U.S. Constitution Flashcards
what is the U.S. Constitution
the Constitution is the highest law in the land and the longest standing democratic document in the world
what happened at the Constitutional Convention
in Philadelphia in 1787, those in attendance of the Constitutional Convention gathered and set up the framework for the government and its relationship with the people/states
why was the Constitution written?
the Articles of Confederation were insufficient, and the country was just a confederation of states. The states also had too much power; there was no consensus about taxes, raising militia, trade, policy, money, coinage, etc
Roe v Wade
protected the right to have an abortion
how is power distributed within the government
3 branches of federal government - legislative, judicial, executive
describe the executive branch
commander in chief, president + cabinet (secretary of the state, secretary of education)
gets majority of the money, enforces laws, wages war
describe the legislative branch
“Law makers,” broken up into 2-year terms
senate - 100 people (2 from each state)
house of representatives - each state has a different number of representatives based on population (ex: NJ has 12)
Marberry v. Madison
rendered judicial review
examples of critical supreme court decisions
Roe v. Wade, Marberry v. Madison, Brown v. Board of Ed
7th congressional district
mountainside, summit, Springfield, Kenilworth, Garwood, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Cranford, Wenfield township, clark
describe the judical branch
highest legal system in the land
determines the constitutionality of laws in the states or at a federal level
render decisions that establish legal precedent
justices are appointed by the president if there is a spot available
supreme court is generally conservative
supreme court is all about appeals from lower courts
historically, most cases are 9-0 decisions
justices can serve for their lifetime
justices are meant to be nonpartisan
NJ senators
Corey Booker, Bob Menendez
Brown v Board of Education
ended school segregation
members of the supreme court
9 justices on the bench, chief of justices.
Chief Justice: John Ruberts
Justices: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Amy Barret, Brett Kavanaugh
Miranda Rights
anything you say can be used against you in the court of law, you cannot self-incriminate if an officer fails to say this before arresting you
Separation of powers
the division of power amongst three branches of government
limited government
a basic principle of our constitutional system, it limits government powers provided to it by the people
checks and balances
the power of each of the three branches to limit/check other branches power
judicial review
the process by which courts decide whether the laws passed by congress or state legislators are constitutional
federalism
the balance of power shared between the states and the federal government
how many articles are in the constitution
7
Bill of Rights
first 10 amendments of the constitution
most important amendments to the constitution
13th, 14th, 15th
end to slavery, equal protection under the law, right for black men to vote
