Civics Final Study guide

Bicameral legislature

a lawmaking body of two houses

Apportioned

distrubted

Gerrymandering

practice of drawing district lines that favor a particular political party

Immunity

legal protection(can't be arrested going to or from congress)

Expulsion

person must give up their seat in congress

Censure

formal disapproval of a member in congress

Sessions

a meeting of Congress

Caucuses

private meetings

President pro tempore

majority party leader (head of senate if vice president isn't there)

Whip

job that counts votes, encourages party loyalty, and ensures party members are present for important votes

Speaker of the House

person who presides over the house when in session

Implied Powers

powers not specifically granted to Congress by the U.S Constitution that are suggested to be necessary to carry out delegated powers

Elastic Clause

"necessary and proper" clause. Congress has extended delegated powers

Impeach

to accuse an officeholder of misconduct

Treason

an act that betrays or endangers one's country

Bill

a draft of a proposed law

Appropriation bill

a bill approving spending money

Act

another word for law

Filibuster

a method of delay to prevent senate from voting

Cloture

the legislative procedure for ending a debate

Veto

refusal to sign a bill into law

Pocket veto

bill becoming law when president doesn't sign/veto the bill after 10 days

What are the differences between the H.O.R and Senate?

The requirements for joining, salary, senate term in 6 years, H.O.R is 2 years.

What are the salaries ad rules of conduct for members of office? What if they violate code of conduct?

Speaker of house, $223,500. Congress $174,000. President pro tempore, $193,400. They will get expelled or get a censure.

What are the terms and session of Congress?

Term- 2 years and starts Jan. 3 every odd year. Sessions start Jan. 3

What are the jobs of the President Pro Tempore, Speaker of the House, and the Whip?

P.P.T-presides over senate. Majority party. Head of senate if v.p isn't there. S.o.H-presides over the house. Whip-counts votes, encourages party loyalty, and ensures party members are present in important votes.

Why is most of the work done through committess?

They determine what's important and create compromises and its equal representation of senate and house of representatives.

What is the difference between Congress delegated and implied powers?

Delegated- powers given by Constitution. Implied- powers not give but suggested to carry out delegated powers. Elastic Clause allowed for the delegated powers to be stretched.

What are the powers for each house in Congress? Why are they Separate?

H.O.R- bills for revenue, impeach officials, chooses president if neither candidate receive enough votes. Senate- impeach trails, chooses v.p if neither candidate receive enough votes, and makes all treaties, and presidential appointments. If one house had all/most of the powers, they would be too powerful and there wouldn't be equal representation.

How does a bill become a law?

The bill is proposed by someone, it then goes to a committee to be approved, if approved it goes back to the house it is proposed by, they then have a debate, then vote, if passed, it goes to the other house for a debate and a vote. If both houses pass it, it goes to the president. The president then can sign it and make it a law, or they can veto the bill.

Presidential Succession

the order in which the office of president is to be filled

State of the Union Address

a yearly report by the president of congress describing the nation's condition and recommending programs and policies

Foreign Policy

government's plan for interacting with other countries

Diplomacy

the act of interacting with foreign governments

Treaties

written agreements

Reprieve

postpones the carrying out of a person's sentence

Pardon

forgives the person for their crime and removes punishment

Commutation

reducing a person's sentence

Secretary

an official who heads an executive department in the federal government

Attorney General

head of Department of Justice

Ambassadors

highest ranking U.S representative in a foreign country

Embassy

offical residence and offices of ambassadors in a foreign country

Consul

represents U.S commercial interests in foreign countries

Consulate

consul's office

Passport

formal documents that let U.S citizens out of the country

Visa

allow foreigners to enter the U.S

Joint Chiefs of Staff

group of highest ranking military officers

Independent agencies

agencies in the Executive branch that are formed by congress that help enforce laws and regulations not covered by executive departments

Regulatory Commission

makes rules concerning certain activities and brings violators to court

Bureaucracy

the many agencies and departments at all levels of government

Executive Order

a rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the goernment and having the force of law

What are the qualifications and terms of office for the presidency?

Born in the U.S, at least 35, and a resident for at leats 14 years. Maximum of two terms. (each term is 4 years)

What are the duties of the vice president?

Serve as president if current one dies, leaves office, or can't fulfill duties

What are the rules of succession for the presidency?

