U.S. Gov note cards Flashcards
For ch. 6 or smth
What is bureaucracy?
A large complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of an organization.
What is the Executive Office of the President?
An organization of several agencies staffed by the President’s closest advisors.
What are executive departments?
The traditional units of federal administration.
What is the Cabinet?
A presidential advisory body made up of the heads of the executive departments and officers.
What are agencies?
Independent departments that do not fit with other departments; can have significant or insignificant impact on daily life.
What are inferior courts?
Federal courts below the Supreme Court.
What are special courts?
Courts that hear cases that fall into a very limited class.
What is jurisdiction?
A court’s authority to hear a case.
What is exclusive jurisdiction?
A case may be heard only in federal or state court.
What is concurrent jurisdiction?
A case may be heard in either federal or state court.
What is original jurisdiction?
The court that first hears the case; trial courts.
What is appellate jurisdiction?
The court that hears cases coming from a lower court (appealing case).
What is judicial restraint?
Judges should make decisions based on the original Constitution.
What is judicial activism?
Judges should apply the Constitution with respect to ongoing changes in conditions and values.
What is judicial review?
The power of a court to determine how constitutional a government action is.
What is a majority opinion?
Announces the Court’s decision in a case and sets out the reasoning upon which it is based.
What is a concurring opinion?
A written explanation of the views of one or more judges who support a decision reached by a majority of the court.
What is a dissenting opinion?
A written explanation of the views of one or more judges who disagree with a decision reached by a majority of the court.
