U.2: AP Gov Exam - Studying

Question 1

Legislative Branch

Answer 1

MAKES LAWS

Article I

Congress (Senate + house)

Question 2

Congress

Answer 2

Senate + House

Question 3

House of Representatives

Answer 3

435 members
APPORTIONED by population - 1 per district
2-year terms

CLOSER to people + more members = more FORMAL debate

Question 4

Senate

Answer 4

6-year terms

2 Per State (NOT based on population)

so - 100 TOTAL

Question 5

House of Representatives (Structures, Powers, Functions)

Answer 5

led by Speaker

+ other members - Majority Leader, Minority Leader, Whip (rounds up votes + ensures party discipline - vote according to your platform, not personal beliefs)

Question 6

Senate (Structures, Powers, Functions)

Answer 6

VP = Senate leader by default - this is only a ceremonial role

Majority Leader ACTUALLY leads the Senate Minority Leader, Whips collect votes

Question 7

Standing Committee (Committee Types)

Answer 7

PERMANENT in the Senate, there for consideration of PARTICULAR SUBJECT AREAS

Question 8

Select Committee (Committee Types)

Answer 8

congressional committee appointed to perform a specific function BEYOND the capacity of a standing Committee

Question 8

Conference Committee (Committee Types)

Answer 8

a temporary, ad hoc panel composed of House and Senate conferees formed for the purpose of reconciling differences in legislation that has passed both chambers.

Conference committees are usually convened to resolve bicameral differences on major or controversial legislation.

Question 9

House Rules

Answer 9

all bills in House must pass in order for debate rules to be considered

Closed Rule : more strict

Open Rule : less strict

Question 10

Process of a Bill Becoming Law

Answer 10

any legislator introduces –> sent to committee & subcommittee (may be pidgeonholed AKA die in committee) –> full CHAMBER vote –> sent to other house, if different bill versions passed –> Conference Committee if needed –> 10 days for president to sign/veto until it becomes law (if a president doesn’t sign within these 10 days, it’s called a pocket veto)

Question 11

Federal Spending

Answer 11

DISCRETIONARY: (ex: military)

MANDATORY: (REQUIRED by law ; ex: social security)

Question 12

Gerrymandering:

Answer 12

state legislatures dividing districts to influence ELECTIONS

SHAW V RENO and BAKER V CARR

Question 13

Shaw v Reno

Answer 13

it’s unlawful to gerrymander on the basis of race

Creating a district / gerrymandering in order to have a minority leader in a district — not allowed; it’s gerrymandering on the basis of race

Gerrymandering - drawing the boundaries for an ELECTORAL district

Fourteenth Amendment: violated the Equal Protections Clause (by gerrymandering based on RACE)

Question 14

Baker v Carr

Answer 14

Redistricting is for STATE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT LINES, not for ELECTORAL DISTRICTS like in Shaw v Reno

Asked the question : do federal courts have jurisdiction of state legislative apportionment?
Under the Fourteenth Amendment and the Equal Protections Clause

Moving from rural to cities caused populations in districts to be uneven
Charlie Baker said that this violated the Equal Protections Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment - in such an unfairly large district, his voice wasn’t heard at all/was drowned out, he thought

ruling: redistricting qualifies as a justiciable question under the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, thus enabling federal courts to hear Fourteenth Amendment-based redistricting cases.

RULING: The Supreme Court decided in favor of Baker holding that the Federal courts have the authority to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection of the law against state officials if the state legislative districts are disproportionately populated

Joe Carr was the Secretary of the State of Tennessee

Question 15

Redlining

Answer 15

banks refuse to loan to certain residents

Question 16

Constituent Accountability

Answer 16

legislator is a DELEGATE (what the constituents want), a TRUSTEE (legislator’s judgement) or a POLITICO (mix of both)

Question 17

Commander in Chief (Roles/Checks on Presidency)

Answer 17

Commander in Chief, BUT Congress declares war

War Powers Act

Question 18

War Powers Act (Commander in Chief) (Roles/Checks on Presidency)

