Midterm 3

Question 0

House of Representatives Member

Answer 0

Age 25 
7-year Citizen 
elected for 2 years so they're more responsive to local constituents & interest groups 
elected by districts 
deal with local interests & specifics

Question 1

Iron triangle

Answer 1

Interest groups provide campaign contributions for members of Congress and it lobbies for larger budgets of agency
Agency provides gov’t contracts for interest group & constituency services for friendly members of congress
Congressional committee/subcommittee supports agency’s budgetary requests & programs the interest group favors

Question 2

Senator

Answer 2

Age 30
9-year Citizen
elected for 6 years
elected equally
2/3 staggered terms so 1/3 of seats are up for election every 2 years
Seek instead of serve existing interests on a national level

Question 3

Constituent

Answer 3

Residents in the area that an official is elected from

Question 4

Constituent services

Answer 4

Questions and issues that are solved by that constituents representative through the use of communication (fb, twitter)

Question 5

Ways of mobilization

Answer 5

Websites describing achievements 
social networking
mailing newsletters 
influence on a rep's behalf 
present bills

Question 6

Who gets elected?

Answer 6

Who runs (some candidates encourage more than others)
Incumbency advantage
how districts are drawn (districting, redistricting, gerrymandering issues)

Question 7

Incumbent

Answer 7

Position they previously served and getting reelected for the same office
Important role in American electoral system
The kind of repa citizens get in Washington

Question 8

Gerrymandering

Answer 8

Voters who are put together in the same district for another party to have an advantage over one racial/ethnic/political party during election time

Question 9

Congressional organization

Answer 9

US Congress both represents and governs
Includes: political parties, committee system, congressional staff (majority & minority leader, whip, speaker of the house) the caucus, and parliamentary rules of House & Senate

Question 10

Caucus

Answer 10

Closed political conference for Democrats

For Republicans, it’s called conference

Question 11

Speaker of the house

Answer 11

Chief presiding officer of HofR who shapes legislative agenda
Most important party anf house leader

Question 12

Conference committees

Answer 12

Temporary joint committees whose members are appointed by heads of both chambers
In charge of working out a compromise but in different versions

Question 13

Presidential veto

Answer 13

Final test of dedication

May be overridden by 2/3 vote in each chamber

Question 14

Articles 1,2,3

Answer 14

Legislative executive and judicial

Question 15

Inherent powers

Answer 15

Presidential powers implied but not directly stated by the Constitution
“Rights, duties, and obligations”

Question 16

Expressed powers of the President

Answer 16

Military 
Judicial 
Diplomatic 
-Executive agreement
Executive 
Legislative
-State of the Union address

Question 17

War Powers resolution of 1973

Answer 17

Pres. can send troops abroad ONLY by authorization of Congress or serious threat
Limit on presidential power
NIXON’s veto was unconstitutional

Question 18

Declaration of war

Answer 18

Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war

Congress is not declared war since December 8, 1941 in response to Pearl Harbor

Question 19

Executive agreements

Answer 19

A contract bt 2 countries (kinda like a treaty) but does not require the Senate’s “advice and consent”

Question 20

State of the Union address

Answer 20

Pres’s address to Congress recquired by Const each year

Opportunity for Pres to set legislative agenda & direct public attn to his goals (legislative initiative—spoiled brat)

Question 21

Political value of Vice President

Answer 21

Bring in voters that the Pres. can’t cuz of what he lacks in

Question 22

Origin of Federal Bureaus

Answer 22

Congress passes abroad law establishing and financing new agencies
“Bureau”“Cracy” = rule by offices & desks to implement policy

Question 23

What’s required for federal bureaucracies to do their job effectively?

Answer 23

Resources and tools
Communication with others
Effective outreach to the public

Question 24

Implementation

Answer 24

Process of putting a decision or plan into effect or execution Bureaucracy defines what laws will mean by rules and actions

Question 25

Regulatory agencies

Answer 25

Departments, bureaus, independent agencies who put restrictions & obligations on individuals or corporations in the private-sector Rules made by regulatory agencies have the force & effect of law

Question 26

Iron triangle

Answer 26

Relationship among congressional committee, administrative agency, 1+ interest groups

Question 27

USA patriot act (2001)

Answer 27

Unprecedented powers to detain foreign suspects, carry out wire traps & searches, conduct secret military tribunals, and build an integrated law enforcement and intelligence system *controversial cuz security vs liberty

Question 28

Congressional oversight

Answer 28

Constitutionally essential way to make the bureaucracy responsible for holding the agency accountable

Question 29

Freedom of information (FIOA)

