Political science test 2

who is rick perry

Old texas governor, served for 14 years

what are some things rick perry supported

the death penalty, texas corridor, CPRIT, and the ethics commission

who was the most recent texas governor to become president

George W. Bush

what did George W. Bush support?

NCLB, robin hood plan, and NAFTA

Aside from Rick Perry and George W. Bush, what are some other famous texan governors

Ann richards (last democratic and 2nd female) and Jim Hogg (daughter named Ima Hogg)

how long are governor terms

4 years

what are the qualifications of a governor

1) 30 years old

2) 15 years a US citizen

3) 5 years a TX resident

4) Must be only job

how much do governors earn

153,750/annum

aside from payment, what other compensation does the governor get

travel allowance, 200-300 staff, governors mansion

what powers does the governor have (list as many as you can)

veto, appointment, patronage, lobbying, emergency legislation, executive orders, line item veto, Board of Pardons and Paroles, parallel roles, one 30-day stay of execution, grant clemency only after recommendation

what is needed for an impeachment in the house

A majority vote

what is needed for impeachment in the senate

a 2/3rds vote

what does impeachment in texas government mirror

that of the federal government

how much does the Lt. governor get paid

9,612 per annum

how much does the attorney general get paid

153,750 per annum

how much does the comptroller of public accounts make and what do they do

153,750 per annum, collects fees and taxes and pays bills

how much does the agriculture commissioner make and what do they oversee

137,500 and oversees gas and food

how much does the secretary of state make and what do they oversee

132,924 and oversees licensing/regulation of business and supervises elections

how much does the land commissioner make and what do they oversee

140,938 and oversees permanent school funds and mineral leases on public lands

What does TxDot handle

roads, waterways, I-69 (DAFTA) project, rapid transit projects

what does the department of state health services handle

hospitals, disasters, readiness, dairy, seafood

what does the railroad commission do

regulates oil and gas, promotes alternative energy, and protects the environment

what does the department of criminal justice handle

prisons

what does the public utility commission (prior to the telecom act of 1996) regulate

telephones and electricity

what do revisionaries argue

that elections should be based on merit based appointments instead of patronage

what is succession

when the lieutenant governor becomes the governor as necessary

What is impeachment?

a charge of misconduct made against the holder of a public office.

What is the appointment power?

The power of the governor to appoint senior government officials

What is a plural executive?

an executive branch in which power is fragmented because the election of statewide officeholders is independent of the election of the governor

What is patronage?

providing a government job to someone in exchange for their political support

what are staggered terms

Only a certain number of board directors are elected in a given year, not all in mass/at once. Ex) board of directors has 10 members for 5 years, but 2 new members are elected each year

what is recess apointments

provisional appointments that require texas senate approval within 10 days of the next session

what is senatorial courtesy

a custom whereby governor appointments are confirmed only if there is no objection to them by the senators from the appointee's state, especially from the senior senator of the president's party from that state.

what is removal power

The ability to remove public officials that the governor has appointed.

what is executive order

a rule or order issued by the governor to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law.

what is budget power

the governors ability to control the state budget and thus has the ability to steer the bureaucracy

what is agenda setting

the ability of the media to influence public opinion about which issues the government should address

what is state of the state address

an address used to influence the states legislative agenda by outlining policy goals that need addressed

what is emergency legislation

legislation that is created in light of state emergencies that can be introduced in the first 30 days and voted on immediately after that

what is special session

Session called by the Governor to address an agenda set by him/her that lasts no longer than 30 days.

what is veto power

The governor can veto legislation that has passed through all other levels of Congress. However, the veto can be overridden by Congress.

What is a post adjournment veto?

A veto that occurs after the legislature adjourns thus preventing an override

what is pardon

the power to grant freedom of punishment

what are ceremonial duties

a mixture of informal and formal roles such as cutting ribbons at a new facility

what is a crisis manager

the expectation that the governor will provide strong leadership in times of a natural or man-made disaster

what is an informal power

powers composed of four elements 1)governors electoral mandate 2)political ambition ladder 3)personal future as a governor 4)performance ratings

what is a popular mandate

when a governor wins by a significant margin it is a clear indication that voters approved of his plans and thus legislature will be less likely to challenge their decisions

what is a political ambition ladder

The ability for a political figure to gain contacts and allies in each office held prior to their governor position.

who was the former chief justice of texas supreme court and what did he advocate for

Wallace Jefferson, advocated replacing partisan elections with merit based

what are the different types of courts

original, appellate, criminal, civil

What is exclusive jurisdiction?

