Final – Flashcards

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In recent years, about ________ percent of U.S. House incumbents win re-election.
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95
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What did the Supreme Court justices declare in Miller v. Johnson (1995)?
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In Miller vs. Johnson the Supreme Court justices limited racial re-districting by ruling that race could not be the predominant factor in creating electoral districts.
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Pork-barrel legislation
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is appropriations made by legislative bodies for local projects that are often not needed but that are created so that local representatives can win re-election in their home districts.
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The frequency with which they must seek re-election makes members of the U.S. House
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more attuned to legislative needs of local interest groups.
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What are the most common private bills proposed in Congress?
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The most common private bills proposed in Congress are concerned with obtaining citizenship for foreign nationals who cannot get permanent visas to the United States because the immigration quota for their country is filled or because of something unusual about their particular situation.
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Who has the most real power in the Senate?
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Real power is in the hands of the majority leader and minority leader.
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How can a president's veto be overridden by Congress?
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A Presidents veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate.
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In addition to pressuring members of Congress to vote a certain way on a bill, interest groups also have substantial influence in
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in setting the legislative agenda and helping craft specific languages in legislation.
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Oversight can best be described as the
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efforts by Congress, through hearings, investigations, and other techniques, to exercise control over the activities of executive agencies.
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The Senate's constitutional power of advice and consent extends to which of the following?
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The senate's constitutional power of advice and consent extends to approve or reject presidential requests and to set conditions. Two-thirds senators present must concur treaties; a simple majority required for appointments.
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Congress is a ________legislature with ________members.
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Bicameral, 535
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A bicameral legislature is one that has ________.
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2 Chambers.
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The idea of ________representation identifies the best representative as the one who shares a similar racial, ethnic, religious, or occupational background with those he or she represents.
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Sociological
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According to ________representation, a legislator should be viewed as a person who is hired to represent the interests of his or her constituents.
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Agency
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Gerrymandering refers to the
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apportionment of votes in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party.
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Which of the following statements concerning the representation of women and minorities in the U.S. Congress is true?
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The representations of women and minorities in the U.S. Congress have increased in the past two daces but for the most part of American history, these groups had no representatives in Congress. Even now, their representation is still not comparable to the proportions in the general population.
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The House Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over ________.
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taxes, trade, and expensive entitlement programs (Ex Social security and Medicare).
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The four joint committees in Congress are
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economic, taxation, library, and printing.
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Which of the following is NOT a resource congressional party leaders have at their disposal to secure the unity and cooperation of their members?
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Constituency service
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Most members of the House attempt to stay on good terms with the Speaker of the House because the Speaker
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is the most important party and House leader and can influence the legislative agenda, the fate of individual piece of legislation, and members' positions within the House.
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The office of the presidency was established by Article ________ of the Constitution.
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2nd
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________ powers are specifically established by the language of the Constitution.
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Expressed
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The president's delegated powers come from ________.
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Congress.
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Executive agreements differ from formal treaties in that they
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don't require the Senate's "advice and consent".
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What is required for Congress to override a presidential veto?
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No bill vetoed by the president can become a law unless both the House and the Senate override the veto by a two-thirds vote.
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The State of the Union address is
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mandated by the constitution.
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An executive order is
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a rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect and formal status of legislation.
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Which of the following has caused an increase in the president's delegated powers?
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The expansion of government activity in the United States since the New Deal. Congress cannot execute and administer all the programs it creates and the laws it enacts, inevitably Congress must turn to the hundreds of departments and agencies in the executive branch to implement its goals; increasing scope and complexity of legislation
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The ________ asserted that the president could send American troops into action abroad only in the event of a declaration of war or other statutory authorization by Congress, or if American troops were attacked or directly endangered.
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War Powers Resolution
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Why is the president's State of the Union address important?
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The President's State of the Union address is important because it is a provision that allows the President to become the primary initiator of proposals for congressional action and the principle source for public awareness of national issues; is an opportunity for the president to set the legislative agenda by initiating proposals and directing public attention to the executive's goals.
