Key Concepts in U.S. Government and Constitutional Law

Simple majority vote

One vote more than 50%

Sovereign level in a unitary system

National government

Sovereign level in a confederate system

State government

Sovereign level in a federal system

National and State government

Second constitution of the United States

Federal system

Year Constitution went into effect

1789

Year Declaration of Independence was written and signed

1787

Year Articles of Confederation went into effect

1781

Total number of elected U.S. House of Representatives members

435

Total number of elected U.S. Senate members

100

Term of office for an elected U.S. House member

2 years

Term length for elected U.S. Senate members

6 years

Chamber with advice and consent authority

U.S Senate

Chamber with authority to impeach officials

U.S. House of Representatives

Chamber with authority to try impeached officials

U.S Senate

Authority to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution

Congress

Authority to ratify amendments to the U.S. Constitution

The states

President of the Senate according to the U.S Constitution

The vice president

Chamber that allows filibustering

The senate

Type of law for government spending authority

Appropriation legislation

Type of committee responsible for marking up a bill

Standing committee

What happens to most bills introduced in Congress

They die (do not make it to the president's desk)

Current status of national government based on party affiliation

Unified

Article 1 of the Constitution

Legislative powers, structure, and procedures

Article II of the Constitution

Executive power of the president and vice president

Article III of the Constitution

Judicial power is vested in the U.S. Supreme Court, and Congress's authority to create other courts

Article IV of the Constitution

State-to-state relations and national government responsibilities to the states

Article V of the Constitution

Constitutional amendment process

Article VI of the Constitution

National supremacy clause

Article VII of the Constitution

The process by which the U.S. Constitution was ratified by the states

High political efficacy

That one's political participation matters

Elected officials by winning state votes

The members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate

Elected officials by winning Electoral College vote

The president and vice president

Polarity of the vote

The largest percentage of the vote

Bipartisanship

When both political parties get along

Partisanship

A strong affiliation with one's political party

Accomplishment of the First Continental Congress

An agreement among the colonies to boycott British imports

Accomplishment of the Second Continental Congress

Drafting and sending the Articles of Confederation to the states for ratification

Radical idea in the Declaration of Independence

All men are created equal

Radical idea in the Declaration of Independence

Popular sovereignty

Unfair taxation

Taxation that is considered unjust or inequitable.

Unfair trials

Trials that do not provide a fair opportunity for the accused to defend themselves.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, which established a national government with limited powers.

17th Amendment

This amendment changed the process by which U.S senators are elected to be by popular vote instead of by state legislatures.

16th Amendment

This amendment gave Congress the authority to pass legislation to establish income taxes.

12th Amendment

This amendment changed the electoral college process.

Speaker of the House

The most powerful position in the U.S House of Representatives, elected by the majority vote of all House members.

Majority leader

Leads their party's agenda in the House of Representatives.

President pro tempore

Presides in the absence of the Vice President.

Descriptive representation

Representatives who have similar demographic characteristics to the constituents.

Substantive representation

Representatives act in the constituents' interests.

Three levels of government in the United States

Federal, State, Local.

Three natural rights in the Declaration of Independence

Life, Liberty, Pursuit of happiness.

Enumerated powers of Congress

Powers listed in the Constitution, including Declare war, Spend for the general welfare, Regulate commerce.

President's veto options

It can die if Congress does nothing, The process can start all over again, Override veto with a 2/3 vote in each chamber (House and Senate).

Conference committee

A temporary committee to work on 2 versions of the same bill and try to agree on it.

Dialogue vs. Debate

Dialogue is a discussion to understand both sides; Debate is an argument to sway opinion.

Representative democracy vs. Direct democracy

In representative democracy, officials vote on policies; in direct democracy, people vote directly on policies.

Delegate vs. Trustee

Trustee votes based on personal judgment; Delegate votes based on constituents' wishes.

Politico

A mix of both trustee and delegate.

Political Gerrymandering

Redrawing district lines for political gain.

Three branches of government

Legislative makes laws, Executive enforces laws, Judicial resolves legal conflicts.

Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution

Discusses the judicial branch.

Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution

Discusses the presidency and vice presidency.

Primary function of the executive branch

Enforces law.

Primary function of the judicial branch

To resolve legal conflict.

Term of office of the U.S. president

4 years.

Term limit for the U.S. president

2 terms.

Minimum age requirement for U.S. president

35 years.

EOP

Executive Office to the President, created by Congress in 1939.

OMB

Office of Management and Budget.

Dual court system

The United States has one national court system and 50 independent state court systems.

Discretionary jurisdiction

The court in question can decide whether or not they want to hear the case.

U.S. Supreme Court

A national court that has discretionary jurisdiction.

Circuit courts

The federal courts of appeals in the United States that review decisions made by lower district courts; there are 13 circuit courts.

Judicial branch

The branch of government that gained leverage over the other branches with the Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803).

Executive order

A power of the president to pass a law telling bureaucrats how to do their jobs.

Chevron doctrine

A common law doctrine that directs judges and justices to defer to bureaucrats' and bureaucratic agencies' interpretations of ambiguous legislation.

Doctrine of Coverture

A legal principle where a married woman's legal identity was covered by her husband's, preventing her from owning property or signing contracts.

Major Questions doctrine

Administrative agencies need explicit authorization from Congress before making decisions that can impact the economy.

Separate-but-Equal Doctrine

A legal principle allowing racial segregation as long as the separate facilities for Black and white people were supposedly equal.

Protesting

A tool/action people and interest groups can use to keep bureaucrats accountable in our representative democracy.

Sunshine Laws

Laws that promote transparency in government by requiring certain proceedings to be open to the public.

U.S. Vice President powers

Take office if the current president dies, is deemed unfit, or steps down; President of the Senate with a tie-breaking vote.

District courts

Courts in the national court system that have only original jurisdiction.

Circuit courts

Courts in the national court system that have only appellate jurisdiction.

U.S. Supreme Court

The court in the national court system that has both original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction.

Judicial review

The power of courts to check whether laws or actions taken by the government are constitutional.

Cabinet departments

Executive branch entities directed by a person nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Public corporations

Executive branch entities expected to be financially self-sufficient, with the United States Postal Service as a notable example.

Indian regulatory board/ commission/ agency

An executive branch entity that engages in administrative rulemaking to protect people, the environment, and the economy.

Imperial president

A concept that may arise from the unitary executive theory, suggesting an expansion of presidential power.

Public corporations

This type of executive branch entity engages in administrative rulemaking to protect people, the environment, and the economy from harms that can be caused by the behavior of profit-making corporations, business, and industries.

Unitary executive theory

The theory that there is one sole person in charge of the executive matters, which could lead to an imperial president, because the president would have more power than the constitution.

Policy implementation

The stage of the policy cycle where street-level bureaucrats and shadow bureaucrats dominate and do the bulk of the work.

Agenda setting

The first stage where issues are recognized and placed on the political agenda; the process by which certain issues gain the attention of policymakers and the public.

Policy formulation

The stage that involves the creation and development of policy proposals that can address the problem once an issue is recognized.

Policy legitimation

The stage where the policy proposal must gain formal approval to become law, undergoing political and legal scrutiny.

25th Amendment (1967)

This constitutional amendment established a process by which the vice president in collaboration with the cabinet secretaries can remove the president if they believe that the president is no longer able to fulfill the duties of the presidency.

12th Amendment (1804)

This constitutional amendment revised Electoral College procedures and limits the vice presidency to people who are legally eligible to be president.