AP GOV Chapter 12/15

Question 1

22nd Amendment

Answer 1

Limits the president to two terms or 10 years.

Question 2

25th Amendment

Answer 2

(1) Succession of VP if president dies or become incapable to do his job.
(2) if there is no VP, president must appoint one, and congress must approve

Question 3

Impeachment

Answer 3

process of bringing formal charges against a public official

Question 4

indictment

Answer 4

the act of accusing; a formal accusation

Question 5

who impeaches president

Answer 5

house of reps simple majority

Question 6

who removes president from office

Answer 6

senate 2/3 vote

Question 7

executive orders

Answer 7

Regulations originating with the executive branch. Executive orders are one method presidents can use to control the bureaucracy.

Question 8

cabniet

Answer 8

The heads of the 15 executive branch departments of the federal government

Question 9

National Security Council

Answer 9

National Security Council
An agency in the Executive Office of the President that advises the president on national security

Question 10

council of economic advisors

Answer 10

Three economic experts to help president understand and develop economic policy; must be confirmed by senate

Question 11

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Answer 11

The office prepares the president’s annual budget proposal, reviews the budget and programs of the executive departments, supplies economic forecasts, and conducts detailed analyses of proposed bills and agency rules.

Question 12

Veto message

Answer 12

A message from the president to Congress stating that he will not sign a bill it has passed. Must be produced within ten days of the bill’s passage.

Question 13

War Powers Resolution

Answer 13

requires presidents to consult with Congress whenever possible prior to using military force and to withdraw forces after 60 days unless Congress declares war or grants an extension.

Presidents view the resolution as unconstitutional.

Question 14

going public

Answer 14

when the President uses public opinion to persuade the Congress to follow his programs.

(obama on jimmy fallon)

Question 15

President Approval Ratings

Answer 15

the percent of americans who feel that the president is doing his job in office

Question 16

Bully Pulpit

Answer 16

the president’s use of his prestige and visibility to guide or enthuse the American public

Question 17

circular structure

Answer 17

several of the president’s assistants report directly to him

Question 18

divided government

Answer 18

one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress; opposite of unified government

Question 19

Electoral College

Answer 19

The people chosen to cast each state’s votes in a presidential election. Each state can cast one electoral vote for each senator and representative it has. The District of Columbia has three electoral votes, even though it cannot elect a representative or senator.

Question 20

gridlock

Answer 20

the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government

Question 21

Budget Reform Act of 1974

Answer 21

Requires the president to spend all appropriated funds unless he first tells Congress what funds he wishes not to spend and Congress, within forty five days, agrees to delete the items.

Question 22

signing statement

Answer 22

informal power that informs Congress and the public of the president’s interpretation of laws passed by Congress and signed by the president

Question 23

legislative veto

Answer 23

The authority of Congress to block a presidential action after it has taken place. The Supreme Court has held that Congress does not have this power

Question 24

line-item veto

Answer 24

the authority, held by many governors but not by the president, to veto specific items in a bill without vetoing it in its entirety

Question 25

pocket veto

Answer 25

A bill fails to become law because the president did not sign it within ten days before Congress adjourns

Question 26

hierarchical (pyramid) structure

Answer 26

a president’s subordinates report to him through a clear chain of command headed by a chief of staff

Question 27

unified government

Answer 27

the same party controls the White House and both houses of Congress; opposite of divided government

Question 28

State of the Union Address

Answer 28

a speech given annually by the president to a joint session of Congress in January of each year. The president discusses the current condition of the United States and makes proposals for the coming year’s legislative action. Required by the constitution.

Question 29

lame duck

Answer 29

A person still in office after he or she has lost a bid for reelection or is term limited out

Question 30

impoundment

Answer 30

A presidential refusal to spend money appropriated by Congress

Question 31

Judicial Review

Answer 31

review by the US Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act; started in Marbury v Madison by Chief Justice John Marshall

Question 32

dual court system

Answer 32

System under which US citizens are subject to the jurisdiction of both national and state courts

Question 33

justiciable disputes

Answer 33

a requirement that to be heard a case must be capable of being settled as a matter of law rather than on other grounds as is commonly the case in legislative bodies

Question 34

amicus curiae

Answer 34

individual or organization that comes in to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case.

Question 35

brief

Answer 35

A written statement by an attorney that summarizes a case and the laws and rulings that support it

Question 36

class action suit

Answer 36

A case brought by someone to help him or her and all others who are similarly situated

Question 37

concurring opinion

Answer 37

An opinion that agrees with the majority in a Supreme Court ruling but differs on the reasoning.

Question 38

constitutional court

Answer 38

A federal court authorized by the Constitution that keeps judges in office during good behavior and prevents their salaries from being reduced. They are the Supreme Court (created by the Constitution) and appellate and district courts created by Congress

Question 39

Circuit Court of Appeals

Answer 39

courts with appellate jurisdiction that hear appeals from the decisions of lower courts

Question 40

dissenting opinion

Answer 40

A statement written by a justice who disagrees with the majority opinion, presenting his or her opinion

Question 41

district courts

Answer 41

The 91 federal courts of original jurisdiction. They are the only federal courts in which trials are held and in which juries may be impaneled.

Question 42

Rule of Four

Answer 42

At least four justices of the Supreme Court must vote to consider a case before it can be heard

Question 43

solicitor general

Answer 43

The fourth-ranking member of the Department of Justice; responsible for handling nearly all appeals on behalf of the U.S. government to the Supreme Court.

Question 44

senatorial courtesy

Answer 44

a custom whereby presidential 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.

Question 45

diversity cases

Answer 45

cases w citizens from different states where the federal courts have jurisdiction as described in the Constitution

Question 46

Plaintiff

Answer 46

a person who brings a case against another in a court of law.

Question 47

writ of certiorari

Answer 47

Order by the Supreme Court directing a lower court to send up the records of a case for review

Question 48

political question

Answer 48

An issue the Supreme Court will allow the executive and legislative branches to decide

Question 49

precedent

Answer 49

an example that may serve as a basis for imitation or later action

Question 50

stare decisis

Answer 50

Let the decision stand; decisions are based on precedents from previous cases

Question 51

per curiam

Answer 51

A brief, unsigned opinion issued by the Supreme Court to explain its ruling.

Question 52

Jurisdiction

Answer 52

an area of authority or control; the right to administer justice

Question 53

appellate jurisdiction

Answer 53

The jurisdiction of courts that hear cases brought to them on appeal from lower courts. These courts do not review the factual record, only the legal issues involved.

Question 54

original jurisdiction

Answer 54

The jurisdiction of courts that hear a case first, usually in a trial. These are the courts that determine the facts about a case.

Question 55

docket

Answer 55

a court’s calendar, showing the schedule of cases it is to hear

Question 56

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Answer 56

1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.
EX OF

Question 57

activist approach

Answer 57

the view that judges should discern the general principles underlying laws or the Constitution and apply them to modern circumstances

Question 58

strict constructionist approach (judicial restraint)

Answer 58

the view that judges should decide cases strictly on the basis of the language of the laws and the Constitution

Question 59

Wheels and Spokes

Answer 59

everyone talks to president with their issues (overwhelming, but ideal)