President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore, cabinet members (old-new est.)

What are some leadership roles of the President and powers?

Executive power, commander in chief, appoint diplomats and justices, and grant pardons, reprieves, and commutations

What is the Executive Office of the President, and what is the Cabinet?

Cabinet is close advisors the president picks. The office tends to include the cabinet, secretaries, and attorney general

What are the purposes of the Department of State and the Department of Defense?

D.O.S controls foreign policy and represents U.S around the world
D.O.D controls the nation's armed forces and military bases

What are the other executive departments in the federal government?

Department of Homeland Security helps prevent terrorism attacks.
Treasury Department helps with the U.S debt and collects taxes
Department of Justice helps enforce laws

What are some examples of independent agencies?

U.S commission on Civil Rights collects information about discrimination against minorities.
N.A.S.A runs the U.S space program
Office of Personal Management gives tests to people who want to work for the federal government

What are regulatory commissions?

They are commissions that make rules usually about peoples concerns. They are ran by people the president appoints. (secretaries)

What makes up the federal bureaucracy?

The agencies and departments in the federal government

What is the significance of the 20th amendment?

Presidential succession

What is the significance of the 22nd amendment?

Two term limit as president

What is the significance of the 25th amendment?

If V.P becomes president, they must elect a new V.P

Crime

any behavior that is illegal because society, through its governemnt, considers the behavior harmful

Criminal law

refers to the group of laws that define what acts are crimes

Civil law

the group of laws that refer to disputes between people

Statutory law

laws usually representing majority rule

Common law

a type of law that comes from judges' decisions that rely on common sense and previous cases

Precedent

an earlier court decision that guides judges' decisions in later cases

Administrative law

laws that usually affect our daily lives and are created by governement agencies

Constitutional law

based on the constitution and Supreme Court decisions interpreting the constitution

Appeal

the process by which the person asks a higher court to review the result of the trial

Jurisdiction

the authority to interpret and administer the law; also, the range of that authority

District courts

the trial courts, and they are courts of original jurisdiction

Original Jurisdiction

authority of a court to hear and decide a case for the first time

Courts of appeals

federal courts that review decisions appealed from district courts

Appellate jurisdiction

the authority of some courts to review decisions made by lower courts

Justices

judges of the Supreme Court

Judicial review

power of the Supreme Court to determine if a law passed by congress or presidential action is in accord with the constitution

Remand

return a case to lower court for a new trail

Opinion

explains the reasoning that led to the decision

Concurring opinion

a justice who agrees with the majority but for different reasons

Dissenting opinion

explains why the justice thinks the majority opinion is wrong

What are the four principle sources of law?

Statutory law, common law, administrative law, and constitutional law

What are the two types of jurisdiction?

Original and appellate

What are the three types of cases where the constitution gives Supreme Court original jurisdiction?

1. tries cases involving diplomatic representatives of other countries
2. court has jurisdiction in cases between states
3. hears cases involving a state and federal government

How does the constitution allow for the other branches to check the court's power?

All justices nominated by president must be approved by majority vote in senate
Congress can rewrite unconstitutional laws
Congress can amend the constitution

In what ways is the United States a nation of laws?

Everyone is subject to follow all laws and are all equal under the law

What roles do the courts play in the United States?

they help determine who is guily and what a fair punishment is for the crime committed.

What is the purpose of US district courts?

They can hear a case before any other courts and can still make decisions about how the guilty is punished.

How are the US courts of appeals different from the district courts?

Courts of appeal review cases from district cases that were apealed

What is the role of the US supreme court?

They interpret the constitution and make sure people are equal under the law

What is the power of judicial review?

It allows the supreme court to determine if laws are constitutional or not

How has the Supreme Court strenghthened constitutional rights?

They allow change to be made to the rights as time progress, so that the rights are more current and benefit more people.

What are the constitutional checks on the Supreme Court's powers?

Justices are nominated by president and approved by senate, congress can rewrite unconstitutional laws, and congress can amend the constitution.

Preamble

an introduction that explains why the U.S. Constitution was written.

Limited Government

A government with specific restrictions so the government isn't too powerful

Majority Rule

The principle that in a disagreement, everyone will accept the decision of the majority.

Reserved Powers

Reserved, or set aside powers for the states or the people