Civics Summative Study Guide- Branches of Govt

What can the Judicial branch do to the legislative branch?

They can declare a law unconstitutional

What can the Judicial branch do to the Executive branch?

They can declare an executive action unconstitutional

What can the legislative branch do to the Judicial Branch?

They can impeach a supreme court justice

What can the Legislative branch to to the Executive branch?

They can impeach the President, override a veto with a 2/3 vote, and declare war, and approve Supreme Court justice nominees(senate)

What can the Executive branch do to the legislative branch?

They can veto a bill

What can the executive branch do to the Judicial branch?

They can appoint federal judges

Our congress is bicameral. What does that mean?

The legislative branch has 2 branches/chambers(The House of Representatives and the Senate)

How many members are in the Senate in total?

100

Is the Senate based on equal (2 per state) or proportional (based on population) representation?

equal representation

How long are senate terms?

6 years

How many members are in the House of Representatives in total?

435

Is the House based on equal (2 per state) or proportional (based on population) representation?

proportional representation

What does the census have to do with the number of districts (and representatives) a state gets in the House? How often will these numbers change? 

The census is taken every 10 years. This:

1. helps to redistribute the 435 seats in the House of Representatives through the US(states with significant population growth will gain seats and states with slowed population growth will lose seats)

2. The census will give legislators proper information about the most dense/sparse populations so they can draw district lines more evenly

3. The districts are drawn based on the # of reps a state gets, which is decided by the census

How long are House terms?

2 years

What do the members of the house of representatives represent?

One congressional district

What do the members of the Senate represent?

the entire state

List at least 2 powers the House of reps has

• votes to impeach/accuse a government official of breaking a law

• all bills involving revenue and taxes come form here(power of the purse)

List at least 3 powers the Senate has

• hold trials for government officials accused of breaking a law

• approves bills

• ratifies treaties with other countries with a ⅔ vote

• approves appointments to the Supreme Court

Who are the leaders in the House of Reps?

• Speaker of the House

  • Might hold more power than any other leader in Congress

  • decides what bills will be considered by the whole house/when

• Party leaders

  • helps make sure all members are heard

Who are the leaders of the Senate?

• Party leaders

• Majority and minority whips: help party leaders by ensuring the members of the party vote on bills according to the wishes of the party leaders

What is the role of a standing committee? Why are committees important?

A standing committee specializes in a specific policy area. Their role is to review bills, provide oversight of government agencies and programs, and recommend measures for consideration by the full legislative body. They are important because they make things more efficient and break large tasks down into simpler ones.

What is a filibuster and in which chamber of congress does this occur?

Because the Senate does not have a limited time for debate, a senator could stand up and talk for hours on end with the intention that the Senate would eventually adjourn, and no vote would be made

What does a conference committee do?

when the house and senate pass two versions of the same bill, members of both chamber meet to iron out the differences—if they reach a compromise, it prepares a written conference report which is submitted to each chamber. If approved by both houses, it is sent to pres

What can happen if the President vetoes a bill?

it is sent back to congress with a note explaining his/her reasons. Congress can then try to override the veto with a ⅔ approval from both chambers

Assuming a bill is introduced in the house, what are the steps it would take to become a law?

1. Bill is introduced in the house

2. Bill goes to house committee for review

3. Bill either dies in committee or goes to House vote

4. House votes on the bill

5. Bill is introduced in the senate

6. Bill goes to Senate committee for review

7. Bill either dies in committee or goes to Senate vote

8. Senate votes on the bill

9. A filibuster may be used to delay the voting of a bill

10. Differences in both versions of the bill are resolved by a joint committee before being sent to the president

    • 11a. Bill is vetoed by the president and goes back to congress

    • 12a. Congress may override veto with 2/3 vote

    • 11b. Bill is signed into law by the president

      Yay! The bill became a law!

What happens if a bill doesn’t pass all of the steps?

It would either die in the moment or be put on pause and, if not acted on, die when the session ends

What are the qualifications to become president listed in the Constitution?

• At least 35 years old

• A “natural born citizen”

• Have lived in the US for 14 years

What are the roles of the US president?(there are 7)

• Commander in Chief of military

• Chief executive

• Chief diplomat

• Chief legislator

• Party Leader

• Crisis Manager

• Head of state

Commander-in-Chief of the military

-in charge of war(congress declares war, president sends miliary to fight)

-The president can order military action at any time without asking Congress

-War Powers Act(1973)- The president must tell Congress why he/she is conducting this military action within 48 hours after completing the action and ask permission to continue

Chief Executive

-controls all of executive branch

-Appoints all leaders of executive branch(many need senate approval)

Chief diplomat

-signs treaties

-meets with foreign leaders

-appoints ambassadors to other countries

-decides whether to officially recognize a foreign country

Chief Legislator

-signs/vetoes bills passed by Congress

-gives yearly State of the Union address in Congress

-proposes and/or promotes legislation

executive orders

rule/regulation issued by president that has the force of law

Party Leader

-leader of their political party

-helps raise money for candidates running for office

-helps gather support for fellow party candidates

Crisis Manager

-coordinates government's response to disaster/crisis

-hurricanes, terrorist attacks, mass shootings, etc

Head of State

- lead public representative of the nation

-Voice of nation, sets impression on other nations

-sometimes throws 1st pitch at baseball games, attends leader’s funerals, pardons turkey on Thanksgiving, etc

What is the presidential cabinet? Who is in it? How do they become part of the cabinet? What is their main job?

•  group of helpers appointed by the president to lead the 15 main departments

• They are picked by the president and approved by the senate

• main job: help president by giving advice about their department

Describe the concept of “jurisdiction.”

The extent of the power to make legal decisions and judgments.

Describe the concept of “appeals.”

A formal request to a higher court (an appellate court) to review and potentially change a lower court's decision

• comes from losing party

What is the difference between criminal and civil cases?

Criminal cases

regulates the conduct of individuals, defines crimes, and provides punishments for criminal acts

examples:

stealing, robbery, murder, etc

Civil Cases

legal disputes between private parties where someone claims to have suffered a loss because of another party’s actions

examples:

marital disputes, hire-purchase problems, negligence

How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

9

How long is the term for a Supreme Court Justice?

Lifetime

How do Supreme Court Justices get into power?

Appointed by president, approved by senate

Majority opinion

written by winning side after a supreme court decision to explain how the court has decided the case(at least 5 justices must agree)

Dissenting opinion

Written by losing side after a supreme court decision to explain why they disagree with the majority opinion

Concurring opinion

written if Justices agree on the final opinion but for different reasons