Answer 18

President must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops, can stay 60 days w/o declaration

Question 19

Chief Diplomat (Roles/Checks on Presidency)

Answer 19

appoints ambassadors/negotiates treaties WITH Senate confirmation

Executive Agreement

Question 20

Executive Agreement (Chief Diplomat) (Roles/Checks on Presidency)

Answer 20

informal non-binding treaty

Question 21

Appointing Judges (Roles/Checks on Presidency)

Answer 21

President can APPOINT SUPREME COURT JUDGES - but (check) Senate MUST confirm

serve life to avoid political pressure

Also appoints Cabinet Members who are more loyal to departments

Question 22

Federalist 70 (Roles/Checks on Presidency)

Answer 22

Expansion of Powers

argues in favor of a UNITARY executive created by Article II of the United States Constitution

Relates to executive power and authority - one singular unitary executive

Question 23

22nd Amendment (Roles/Checks on Presidency)

Answer 23

Only 2 terms of presidency! (Not 4, like FDR!)

Question 24

Judicial Branch

Answer 24

INTERPRETS laws

Article III of the Constitution

Question 25

Structure of the Federal Court System

Answer 25

91 District Courts, 13 Courts of Appeal, SUPREME COURT

Question 26

Judicial Review

Answer 26

SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) – SCOTUS power to DECLARE ACTIONS BY OTHER BRANCHES UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Federalist 78

Marbury v Madison

Question 27

Federalist No. 78

Answer 27

Explains the process of Judicial Review

Says that federal courts have the power to decide if what congress is doing is constitutional or not

This is the supreme court’s most important power - the ability to interpret the constitution and, as such, strike down the actions of the actions of Congress, the president, and the states if those actions are deemed unconstitutional

Question 28

Marbury v Madison

Answer 28

definitively established judicial review

( Again: This is the supreme court’s most important power - the ability to interpret the constitution and, as such, strike down the actions of the actions of Congresss, the president, and the states if those actions are deemed unconstitutional )

In this case, it was the unconstitutional act of Secretary of State (under President Jefferson) Madison - refusing to deliver commissions to the new appointees of the supreme court

Did this because he didn’t like President Adam’s Judiciary Act of 1801, which expanded judicial courts (added many more judges/justices etc) - so he was like … well! I just won’t send them their commissions teehee :^) and then marbury, who didn’t get one, was like i hate you…… ALSO!! that is UNCONSTITUTIONAL! and then the court AGREED to it established JUDICIAL REVIEW the end

For future cases - definitively established judicial review!!

Question 29

Precedent / Stare Decisis

Answer 29

SCOTUS generally bases decisions on previous rulings BUT can choose not to

EXAMPLE: Brown v Board of Education decided NOT to have precedent / Stare decisis for Plessy v Fergeson, which decided “seperate but equal”. they instead decided to OVERTURN Plessy v Fergeson

Question 30

Brown v Board of Education

Answer 30

Overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine of segregation

Does state-mandated racial segregation in public schools violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?

Does the “separate but equal” doctrine set by Plessy v Ferguson violate the fourteenth amendment?

Are “separate but equal” educational facilities consitututionally permissible?

Brown family vs. Board of Education

PRECEDENT / STARE DECISIS - did not go by the Precedent / stare decisis of Plessy v Fergeson (seperate but equal) - instead overturned it

Question 31

Judicial Restraint

Answer 31

follow Constitution/Framers’ intent verbatim

Question 32

Judicial activism

Answer 32

contemporary interpretation

Question 33

Bureaucracy

Answer 33

Executive Branch

ENFORCES laws

Question 34

Examples of Bureaucracy

Answer 34

Cabinet, Independent Regulatory Agencies, Independent Executive Agencies

Question 35

Discretionary Authority

Answer 35

bureaucrats enforce laws as they see fit (Congressional Oversight)

Question 36

Congressional Oversight (discretionary Authority)

Answer 36

can restrict funding of Congress