Honors Government Study Guide Semester 1

What is the primary role of the Executive Branch?

To carry out laws and defend the Constitution.

Which article in the Constitution gives the Executive Branch its power?

Article 2 of the Constitution

What is the name of the system used to elect the President?

Electoral College System

What is an executive order?

The president can make a law without the approval of Congress.

What other special powers does the President possess?

Judicial Powers

- President appoints federal judges, Supreme Court Justices, US Marshals, and US attorneys.

Veto- reject bills that were passed through Congress.

Pardon- forgive individuals for crimes that they have committed.

How long is a Presidential term?

4 years, max two terms

What are the 8 hats of the President?

1. Chief of State:

- Symbol of our government

- President is seen as both a ruler and symbol

2. Chief Executive:

- Carries out (executes) laws via government agencies

- Most powerful office

- President has final say

- Power to pardon people

3. Chief Administrator:

- Director of Executive Branch

- Employs 2.7 million people

- Hires, fires employees

4. Chief Diplomat:

- Directs foreign policy

- Spokesperson for the US to the rest of the world

5. Commander in Chief:

- Supreme Military leader with responsibility for defending US

- All branches of military

- Congress checks President's power

6. Chief Legislator:

- One of the main creator ofpublic laws/policies

- Suggests laws to Congress

- Works with Congress to pass laws

- Veto laws

- Executive orders

7. Chief of Party:

- Top leader of political party

- Directs party strategies and policies

8. Chief Citizen:

- Representative for all Americans

- Presidents job to serve the American people and support them

What is a bureaucracy?

A group of non-elected officials.

What are the 3 parts of the US federal bureaucracy?

Departments, Independent/Regulatory Agencies, and Government Corporations.

What is the title of the leaders of the President's Cabinet?

The secretaries

According to Doris Kearns Goodwin, what are 2 qualities do good presidents share during crises?

Confidence

Understanding

What are courts?

A place where legal matters are decided by a judge or jury.

What is a defendant? Prosecutor? Bail? Plaintiff?

Defendant- The person being charged with a crime or wrongdoing.

Prosecutor- The representatives from the government who bring charges against the defendant in a criminal.

Bail- The temporary release of an accused person awaiting trial.

Plaintiff- The person who brings a lawsuit against another (civil trials.

What is the main function of the judicial branch?

To interpret and defend the Constitution.

What are the different stages (legal traditions) in the evolution of the law?

1. Code of Hammurabi

2. Ten Commandments

3. Justinian's Code

4. Napoleonic Code

5. Common Law

What is common law?

Based on court decisions, not codes or statutes.

What is statutory law?

It is a written law set down by a body of legislature or by a singular legislator.

What is the difference between civil and criminal law?

Civil Law- a private matter with no "crime," but a dispute or disagreement between 2 parties.

Criminal Law- a public wrong doing and a person is charged as a suspect in a crime.

1. Charlene is being tried for burning the American flag in front of the post office in West Covina. The Assistant United States Attorney files charges against her in which court? Is this civil/criminal and state/federal?

Civil and Federal

2. Martha shoots and kills her husband in California. The state prosecutor brings charges in which court? Is this civil/criminal and state/federal?

Criminal and State

What does it mean to appeal?

It means to challenge a decision/ruling.

What does jurisdiction mean?

Which court has power to make legal decisions or judgements.

What are some basics about the Supreme Court and its primary role?

- Highest Court in the United States

- 9 "Justices" (judges on Supreme Court)

- Chief Justice: Leader of Supreme Court

- Justices can serve for life

- Main job: Interpret and defend the Constitution

What are some of the significant landmark Supreme Court cases we talked about?

- McCulloch v. Maryland (1819): Established that Congress had "implied" powers.

- Gideon v. Wainwright (1963): States must provide lawyers to those who cannot afford them.

- Tinker v. Des Moines (1969): Ruled that students were allowed to wear black armbands to protest Vietnam War.

- Miranda v. Arizona (1966): Suspects must be read their rights before anything they say can be used against them.

- Brown v. Board of Education Topeka (1954): Struck down "separate, but equal" that ended segregation in America's school based on race.