Gov and Econ Final Study Guide

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review. Supreme Court now had authority to overturn a law based on Constitutionality.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Established national supremacy; established implied powers; use of elastic clause; state unable to tax fed. Institution; John Marshall; "the power to tax involves the power to destroy."

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

The Supreme Court upheld broad congressional power to regulate interstate commerce. The Court's broad interpretation of the Constitution's commerce clause paved the way for later rulings upholding expansive federal powers.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Legalized segregation in publicly owned facilities on the basis of "separate but equal."

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

Upheld the constitutionality of the relocation of Japanese Americans as a wartime necessity. Viewed by contemporary scholars as a flagrant violation of civil liberties.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Overrules Plessy v. Ferguson (no stare decisis). Racial segregation violates 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause ("separate is inherently unequal")

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Extends to the defendant the right of counsel in all state and federal criminal trials regardless of their ability to pay.

Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023)

asian american students sued harvard for bias in applications on the basis of race. waiting on decision

Who is the President?

Joe Biden

Who is the Vice President?

Kamala Harris

Who is the Speaker of the House?

Kevin McCarthy (R)

Who is the current Majority Leader in the senate?

Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)

Who is the current minority leader in the senate?

Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

who is the current majority leader in the house?

Steve Scalise (R)

who is the majority whip?

Tom Emmer

who is the minority leader in the house?

Hakeem Jeffries

who is the minority whip in the house?

Katherine Clark

What is a constitution?

The supreme law of the land/ the plan for our government.

Article I of the Constitution

Establishes Congress as the legislative branch of Federal Government and lists the powers of Congress.

Article II of the Constitution

This article describes the role and power of the Executive Branch. The President and Vice President.

Article III of the Constitution

establishes the judicial branch of the federal government

What is the Bill of Rights?

First 10 amendments to the Constitution

1st Amendment

Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition

2nd Amendment

Right to bear arms

3rd Amendment

No quartering of soldiers

4th Amendment

Protection against Unreasonable Search and Seizure

5th Amendment

Criminal Proceedings; Due Process; Eminent Domain; Double Jeopardy; Protection from Self incrimination

6th Amendment

The right to a Speedy Trial by jury, representation by an attorney for an accused person

7th Amendment

Right to a trial by jury in civil cases

8th Amendment

No cruel or unusual punishment

9th Amendment

Citizens entitled to rights not listed in the Constitution

10th Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

What are the Federalist Papers?

A series of newspaper articles published in support of ratifying the new constitution

Federalists

A term used to describe supporters of the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures.

Anti-Federalists

people who opposed the Constitution

What is gerrymandering?

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

What does incumbent mean?

An official who is currently holding office

Constituencies

the people and interests that an elected official represents

expressed powers

powers directly stated in the constitution

implied powers

Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions.

Necessary an proper clause (elastic clause)

Section of the Constitution allowing Congress to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to its duties, and which has permitted Congress to exercise powers not specifically given to it (enumerated) by the Constitution.

strict constructionist

a person who interprets the Constitution in a way that allows the federal government to take only those actions the Constitution specifically says it can take

liberal constructionist

one who argues a broad interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution, particularly those granting powers to the Federal Government

War Powers Act

Act that grants emergency executive powers to president to run war effort

Speaker of the House

the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives

President Pro Tempore

Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president

Executive Branch

the branch of government that carries out laws

Chief of State, Chief Executive, Chief Legislator, Chief Diplomat, Commander in Chief, Chief Administrator, Chief Economist, and Chief of Party

the terms for the president

Impeachment

An action by the House of Representatives to accuse the president, vice president, or other civil officers of the United States of committing "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

executive order

a rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law.

executive privilege

An implied presidential power that allows the president to refuse to disclose information regarding confidential conversations or national security to Congress or the judiciary.

