Test #2 Flashcards
This brings money (and therefore jobs) to the district of a member of Congress
pork
This person’s job is to get party members to fall in line for votes on bills
whip
Johnson, Clinton, and Trump (twice) were all impeached but not removed from office. Why?
the house voted to impeach, the senate did not vote to remove
Do Americans like Congress and their job performance outcomes?
No
How does a bill become a law (first 6 steps)?
intro, com referral, subcom, full com, rules, house vote
Which have a huge reelection advantage?
incumbents
Which allowed Trump to refuse to release recordings of his phone calls with the Ukrainian president?
executive privilege
Why did Biden choose Kamala Harris as his VP?
to balance the ticket
How do you impeach a President?
majority in the house, 2/3 of the senate
Which kind of powers did Lincoln claim when he ordered a blockade of southern ports?
inherent
Is the modern presidency more or less powerful than the founding fathers probably intended?
More
What is the War Powers Resolution of 1973?
a bill that limited the president’s power to start and continue wars.
Bill Clinton issued the most executive orders. What do these orders do?
go around congress to institute policy change
Which system gave jobs to those who were loyal to election winners
spoils
Are there more women or men working for the federal government?
men
Under the Hatch Act of 1939, can someone who works for the federal government run for the US Senate?
No
Which branch implement laws?
bureaucracy
The EPA is
an independent executive agency
The US Postal Service is
a government corporation
Why did FDR set up so many new government agencies
to create jobs and do regulation
The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in which kind of cases?
Foreign diplomats
disputes between states
constitutional questions
Judges using their power broadly is an example of what?
judicial activism
Which one allows senators from the same state as a judicial nominee to block that nominee’s nomination?
senatorial courtesy
How do you change the decision of the Supreme Court if you do not like it?
get a constitutional amendment added
the _____act of 1789 set up our three-tiered federal judicial system
Judiciary
the types of cases a court is allowed to hear, either original or appellate
Jurisdiction
also means let it stand, when the Supreme Court uses past cases to guide their thinking on current cases
stare decisis
putting policy into practice
Implementation
the ______presidency started because of the Great Depression
modern
this is the same as going public, such as when Obama went to a bunch of colleges to talk to students about calling their representatives about student loan interest rates
bully pulpit
when this agency sets limits on pollution, it is doing regulation
EPA
this person counts votes, makes sure there are enough votes to pass a bill, and prepares summaries of bills for members of his party
Whip
the review and revision of a lower court decision
Appeal
the reconciliation process can help limit these, by limiting debate over budget bills to only 24 hours.
Filibuster
the 22nd amendment limits a president to this many terms in office
Two
the most powerful person in the House, who makes sure bills she likes get passed
Speaker of the House
a ______ is a request from the Supreme Court for the records from the decision a lower court made about a case
writ of certiorari
this isn’t the same as removing a president through his Senate trial, but it is the first necessary step to do so
Impeachment
when bureaucrats use their best judgment to implement laws passed by Congress,
Discretion
a ___________ resolves differences in the House version and the Senate version of a bill passed on the same subject or to solve the same problem
Conference Committee
these courts are where federal trials are conducted
district
about 90% of these people are successful when seeking reelection
Incumbency
Marbury v Madison is such an important court case, because it set the precendent for the Supreme Court being able to do this
Judicial review
when states are given seats in the House of Representatives based on how many people live in their state
Apportionment
an _____comes from an interest group to the Supreme Court
Amicus Brief
this major scandal was investigated by a joint committee in Congress
Watergate Scandal
the_____act of 1883 put into place the civil service system we have today, where you have to take an open, competitive exam if you want a government job
Pendelton
the Senate confirms these people so they can take the bench
Judges
this president set the precendent that the president would be the nation’s chief dipliomat
Washington
an independent regulatory commission that makes rules about an area of commerce
FCC
What is pork?
Legislation that allows representatives to bring money and jobs to their districts in the form of public work projects, military bases, or other programs
What is balancing the ticket?
a practice where a political candidate chooses a running mate, usually of the same party, with the goal of bringing more widespread appeal to the campaign.
What are inherent powers?
a reasonable and logical extension of the powers delegated to the president and Congress. Examples of inherent powers include regulating immigration, acquiring territory, and ending labor strikes.
What are tools of PT power?
Regulatory Review
Governing by decree: executive orders
Signing statements
presidential nonenforcement of laws
Regulatory review
Congress passes a law, but executive branch has to figure out how to implement it
Signing staments
announcement made by the PT at the time he signs a congressional bill into law on how he wants to see it enacted
Presidential nonenforcement of laws
PT can choose not to enforce the law they don’t agree with
Ex: Obama and defensive marriage act
Organization of bureacruacy
- Cabinet departments
- Independent executive agencies
- Independent regulatory commissions
- Government corporations
Cabinet departments
Department of State, Education
Independent executive agencies
provide services, don’t make laws
Ex: NASA
Independent regulatory commision
Created by Congress/ make rules about economic activities
EX: FCC
Government corporations
biz that the gov sets up to perform functions that private biz could provide but the financial incentive is too high
EX: USPS
House of Representatives Leadership
- Speaker of the House
- Majority and minority leaders
- Whips
Senate Leadership
- Presiding officer
- Majority leader
- Minority leader
How members of Congress make decisions?
- Party
- Interest groups (lobbyists): NRA
- Constituency (they listen to people they represent)
Three tiered judicial system
- Supreme Court
- Circuit Courts
- District Courts
Marbury v Madison
- Established the principle of judicial review
- SC can declare laws unconstitutional
- Established judicial branch equal to legislative and executive
