AP Gov - test

Expressed Powers - Congress

The powers specifically granted to Congress by the Constitution, including the authority to levy taxes, regulate commerce, and declare war. These powers are explicitly in Article 1, Section 8.

Expressed Powers - President

The powers specifically granted to the President by the Constitution, including the authority to execute laws, command the military, and conduct foreign affairs. These powers are primarily found in Article 2.

Necessary and Proper Clause

A clause in the Constitution that grants Congress the power to make all laws deemed necessary and proper for executing its expressed powers, found in Article 1, Section 8. Ex: McCulloch v. Maryland (1819).

Supremacy Clause

A clause in the U.S. Constitution establishing that the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties take precedence over conflicting state laws.

Commerce Clause

Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 provision granting the national legislature power to regulate trade and economic exchange with foreign nations and among the several states.

Senate Qualifications

30 years old, be a citizen of the US for at least 9 years, inhabit the state

House Qualifications + Functions

25 years old, citizen of the US for at least 7 years, inhabit the state (customary), legislative authority, impeach, power of the purse, elect the president in case of a tie in the electoral college, appove appointments to VP, approve treaties involving foreign trade, investigation/oversight, declare war

Many rules/more formal, may expel house members (2/3 vote), may censure house members, decide disputed house elections, vacancies filled via special election

Different Functionalities of the House and Senate

House - 435 members, 2 year term length, legislative authority, conduct impeachment trials, review and approve presidential nominees, approve treaties made by the president (2/3 vote), amend treaties, investigation/oversight, declare war, elect VP in case of tie in electoral college

Few rules/less formal, may expel senate members (2/3 vote), may censure members of the Senate, filibuster and cloture, decide disputed Senate elections, vacancies can be filled by gubernatorial appointment if permitted by state law

Standing Committees

Permanent legislative panels established under chamber rules that consider bills, conduct ongoing agency oversight, and specialize in defined policy jurisdictions.

Conference Committees

Temporary bicameral panels created specifically to resolve differences between competing versions of the same legislation passed by both chambers before sending it to the executive.

Select Committees

Temporary or specialized panels created by a chamber to conduct an investigation or examine a particular public issue outside the scope of permanent standing bodies.

Joint Committees

Bicameral panels composed of members from both chambers that conduct research, perform administrative studies, or manage resources rather than reporting legislation directly to the floor.

Ways and Means Committee

The chief tax-writing panel of the House of Representatives with exclusive jurisdiction over taxation, tariffs, etc.

Rules Committee

An influential House panel that manages floor action by establishing the special rules, time limits, and amendment procedures under which a bill is debated and voted upon.

Checks and Balances between The Legislative and Executive Branch

The legislature can override vetoes, reject nominations or treaties, and impeach officers; the executive can veto bills, recommend legislation, and direct military forces.

Cloture

A Senate procedure governed by Rule 22 requiring a three-fifths supermajority vote (typically 60 senators) to set a time limit on consideration of a bill and end prolonged floor debate.

Filibuster

A parliamentary tactic in the Senate involving prolonged debate or procedural delay utilized by a minority to prevent or postpone a vote on a bill or nomination.

Gerrymandering

The practice of drawing legislative electoral district boundaries to give an unfair political advantage to a particular party or group, typically through packing and cracking techniques.

Impeachment

The formal constitutional process by which the House of Representatives charges an executive or judicial official with Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors trying to kick them out

17th Amendment

A 1913 constitutional amendment that established the direct election of U.S. senators by the voters of each state rather than their selection by state legislatures.

20th Amendment - presidential

A constitutional amendment that reduced the lame-duck period by moving the beginning and end of presidential and vice-presidential terms to January 20th.

22nd Amendment - presidential

A constitutional amendment establishing that no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, capping total potential service at ten years.

25th Amendment - presidential

A constitutional amendment outlining procedures for presidential succession, filling a vice-presidential vacancy, and responding to presidential inability to discharge the duties of office.

Log-rolling

A legislative practice in which lawmakers trade votes and agree to support each other's bills, amendments, or projects.

Rider

An informal term for an extraneous or controversial provision added to an essential, must-pass bill so that it can secure approval without going through individual scrutiny.

Pork-Barrel Spending/Legislation

Government spending directed toward localized projects, grants, or jobs that primarily benefit a single lawmaker's district or constituents, often secured via earmarks.

Reapportionment

The reallocation of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives among the 50 states following each decennial census to account for population shifts.

War Powers Resolution

A 1973 law requiring the commander in chief to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops abroad and requiring withdrawal within 60 to 90 days unless authorized by the legislature.

Veto Power

Constitutional authority under Article 1, Section 7 enabling the chief executive to reject a bill passed by both chambers of Congress, returnable unless overridden by a two-thirds vote in each chamber.

Executive Privilege

An implied constitutional doctrine allowing the chief executive to withhold certain internal communications and documents from Congress or the courts to preserve confidential decision-making.

Executive Action

Any broad policy step, administrative initiative, or informal enforcement decision undertaken by the chief executive or federal agencies without requiring new legislative action.

Presidential Impoundment

The president chooses not to spend money that was appopriated by Congress.

The Four Things the President can do With a Bill

Sign the bill into law, veto the bill, allow the bill to become law without a signature (no presidential action, Congress remains in session, bill automatically becomes law), and pocket veto the bill (no presidential action, Congress adjourns, bill dies automatically).

Eight Roles of The President

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

Federalist #70

An essay written by Alexander Hamilton arguing that an energetic, single executive is vital for unity, accountability, rapid decision-making, and protection against foreign and domestic threats.

Presidents Power with Clemency

Article 2, Section 2 power to grant reprieves, conditional or absolute pardons, commutations, and amnesties for federal offenses, except in cases of impeachment.

Look In Notes for the Impeachment Process

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Executive Orders - HIGHER LEVEL QUESTION

Directives issued to federal agencies that carry the force of law without congressional approval based on Article 2 or statutory authority; powerful for immediate action, but limited because they can be overturned by judicial review or revoked by subsequent executives.

Appointment Process / Power of the President - HIGHER LEVEL QUESTION

A key executive power where the chief executive nominates federal judges, cabinet heads, and agency leaders, subject to Senate advice and consent by a simple majority; shapes the ideological direction of the judiciary and administrative state across administrations.

Veto Power - HIGHER LEVEL QUESTION

A negative legislative power that allows the chief executive to block bills; the mere threat of its use often forces Congress to modify legislative language, while congressional overrides remain historically rare due to the two-thirds threshold.

War Powers Resolution - HIGHER LEVEL QUESTION

A statute passed over a presidential veto to restore legislative authority over war; it remains contentious because presidents frequently argue it infringes on their Article 2 Commander in Chief powers, demonstrating continuous interbranch friction.

Impeachment - HIGHER LEVEL QUESTION (know this IN DETAIL)

A multi-stage constitutional mechanism separating prosecution and adjudication: the House investigates and impeaches by a simple majority vote, and the Senate holds the trial where a two-thirds vote is needed to convict and remove, establishing a deliberately elevated threshold to prevent purely partisan removals.