Studied by 18 people
The ability to create laws is vested in
Congress
HOR Elections happen
Every 2 years
HOR Members must
be 25 y/o, 7 y a citizen, current resident of their district
Census occurs every
10 years
Who has the power of impeachment?
House of Reps
Senate elected every
6 years
Senate must be
30 years old, citizen for 9 years, inhabitant of their state
President of the Senate
Vice President
For an impeachment, ___ of senate must convict
2/3
Congress has power to
collect taxes, regulate commerce, and declare war
There are _ chambers of Congress, which is called a _____________.
2, bicameral legislature
The Senate
confirms presidential nominations, approves treaties, and acts as Jury on impeachment trials
Filibuster
A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.
Cloture vote
Ends a filibuster, with a 60% of the votes to get it to end.
House of Reps is lead by...
The speaker of the house
coalition
Temporary agreement between reps/senators to achieve a political goal.
Constituents
The residents of a congressional district or state.
Minority Whip
a go-between with the minority leadership whose job mirrors that of the majority whip but without the power that comes from holding a majority in the House of Representatives
Majority Whip
a go-between with the majority leadership and party members in 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
standing committee
A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area
joint committee
A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations.
conference committee
Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form.
select committee
A temporary legislative committee established for a limited time period and for a special purpose.
committee chairs
The most important influencers of the congressional agenda. They play dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house.
Caucus
A permanent group of congresspeople who share some interest or characteristic
Rules Committee
A standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the house.
Subcommittee
Division of existing committee that is formed to address specific issues
Veto
Chief executive's power to reject a bill passed by a legislature
politico
An elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue
mandatory spending
Required govt spending by permanent laws (social security/medicare)
discretionary spending
Federal spending on programs that are controlled through the regular budget process (Military/New legislations)
deficit
An excess of federal expenditures over federal revenues.
debt
Money owed
log rolling
a legislator supports a proposal favored by another in return for support of his or hers
Gridlock
the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government
lame duck
A politician who is still in office after having lost a reelection bid
delegate
A person appointed or elected to represent others
Trustee
A legislator who acts according to her or his conscience and the broad interests of the entire society.
politico
Lawmaker who attempts to balance the basic elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan roles
partisan
Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause
Baker v. Carr (1962)
case that est. one man one vote. this decision created guidelines for drawing up congresional districts and guaranteed a more equitable system of representation to the citizens of each state
14th Amendment
Declares that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws
Legislative Districts
territorial areas partitioned on a map designating areas of representation by a legislative body
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
NO racial gerrymandering; race cannot be the sole or predominant factor in redrawing legislative boundaries; majority
Presidential term lasts...
4 years
President must be...
a natural born citizen, at least 35 years old, and must have resided in the United States for at least 14 years
If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
Vice President.
President shall be...
Commander in Chief of Military, Head of the Executive Departments (Bureaucracy) and how the power to grant Pardons and Reprieves, except for impeachment
The president has the power to
veto laws passed by Congress
policy agenda
The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time.
President has powers to
pardon and reprive, make treaties with consent of senate, nominate ambassadors/S.C Justices
State of the Union
An annual speech in which the president addresses Congress to report on the condition of the country and recommend policies.
Presidents receive...
foreign ambassadors and faithfully execute the law. Has 10 days to sign, veto, or leave unsigned a law.
President can negotiate...
formal treaties w/other countries and make executive arguments.
Head of Bureaucracy
President
Signing Statement
Informal declaration issued by the president when he or she signs a bill into law that indicates the president's reasons for signing the bill or plans for implementing it.
What limits the president to two terms?
22nd amendment
All Judicial power of the United States is vested in what
Supreme court
Inferior courts are established by...
Congress
The Supreme Court has judicial power over cases involving...
Constitution, all laws (state and Federal), and treaties
In Fed 78, Hamilton argued in favor of...
an independent judicial branch
Judges are appointed...
for life
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review
Majority Ruling
in a democracy, the majority of the people will be right more often than they will be wrong, and will be right more often than will any one person or small group
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
precedent
an example that may serve as a basis for imitation or later action
Stare Decisis (precedent)
"Let the decision stand"...courts generally follow the decisions of lower courts in similar cases that set a precedent
Marshall Court (1801-1835)
The Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Marshall. Chosen by John Adams, a federalist, the Court was a Federalist stronghold during years of Republican administration. Under Marshall, the Court ruled on federal vs. state power and congressional control of interstate commerce. The Court became powerful.
Taney Court (1836-1864)
many decisions during this Court favored states' rights over federal supremacy
controversial decisions made during a period of sectionalism - Roger B. Taney, a Democrat and states' rights enthusiast
Nine Old Men Court
in response to the Great Depression, FDR attempted to increase the role of the federal government in the economy. The Supreme Court consistently blocked his programs in the New Deal. In response FDR threatened to pack the court, by appointing new justices that agreed with his ideology. This prompted some justices to switch their rulings on later cases involving the President's programs
Warren Court
the chief justice that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson in Brown v. Board of Education (1954); he was the first justice to help the civil rights movement, judicial activism
Burger Court (1969-1986)
strict constructionist but did vote to expand civil rights. Landmark cases: Roe v. Wade, US v. Nixon, NY Times v. US, Bakke v. University of California.
Reingquist and Roberts Courts
Known was "Swing votes", making it hard to predict how the court will decide the case in either a liberal or a conservative outcome. Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy were the recent swing voters on the court
To override a Supreme Court decision...
the President can refuse to implement SC decision, Congress can change take away jurisdiction, and an amendment can be created to override decision.
Activist Court
Uses decisions to promote societal change because they can choose their cases
restraint court
judges adhere closely to precedent and play a minimal role in policy making. They usually try to uphold the laws passed by Congress or allow the Executive the freedom to act as they please
Note 
Flashcard (43)