POSI 2310 EXAM 2 - TEXAS STATE, PETER GAZDA

Standing Committee

A permanent committee in congress

What statements about congressional committees are true?

- They each specialize in a certain area of legislation
- They make it possible for congress to consider a high volume of bills

Speaker of the House

The most powerful leader in the House of Representatives

When does a bill become a law?

- When the president signs it
- When congress overrides a presidential veto

Redistricting

When congressional district boundaries are redrawn within a state

Majority Leader

The most powerful leadership position in the Senate

Speaker of the House duties:

- Recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor
- Scheduling legislation for floor consideration

Midterm Election

Elections held in years between presidential election

Party Caucus

To plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in congress typically meet behind closed doors

When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously?

- When members are annoyed with an agency
- When members are intending to modify an agency program

Roll-call vote

The trend toward party unity in congress, can clearly be seen in voting records of members congress when their votes are officially recorded

Joint Committee

A committee that is composed of members of both chambers of congress

Filibuster

When members of the Senate wish to halt or delay the passage of a bill

The Speaker of the House is effectively chosen by who?

The majority party

Franking

The privilege of incumbents to send mail to their constitutes at the government's expense

Why are incumbents reelected?

Many congressional districts and some states are lopsidedly Democratic or Republican

President Pro Tempore

Senate position that has been honorary in nature

The Rules Committee

In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor

Jurisdiction

When a bill falls into the area in which a committee is authorized to act, that committee is said to have

Constituency

Members of Congress usually serve on congressional committees that concentrate on policy areas that affect the members' -

Logrolling

The practice in which members of congress agree to vote for a bill in exchange for their colleague's vote on another bill

Distributive

Most of the bills passed

Incumbent

In the large majority cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the -

Legislative Gridlock

The increase in party polarization in congress has led to increased -

Common threats to Incumbency:

- Personal misconduct
- Disruptive issues
- Strong challengers

Casework

When an incumbent personally helps constitutes' solve problems with federal bureaucracy

Whip

Acts as a go-between with the leadership and the party members in the House

Congress

Has the power to formally declare war

The Executive Office:

- White House Office
- National Security Council
- Office of management and budget
- Council of Economic Advisors

How many votes does it take to remove the president from office?

Two-thirds vote from the Senate

Cabinet

The leaders of the top executive departments

The President

Is constitutionally required to see that the laws passed by congress are faithfully executed

Vice President:

- Holds an elective office separate from that of the president
- Typically form part of the presidential team
- Is assigned different roles by the president

The Senate

Has the power to remove the president from office

The House of Representatives

Has the power to Impeach the President

Original Jurisdiction

The authority to be the first court to hear a case

State Law

The structure of the state court system

Federal courts address which two types of laws?

- Federal statutory law
- Administrative laws

What are limits on judicial power?

- The facts of the case
- the law itself

Writ of Certiorari

When 4 Supreme Court Justices agree to request a record of the case from a lower court

Open Seat

No incumbents running for election

Cloture

Is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end.

Senate

- Each state has two members elected
- Must be 30 years old to run for election
- Term is 6 years

Veto

A constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body

House of Representatives

- There are a total of 435 elected members
- Must be 25 years old to run for election
- Term is 2 years

President

- Must be 35 year of age to run for office
- Must be a natural -born citizen of the United States
- Must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years prior to his or her election

Committee

Needs jurisdiction to hear bill

Senior Members

- Appointed
- Confirmed by the Senate

Primary

Controlled by party national convention

Whig Theory

Is a political term in the United States referring to a strict constructionist view regarding presidential power and the United States Constitution, where a president's power is limited to those powers specifically enumerated by the Constitution.

Stewardship Theory

- President can do anything that is not prohibited by law
- Used today

Invisible Primary

- Candidate runs unofficially
- Consideration not offical
- Example: Hillary Clinton

Primary

Year for election

Campaign

Momentum, build delegates, drop-outs, etc.