Veto

Chief executive's power to reject a bill passed by a legislature

Pardon

A declaration of forgiveness and freedom from punishment

Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials

President's Cabinet

an advisory group created by the president that includes the department heads and other officials chosen by the president

What is foreign policy?

a government's strategy in dealing with other nations

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries

United Nations

An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.

Judicial Branch

the branch of government that interprets laws

Jurisdiction

the official power to make legal decisions and judgments.

precedent

an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances.

Plaintiff

a person who brings a case against another in a court of law.

Defendant

an individual, company, or institution sued or accused in a court of law.

Judicial Review

review by the US Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act.

writ of certiorari

Order by the Supreme Court directing a lower court to send up the records of a case for review

brief

A written statement by an attorney that summarizes a case and the laws and rulings that support it

majority opinion

a statement that presents the views of the majority of supreme court justices regarding a case

concurring opinion

An opinion that agrees with the majority in a Supreme Court ruling but differs on the reasoning.

dissenting opinion

A statement written by a justice who disagrees with the majority opinion, presenting his or her opinion

criminal case

a case in which a defendant is tried for committing a crime as defined by the law

civil case

A case involving a noncriminal matter such as a contract dispute or a claim of patent infringement

Due Process

fair treatment through the normal judicial system, especially as a citizen's entitlement.

14th Amendment

Declares that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws

Equal Protection Clause

14th amendment clause that prohibits states from denying equal protection under the law, and has been used to combat discrimination

Civil Liberties

Constitutional freedoms guaranteed to all citizens

civil rights

the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality.

Japanese Internment

Japanese and Japanese Americans from the West Coast of the United States during WWII. While approximately 10,000 were able to relocate to other parts of the country of their own choosing, the remainder-roughly 110,000 me, women and children-were sent to hastly constructed camps called "War Relocation Centers" in remote portions of the nation's interior.

Jim Crow Laws

Laws designed to enforce segregation of blacks from whites

Segregation

Separation of people based on racial, ethnic, or other differences

seperate but equal

the judicial precedent established by in the Plessy v Ferguson decision that enabled states to interpret the equal protection provision of the fourteenth amendment as a means of establishing segregation

Separate is inherently unequal

Decision in Brown v Board of Education

Military Necessity

the legal principle that violation of the rules of warfare may be excused for defensive purposes during periods of extreme emergency

Affirmative Action

A policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities

Title IX

A United States law enacted on June 23, 1972 that states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

Civil Rights Act of 1964

outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin

Voting Rights Act of 1965

1965; invalidated the use of any test or device to deny the vote and authorized federal examiners to register voters in states that had disenfranchised blacks; as more blacks became politically active and elected black representatives, it brought jobs, contracts, and facilities and services for the black community, encouraging greater social equality and decreasing the wealth and education gap

housing act of 1968

President Johnson signed it which forbade discrimination in most housing and provided penalties for those attempting to interfere with individual civil rights.

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

U.S. act that creates a rolling time frame for filing wage discrimination claims and expands plaintiff field beyond employee who was discriminated against.

Gross Annual Income

Total pay or earnings made over a one-year period before any deductions have been taken.

Gross Monthly Income

Total amount of earnings made over a month before any deductions

income tax

Tax paid to the state, federal, and local governments based on income earned over the past year.

sales tax

A tax on a sale of merchandise or services

property tax

a tax based on real estate and other property

Medicare

A program added to the Social Security system in 1965 that provides hospitalization insurance for the elderly and permits older Americans to purchase inexpensive coverage for doctor fees and other health expenses.

Net Annual Income

Income amount remaining after a year's worth of deductions have been taken.

Net Monthly Income

Amount of monthly income remaining after all deductions have been taken

Social Security

(FDR) 1935, guaranteed retirement payments for enrolled workers beginning at age 65; set up federal-state system of unemployment insurance and care for dependent mothers and children, the handicapped, and public health

fixed costs

Costs that do not vary with the quantity of output produced

variable costs

costs that vary with the quantity of output produced

stock

A share of ownership in a corporation.