PSC 1113-010 American federal government ou final exam

35

What is the minimum age required to attain the office of U.S. president?

Twelfth

Which amendment set the eligibility requirements for vice president?

the Constitution

What determines the presidential order of succession?

lame duck

Because a president in his second term cannot seek reelection, he is commonly referred to as a

Commander in chief

As ______ , the president directs all war efforts and military conflict.

Pardon

The president has the power to ________ , which is the ability to fully forgive an individual's federal prison sentence.

Two - thirds

Congress can override a presidential veto with a __________ vote in each chamber.

The president nominates judges in the federal judicial system, including Supreme Court justices.

What authority or role does the president have regarding the judicial system?

Watergate

Which scandal led to the resignation of Richard Nixon?

United States v. Nixon

Which case indicated that the president's power of executive privilege is not absolute?

Presidential directives

Presidents use the executive power to issue _____________________ that give specific instructions on a federal policy and do not require congressional approval.

Signing Statements

______ ______ are written remarks that reflect the president's interpretation of the law that are not required or authorized by the Constitution.

the official record of government regulations

What is the Federal Register?

90

Pursuant to the War Powers Act, the president may send troops into military conflict for no more than _______ days without an official declaration of war or authorization from Congress.

the Bureau of Land Management

Which of the following organizations is NOT part of the Executive Office of the President?

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Which president appointed the first chief of staff?

Franklin Roosevelt

Which president's program, known as the New Deal, was designed to address problems associated with the Great Depression?

Great Society

Lyndon Johnson's federal social welfare programs became known as the

The "Great Communicator"

Ronald Reagan is referred to as ____ _____ ____ because he came across very well on television.

the Iran-Contra scandal

Which major controversy marred the presidency of Ronald Reagan?

appeals

Because trial courts sometimes make mistakes about questions of law, the American legal system has followed the British practice by allowing

precedent

Which term refers to a judge's decision to adhere to the previous decisions of other judges?

Article III

Which article of the Constitution establishes the judicial branch of government?

a dispute over state law.

All of the following provide proper jurisdiction to have a case heard in federal court EXCEPT

judicial review

Which power, held by the federal judiciary, involves constitutional interpretation?

writ of certiorari

Which term refers to a request for review of a case directed to the U.S. Supreme Court?

Amicus Curiae

Outside interests can file ____ ______ briefs, stating their concerns in a court case.

grand jury

Which term refers to a specially empaneled group that decides whether the government has enough evidence to charge the suspect with a crime?

plea bargain

Which term refers to the method used to resolve MOST federal criminal cases?

a dissenting opinion

Supreme Court justices who disagree with the result reached by the majority can write __ ___ ____ explaining why they believe the Court's decision was in error.

the rule of four

Which rule is used to decide if the Supreme Court will grant cert?

concurring opinion

What is the term for an opinion that agrees with the majority opinion, but has a separate rationale for doing so?

if the court's decision is based on the meaning of a statute

Under what circumstances can Congress simply overturn a court's decision?

The vast majority of judges are restrained toward laws that they agree with ideologically, but are willing to overturn laws that they are distant from ideologically.

According to the text, which of the following is true regarding ideology and its relationship to judicial restraint and activism?

the Senate

Who is responsible for confirming Supreme Court nominees?

Gibbons v. Ogden

The commerce clause is at the heart of which major Supreme Court case?

Dred Scott v. Sandford

Which Supreme Court case ruled that blacks could not be citizens?

United States v. Cruikshank

Which Supreme Court case argued that Congress could not use the 14th Amendment's due process clause to give them authority over individuals, only states?

He proposed a court-packing plan that would have allowed him to appoint a new justice for every justice over age 70 who failed to resign.

After the Court struck down several pieces of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal legislation, how did he strike back?

Bush v. Gore

Which case resolved the 2000 presidential election?

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

Which Supreme Court case declared that corporations and unions had the same First Amendment rights as U.S. citizens?

iron law of oligarchy

Robert Michels coined the phrase ____ ____ ___ ____ , a theory that leaders in any organization eventually behave in their own self-interest.

the Federal Register

Where are the official records of all executive branch rules, regulations, and orders found?

the president

Who nominates the board of governors that lead the Federal Reserve System?

the Department of State

Who is responsible for formulating foreign policy using nonmilitary methods?

Cabinet

The _____ is made up of the president's key advisers who are responsible for the areas under their jurisdiction.

Article II

Which section of the Constitution gives the president the power of appointment, and helped lay the foundations of the modern bureaucracy?

the executive

The federal bureaucracy is most associated with which branch of government?

Office of Management and Budget

Which of the following has final authority over the federal budget?

the Environmental Protection Agency

Which agency has the authority to preserve the quality of the air, water, and land in the United States?

mission

Each agency has a _____ that defines its role and responsibilities within the federal bureaucracy.

secretary

Who is ultimately responsible for the policy decisions that come out of a federal department?

It can present an obstacle to speedy decision making.

What is the primary disadvantage to the hierarchical decision-making process that exists within the federal bureaucracy?

Culture

The fourth component of a bureaucracy is its ______ , a persistent, patterned way of thinking about the central tasks of and human relationships within an organization.

State, Treasury, and War

What were the first three departments created by Congress in 1789?

regulating the sale and development of federal lands

The Department of the Interior was established for which of the following reasons?

political appointees

What are federal employees who are appointed specifically to carry out the president's political agenda called?

Congress

________ exercises power of the purse to keep the bureaucracy accountable and responsive.

Authorize and appropriate

Congress can hold the bureaucracy accountable through its powers to ____ ___ _____ , giving Congress a chance to evaluate federal agencies and to withhold funds if there are dissatisfactions.

-As party separation becomes extreme, it's almost impossible to work with congress; in regard to Trump

-Our Expectations based off of past Presidents is hard to apply today

In what ways has the presidency become an impossible office?

-energy , accountability, unity, decision, secrecy, and dispatch

-Constitutional roles: chief executive, commander in chief, head of state, and chief diplomat

-Assumed roles: legislative leader, economic leader, nation's pastor and global leader

How has the presidency, and our expectations of it, grown beyond the constitutional vision?

-The presidents use executive orders to get past congress in a way

-No cohesion between the executive branches

-Gap is the product of unrealistic expectations and polarization

Why is the "Presidential Expectations Gap" a problem for American Democracy?

Appellate court is federal and those judges go through all of the documents in order to decide an appeal

What are the key differences between the trial court and the appellate court?

Term limits on supreme court justices

Expand the number of justices

Create a panel system of rotating justices

What reforms might address the ideological divisions in the Court?

-Polarized, parliamentary-like parties break this design because:

They unite branches instead of separating them

They prioritize party loyalty over institutional roles

It creates "winner-takes-all" politics.

Why are polarized or parliamentary-like political parties a problem in a separated

system?