Gov Unit 6

roles of president

* commander in chief
* in charge of all U.S. armed forces

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* chief executive / administrator
* enforcing laws & acts as head of Executive Branch

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* chief of state
* ceremonial figurehead

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* chief legislator / policymaker
* makes recs about types of laws
* may veto laws

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* chief diplomat
* foreign policy
* negotiates treaties & trade agreements

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* chief citizen
* face of the nation

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* party chief
* head of political party

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* chief guardian of the economy
* federal budget
* discuss ways to help economy run smoothly

President: qualifications required by the Constitution

Clause 4

* natural born citizen
* 35 years old
* resident of U.S. for 14 years

President: informal qualification

Background in

* Business
* Law
* Public Service
* College education
* Experienced politician

President: 22nd amendment

sets 2 term limits

10 year limit

VP’s duties & responsibilities

* presides over senate & votes if tie
* receives Electoral College votes in a presidential election

Presidential line of succession

president

→vice president

→speaker of house

President: executive order

same force as a law

President: executive agreement

pact between President and a foreign head of state

(does NOT require Senate approval)

President: special powers

**Pardon:** legal forgiveness of a crime

**Reprieve:** ends or lessens a sentence already imposed

**Amnesty:** blanket pardon given to a group of violators

Secretary of state

Anthony J. Blinken

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foreign policies

Secretary of treasury

Janet Yellen

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manufactures coin & money

Secretary of defense

Lloyd J. Austin III

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oversees U.S. armed forces

impeachment

formal accusation of wrongdoing

executive privilege

right to keep informal discussions & documents of the White House private

Supreme Court ruling in *U.S. vs Nixon*

acknowledged executive privilege exists and Nixon is not entitled to it

characteristics of Federal Courts

**separate branch (Judicial)**

* **Hierarchical:** Supreme Court at top
* preform judicial review
* Federal judges appointed for **life**

Types of Lower Courts:

**Trial Court**

(facts)

* **original jurisdiction:** right of a court to hear the case first


* **Trier of fact:** hear evidence to determine if there is a dispute
* applies the law

Types of Lower Courts:

**Appeals Court**

(no facts)

* **appellate jurisdiction:** hear appeals from a lower court (heard for 2nd time)
* **Facts not in dispute**

Types of cases:

**Civil cases**

no jail

* between 2 parties over injuries
* **Plaintiff:** party claiming injury
* **Defendant:** party accused of causing injury

Types of cases:

**Criminal cases**

* disputes over statutes or laws that are broken (penal codes)
* **Prosecution:** gov says you broke the law
* **Defendant:** person accused of committing a crime

info that appears in arrest records

* arrest
* booked in jail
* case created or no action
* arraignment
* trial
* appeal
* punishment

concurrent jurisdiction

authority in either federal or state court to hear & decide case

14th amendment

**“equal protection” clause** requires states to give everyone the same rights, privileges, & protections

Supreme Court qualifications

* **none** required by Constitution
* **NO** age, education, profession, or native-born citizenship requirements

Supreme Court term

* appointed for life
* removal is by
* resignation
* retirement
* impeachment

how cases reach the Supreme Court

* **writ of certiorari (“cert”):** request to have a case reviewed
* **rule of four:** at least 4 out of 9 justices must agree to hear a case

how the Supreme Court operates

* **Briefs:** written docs are filed with the court before oral arguments begin
* **Oral arguments:** date scheduled for lawyers on both sides to present
* **Court in Conference:** chief justice presides over a closed-door conference in which the justices present their views on the case

Concurring opinion

agrees with the results bt for different reasons

Judicial Activism

loose constructionist

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judges decide an issue based on personal beliefs or how it fits into society today

Judicial Restraint

strict constructionist

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judges bases decision solely on the Constitution or precedent (how cases were previously decided)