Answer 29

Congress attempting to balance gov't secrecy vs citizens' right to know

Question 30

Original jurisdiction

Answer 30

``` The authority to initially consider a case Trial courts (lowest federal courts) are responsible for discovering facts in controversy and creating a record of judgment (A factual record) 89 district courts in the 50 states staffed by 679 federal district judges ```

Question 31

Appellate jurisdiction (Federal appeals courts)

Answer 31

Authority to hear appeals from a lower court's decision (20%) New facts cannot be presented before appellate courts 13 US Court of Appeals judicial districts with 179 judges Except for cases selected for review by the Supreme Court, decisions made by appeals courts are final Each court of appeals has 6-28 permanent judgeships, depending on the workload of the circuit Candidates are generally suggested to Pres. by Justice Department

Question 32

How many members does the Supreme Court have?

Answer 32

NINE MEMBERS since 1869: A Chief Justice and 8 associate Justices. They each cast one vote and Congress has the authority to change the quartz size

Question 33

Chief Justice

Answer 33

Presides over the Supreme Court's public sessions and whose official title is Chief Justice of United States

Question 34

Senatorial courtesy

Answer 34

The practice where the pres seeks the indication that senators from the candidates own state support the nomination he wants for federal judgeship before he does Nominees must be considered by Senate Judiciary Committee and confirmed by majority vote in the full Senate Generally does not apply to Supreme Court appointments, only to district and circuit court nominations Presidents appoint judges who possess legal experience and good character and whose views are similar to their own

Question 35

Cases that come first to the Supreme COurt include (4)

Answer 35

1. cases between the US & one of the 50 states 2. cases between 2+ states 3. cases involving foriegn ambassadors or other ministers 4. cases brought by one state against citizens of another state or against a foriegn country

Question 36

Writ of certiorari

Answer 36

granted whenever 4 of the 9 justices agree to review a decision of a lower court "certworthy" (someone who loses in a lower fed court has within 90 days to get a petition filed) if a case is not placed on discuss list, it's automatically denied certiorari

Question 37

Solicitor general

Answer 37

The top gov't lawyer in all cases before the Supreme Court in which gov't is a party

Question 38

Law clerks

Answer 38

Four clerks assigned to each SUpreme COurt justice hired to research legal issues & assist with preparation of opinions

Question 38

Law clerks

Answer 38

Four clerks assigned to each SUpreme COurt justice hired to research legal issues & assist with preparation of opinions

Question 39

Private sector

Answer 39

Sector of economy or a type of commercial activity

Question 40

Executive order

Answer 40

A rule issued by the president that acts like a law

Question 41

Council of economic advisers

Answer 41

Analyzes economic trends so Pres. can anticipate events

Question 42

Signing statements

Answer 42

His way of changing up the interpretation of the law by pointing out benefits

Question 43

Government corporations

Answer 43

Provide a public service like USPS or Amtrak

Question 44

State Department's primary mission

Answer 44

Engaging diplomacy

Question 45

Who impeaches government officials?

Answer 45

House of Representatives

Question 46

Stare Decisis

Answer 46

"Let the decision stand!" | Doctrine that a previous decision by a court applies as a precedent in similar cases until that decision is overruled

Question 47

Precedent

Answer 47

Previous decisions from prior cases that are used to understand how laws applied

Question 48

Due process

Answer 48

The right of every citizen against arbitrary action by national or state gov'ts Guaranteed by Const Hearing appeals from state-level courts

Question 49

Writ of habeas corpus

Answer 49

For prisoners who have been stripped from their rights Must raise issues not previously raised in their state appeals US Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction for Federal Court habeus decisions

Question 50

Supreme Court Justices

Answer 50

All appointed by Pres | Obama appointed Sonia Sotomayer (2009) & Glena Kagan (2010)

Question 51

Judicial review

Answer 51

Power of the Judiciary to review and, if necessary, declare actions of the legislative & executive branches invalid or unconstitutional (monitors other branches)

Question 52

Marbury v. Madison

Answer 52

1st US Sup Ct case to apply the principle of judicial review | Played a key role in making the Sup Ct a separate branch of gov't

Question 53

Dissenting opinions

Answer 53

A decision written by a Justice in the minority who wishes to express their reasoning in the case

Question 54

Judicial restraint

Answer 54

Judicial philosophy whose adherents refuse to go beyond the clear words of the Constitution in interpreting the documents meaning A.k.a. "strict constructionists"

Question 55

Judicial activism

Answer 55

Gives into politics instead | "Hello!! It's the 21st century!"