Only federal courts may hear and decide cases based on federal law

what are the local courts power in order

justice and municipal -> county level -> district courts -> court of appeals -> supreme court and court of criminal appeals

what are the options for disposition

affirm, reverse, remand

what is the affirm action

agree with the lower court decision

what is the reverse action

override the lower court decision

what is the remand action

rule on a specific point in question, then send it back to the lower court

what are majority opinions

official ruling and why

What are concurring opinions?

opinions that support the majority opinion but stress another constitutional or legal basis for the ruling

What are dissenting opinions?

opinions in which they detail their disagreement with all or part of a majority opinion

What are per curiam decisions?

one submitted by the court as a whole rather than personally

What is a grand jury?

a jury that determines whether there is enough evidence to justify a trial

what are enhanced penalties

when charges and punishments are increased on the second offense

What is criminal law?

when there is evidence beyond a reasonable doubt (plaintiff vs defendant)

What is civil law?

the system of law concerned with private relations between members of a community rather than criminal, military, or religious affairs.

What law does the Supreme Court interpret?

civil

what law does the court of appeals handle

criminal

what do republicans favor

business and defendants

what do democrats favor

individuals and plaintiffs

What is a microcosm?

a community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristic qualities or features of something much larger.

what advantages can the defendant have

name recognition and incumbency advantage

what are some problems with the judiciary

raising funds, judges sleep during hearings, do not have to have law degrees, deaths are determined by medically untrained local elected officials

what was the 1995 judicial campaign fairness act

individuals may contribute 5000 per election, PACs may contribute 30000 per election, participation in these restrictions is voluntary, no more that 300000 can be donated

why is relaxing laws bad

it makes the politician look like they are soft on crime

what is tort

a wrongful act or an infringement of a right (other than under contract) leading to civil legal liability.

what is loser pays law

whoever loses a case has to pay for the other defendant/plaintiffs legal fees

What is the castle doctrine?

in texas, you can use deadly force to protect your home and family out of defense and not get penalized

who are the major contributors to texas judicial campaigns

criminal prosecutors and major corporations who might have cases which will appear before the judges

what would free judges from political pressure

lifetime appointments

what does merit remove

competition that requires campaigning and fundraising and results in more damage and minority judges

have recent reform proposals worked for the judiciary

they all failed (just like me)

what is there's a tendency for a texas

vigilante justice

what is frontier justice

being unsympathetic to prisoners

how does texas rank in incarceration

one of the largest in the country and in the world (7th highest in the us) (3rd highest in the world) (more prisoners than anyone else in the world at 4% of the population and 25% of all prisoners)

what is the private prison industry

industry that takes in prisoners from other states via faux privatization

what is the texas incarceration rate

584 inmates per 100000 residents

what did private prions lead to

a higher incarceration rate as companies push for longer sentencing and tougher laws

how are prison conditions

healthcare was cut by 75 million per the 82nd legislature, 21/110 are air conditioned, 50% rape rate

what was the war on drugs

On 14 October 1982, President Ronald Reagan declared illicit drugs to be a threat to US national security and the term 'War on drugs' was later coined. In 1988, Reagan created the Office of National Drug Control Policy to co-ordinate drug-related policy throughout the government.

how does the war on drugs affect prisons

it lead to higher incarceration rates

how much does texas spend per day for drug arrests

378,820

how much does texas spend on prisoner treatment

241 million

how much does texas spend on new prisons

1.6 billion

how much is spent per day for incarceration vs probation

47 vs 1.24

what percent of texas favor some form of marijuana legalization

77% (absolute fiends)

how does texas rank in executions

in top 10 countries (551 executions since 1976)

what won't european countries sell

lethal injection chemicals (cause y'all love killing people for some reason)

how many texans support the death penalty, and how many believe it's applied fairly

71% and 51%

what happened in the michael richards case

(2007) granted writ of cert by SCOTUS but the texas court of appeals refused to stay open an extra 20 minutes to heat the stay of execution

how much does it cost to execute someone

2.3 million

how much does it cost to imprison someone at the highest level for 40 years

750,000