and the reason for it.
they are appointed fro set terms to be insulated from politics
What is political patronage?
filling bureaucratic position based on loyalty
What is the Hatch Act and why was it created?
prevents federal workers from engaging in politics
How many U.S. district and appeals/circuit courts are there? Describe the relationship
for each state.
94 district courts and 13 circuit courts
-every state has at least 1 district court and no court covers more then 1 state
What is appellate jurisdiction?
authority of courts to hear cases that have already been tried (hearing a court on appeal)
What is judicial restraint
a belief that judges closely follow laws and precedent
What is judicial activism?
federal judges follow precedents and existing laws loosly
What is a majority opinion?
binding supreme court opinion one that the most judges voted for serves as president for future cases
What is a concurring opinion?
an opinions hat agrees with the outcome as the majority but for a different reason
What is a dissenting opinion?
you disagree with the majority opinion and doesn’t serve as a precedent
How are federal judicial appointments part of a president’s legacy?
because there for a life term it gives the president a chance to give legacy
What are the roles of Chief Justice?
direct the conference of supreme court
What roles does the Solicitor General have?
the one the represents the gov before the supreme court
What are amicus curiae briefs?
briefs in a court case filed by those who are not a direct party but have an interest in it
What is “senatorial courtesy”?
district and appeals court nominees have to be acceptable or the home state senator from the presidents party
What is precedent (stare decisis)?
name of a judicial ruling that serves as a ruling for a basis in a later case
how many articles and amendments are there
7 articles 27 amendments
how can a bill pass congress
it has to pass both chambers
