Studied by 24 people
roles of president
commander in chief
in charge of all U.S. armed forces
chief executive / administrator
enforcing laws & acts as head of Executive Branch
chief of state
ceremonial figurehead
chief legislator / policymaker
makes recs about types of laws
may veto laws
chief diplomat
foreign policy
negotiates treaties & trade agreements
chief citizen
face of the nation
party chief
head of political party
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
foreign policies
Secretary of treasury
Janet Yellen
manufactures coin & money
Secretary of defense
Lloyd J. Austin III
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
judges decide an issue based on personal beliefs or how it fits into society today
Judicial Restraint
strict constructionist
judges bases decision solely on the Constitution or precedent (how cases were previously decided)
Note
Flashcard