Texas Government Structure & Political System: Supreme Courts, Officials, and Powers

How many supreme courts does Texas have?

2

Does Texas elect its own supreme court?

Yes

Texas has a reputation for being a "_____" state, but in many ways, they follow a more _____ style of government with numerous _______ commissions.

"Conservative"

Progressive

Semi-independent

How many separate professional licensing broads does Texas have?

38

What does Texas lease large amounts of in exchange of oil extractions?

state land

Define

Socialism

government control of means of production

Who is the current speaker for Texas State house?

Dustin Burrows

How many democrats and republicans elected Dustin Burrows as Texas house speaker?

49 democrats

36 republicans

True or False: Texas has a plural executive

True

Texas voters elects:

- Lieutenant governor

- Attorney general

- comptroller of public accounts

- commissioner of the general land office

- commissioner of agriculture

- railroad commissioner (3 members)

- state board of education (15 members)

Texas Governor is ____ & ____ than the U.S. President comparatively

weaker & stronger

True or false: Texas Governor is term-limited

false

Texas has a strong ____?

Lieutenant Governor

What does the Texas governor have the ability to do?

Line-item veto

Line-item veto combined with sine die gives the Texas governor enormous leverage over who?

the legislature

Texas has a limited ___?

Removal power

Texas government has a much weaker ___?

appointment powers than the U.S. president

How often does the Texas legislature meet?

Every 2 years for a 140-day regular session

The Texas State Legislature is...

bicameral

Texas senate has __ members and representatives have __ members

31

150

Who can only call special sessions with Texas Legislature?

the governor

True or False: Texas Legislators receive relatively low pay compared to other states

True

requirements to become a Texas House member:

- at least 21

- U.S. Citizen

- lived in the state for 2 years

- lived in the district they represent for 12 months

requirements to become a Texas state senator:

- U.S. Citizen

- at least 26 years old

- Texas Resident for at least 5 years

- district resident for 12 months

Is the state legislature more or less diverse than the general population?

Less

What method of election does Texas use?

Single member district

What is single member district?

Each legislative district elects one member to the legislative body

What is reapportionment?

the process of allocating representatives to states and is completed by the U.S. Census Bureau

What is redistricting?

the drawing of district boundary lines

responsibility of the state legislature

How often are U.S. House seats are reapportioned?

every 10 years

What happens as a result of the U.S. House seats being reapportioned?

district maps are redrawn

In the Texas legislature, power is concentrated in who's hands?

the speaker of the house and the lieutenant government

Role of the speaker of the house:

presiding officer in Texas house of reps.

generally, controls the passage of legislation

Role of the lieutenant governor of the house:

presiding officer in Texas senate

What does the committee chairs appointed by the speaker and lieutenant governor have a great deal of influence over?

Legislature's agenda and actions

What is the function of the Texas legislature?

To create, alter, and enact laws for the state

What are some of the legislature's most important responsibilities?

passing the state budget and overseeing state agencies

Informal factors for the governor of Texas:

- political experience

- race & ethnicity

- gender

- wealth

How does Texas elect their governor and lieutenant governor?

separately, and could, very rarely, have a split executive

Who takes a governor place after they leave the state or is removed from office?

Lieutenant governor

What is recall?

A special vote where the electorate can remove a governor from office

How many states is recall allowable?

15

Texas not included

What few powers do Texas governors have?

- Election of other statewide executives

- tenure of office

- appointment powers

- budgetary powers

- veto powers

- control over party

How many years is a Texas governor term length ?

4 years

What is the governor's primary political resource?

ability to exert influence through media

Most states provide for 3 levels of courts:

trial courts

appellate courts

supreme court

What are trial courts?

juries determine the outcome of the cases heard in the court

What are appellate courts?

higher-level courts that decide on points of law and not questions of guilt or innocence

Texas has __ intermediate appellate courts and __ "supreme" appellate courts

14

2

The 2 "supreme appellate courts:

1 for civil cases (the Texas Supreme Court_

1 for criminal cases (the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals)

What variety of methods are used to select judges?

- appointment by the governor

- election by legislature

- partisan elections

- nonpartisan elections

- selection based on merit

How are appellate court judges elected?

How long are there terms?

partisan election

6-year terms

What are appointive-elective system?

judges gain their initial; seat on the court by being appointed and later stand for election to retain the seat

What is the media's primary role?

to serve as a means by which citizens obtain information, news, and entertainment

How has media allowed more citizens to participate in?

political events and processes

What is selection bias?

reflects which stories are chosen

What is presentation bias?

the perspective from which a story is told

What is the oldest form of media?

print media

What is the least regulated form of media?

the internet

Over the past 30 years, Texas has fallen below or above the national average voter turnout

below

What are 3 ways candidates can appear on the November general election ballot?

- To run as an independent, must file a petition with a specified number of signatures

- A subset of independents, write-in candidates must pay a filing fee to legitimize their status

- Major Party candidates, access the ballot through their party's primary election

Texas has a ___ primary

semi-open

can be open, closed, or a mixture of both

What are primaries?

Elections that major political parties in Texas use to nominate candidates for the November general election

What are open primaries?

What are closed primaries?

Open primaries are voters can vote in either primary and doesn't need to declare party affiliation

Closed primaries are voters must declare party affiliation when registering and can vote in that party's primary only

Open primaries allow what by nature?

crossover voting - voters leave their party and vote in the other party's primaries

What 10 states are runoff primaries held in:

Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas & Vermont

What happens in order for a runoff primary to be required?

if no candidate receives a majority in the 1st primary

What era made the political parties in the U.S. and Texas weaker?

political reforms in the progressive era

Because of the weak political parties, what does politics revolve around?

candidates and their personalities

After the end of the reconstruction, Texas was a one-party ___ state. Then following a realignment, Texas became a one-party ___ state.

democratic

republican

____ currently hold all statewide offices and majority in both the Texas house and senate

republicans

Political parties in Texas includes both ___ organizations and ___ organizations.

permanent - elected party officials

temporary - series of conventions

What type of election does Major parties in Texas use to nominate candidates for the November general election?

primary election instead of caucus

Define

Gatekeeping

The process of filtering information and selecting what to transmit or not transmit as news

Define

Agenda Setting

The power of the media to bring issues and problems to the public's attention

Define

Priming

The ability of the media to help shape public opinion respecting an event or a person in the public sphere

Define

Framing

The media's attempt to focus attention on certain events and place them within a context for meaning

Define

Resonance

The reinforcement and magnification of existing beliefs about reality and commonality of events because of the presentation of reality by the media