White House Office

Core of the Presidential staff system

Cabinite

Presidential staff of choice

Honeymoon Phase

The president "can do no wrong"

Star Decisor

Issue of using the president to help make a decision

Judicial Review

Power of the court to decide if a court has acted within its powers

Plurality

When several Justices write concurring opinions

Concurring Opinion

Written by a Justice who agrees with the decision, but wants to make it clear they disagree with the reasoning.

Executive Departments

- Overseen by the president
- Department of Homeland Security is the newest one

Desenting Opinion

Written by a Justice on the losing side who wants to make it clear they feel the decision was wrong and give their own legal reasoning why

Functions of Congress

- Make law
- Tax
- Spend
- Establish courts

How are federal court judges selected?

- Appointed by the president
- Confirmed by the Senate

Impeachment Process

House decides whether to bring impeachment charges against the president, and the Senate tries the charges

Implied Powers

Powers that derive from necessay and proper clause

Judicial Activism

- View the Constitution as a living document
-Shape constitutional meaning to fit the needs of contemporary society
- Vigorously review the action of other branches of government

Judicial Restraint

- View judiciary as least democratic branch
- Rely on original intent of the founding fathers. In other words, they would adhere to position of strict construction referring to how the constitution is written.

Line of succession for President (1st, 2nd, 3rd)

-Vice President
- Speaker
- President Pro Tempore

Powers of Legislature

Both the House and the Senate have concurrent powers, meaning, equal responsibility for declaring war, maintaining armed forces, and so on (U.S. Constitution, Article 1)

Reapportionment

Reallocation of seats in the House of Representatives to each state based on changes in the state's population since the last census. (Every 10 years)

Rule of Four

The Supreme Court practice by which the Court will agree to hear a case if four or more justices vote to hear it

Supreme Court

- 3rd tier
- Both original and appeals

Which body is the most representative?

US Congress
- The House of Representatives

Courts of Appeals

"Circuit Courts"
- Intermediate appellate courts in the federal system that review the application of law in previous decisions made by courts
- There are 12 of them

District Courts

- 1st tier
- Cases are heard on original jurisdiction
- There are 94 of them

Checks and Balances

The mechanisms by which each branch of government can monitor and limit the functions of the other branches, branches of government can limit the powers of others

- President, Veto
- Legislature, Override the Veto
- Court, Checks the legislature through power of Judicial Review

Majority Opinion

The "main" opinion written by the "winning" side. States a reasoning for the Court's decision

Ruling

- The decision
- The opinion

Oral Argument

Attorneys for each side will present a statement of their view and reasoning, usually limited to 30 minutes

National Conventions

- The Parties hold these at different places and times in different cities
- State delegates debate and cast their votes for the Party's Presidential nominee

Electoral College

- Is used only to elect the President of the United States
- Is a body of people made up of Republican or Democrat "electors" who were chosen at their state conventions to serve this role

Total Number of Electoral Votes:

538

Proposal

How a bill begins

Bill

Is a proposed law

Amend

To make additions

Mark Up

To edit the language of a bill

Pigeonhole

To "set aside" a bill

Americans have historically voted for a President who is:

- Male - Lawyer
- White - Older
- Married - Has government experience
- Well-educated - Has Charisma
- Wealthy - Comes from a state with many electoral votes

The President serves a number of roles that include:

- Commander-in-Chief
- Chief Executive
- Chief Diplomat
- Chief Legislator
- Chief of Party
- Chief Citizen

Commander-in-Chief

Commands the nation's armed forces

Chief Executive

Boss of the principal officers of the executive departments, power to grant pardons, power to make treaties with consent of the Senate, power to appoint Supreme Court Justices, fill vacancies, take care the the laws be executed

Chief Diplomat

The main architect of American foreign policy, make treaties with consent of the Senate; receives foreign ministers and ambassadors

Chief Legislator

Recommends bills, veto's bills or signs them into law; provides Congress information about the State of the Union, etc...

Chief of Party

The President is considered the leader of the political party to which he belongs

Chief Citizen

The representative of all the people

Execute

Carry out laws passed by Congress

How many members of Congress are there?

535:
- 435 Representatives
- 100 Senators

Committee Member

All members of Congress serve on Committees, and evaluate bills