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The power to receive ambassadors is an example of ________.
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Diplomatic Powers
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Which of the following is NOT an expressed power of the president under Article II of the U.S. Constitution?
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The power to declare war. All Expressed Powers Military: as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and the militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States. Judicial: Provides the power to "grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment" Diplomatic: Provides the power "by and with the Advice and Consent of the senate, to make Treaties" and the power to "receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers." Executive: Section 3 authorizes the president to see to it that all the laws are faithfully executed Sections 2 gives the chief executive the power to appoint, remove, and supervise all executive officers and to appoint all federal judges. Legislative: Provides the power to participate authoritatively in the legislative process
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Which of the following statements about the presidential veto is most accurate?
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Presidential veto is the president's constitutional power to prevent a bill from becoming a law. It makes the president the single most important legislative leader. No bill vetos by the president can become law unless both the Senate and House override the veto by a two-thirds vote.
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The ________ is the informal designation for the heads of the major federal government departments.
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Cabinet
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The Office of Management and Budget is important because
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of its roles in preparing the national budget, designing the president's program, reporting on agency activities, and overseeing regulatory proposals making OMB personnel part of virtually every conceivable presidential responsibility.
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The main political value of the vice president is to
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to bring the president votes in the election from a group or region that would not otherwise be a likely source of support.
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Which statement about the Cabinet is INCORRECT?
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***The cabinet does not meet as a group, except during the State of the Union address. The Cabinet has no constitutional status, Cabinet meets but it makes no decisions as a group, Cabinet members are responsible to the president not to the Senate or Congress at large, cabinet secretaries are appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate.
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The expansion of the Executive Office of the President, the development of regulatory review, and the use of executive orders have been important because they
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Enhance the president's power
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According to separation of powers expert Louis Fisher, the powers of Congress have declined dramatically in which of the following areas?
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National defense and the federal budget.
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Which of the following statements about Congress and the executive branch is most accurate?
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***
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The phrase stare decisis is
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a latin phrase meaning "let the decision stand"
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________ occurs when a criminal case is resolved through a negotiated agreement before a full trial is completed.
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Plea Bargains
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About ________ percent of all cases in the United States are heard in state courts.
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99
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A writ of habeas corpus declares that
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a court order that the individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention; guaranteed by the Constitution and can be suspended only in cases of rebellion or invasion.
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Prisoners who are challenging their convictions are most likely to seek a writ of ________.
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Habeas Corpus
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Which of the following statements about federal courts is most accurate?
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***
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How many justices currently serve on the Supreme Court?
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Currently 8, Normally 9
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The size of the U.S. Supreme Court is set by ________.
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Congress.
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What was known as the "court packing" plan?
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Court Packing Plan was FDR's plan to add a few sympathetic justices to the bench to pass his New Deal programs it came to be known as "the switch that saved nine."
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In recent years, federal court appointments have
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been affected by increasing partisan conflict; more intensely partisan and ideological.
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There are approximately ________ federal district court judges in the United States.
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679
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What is the most frequent and best-known action of Supreme Court justices in their role as circuit justices?
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Is that of reviewing requests for states of execution when the full Court is unable to do so— primarily during the summer, when the Court is in recess.
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Which of the following statements about the U.S. Courts of Appeals is INCORRECT?
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***The appeals courts are able to hear all cases involving federal law, but not constitutional law.
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Through the exercise of ________, the Supreme Court has held actions or laws of the executive and legislative branches unconstitutional.
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Judicial Review
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The Supreme Court's power to review acts of Congress has not been seriously questioned because
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the Supreme Court makes a self-conscious effort to give acts to congress an interpretation that will make the constitution. The Constitution does not give the Supreme Court the power of Judicial Review over congressional enactments.
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Marbury v. Madison was decided in ________.
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1803
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The number of cases filed in the Supreme Court
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9,036
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Under normal rules of oral argument, each lawyer has ________ to present his or her case before the Supreme Court.
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Only half an hour
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The assignment of the opinion in a Supreme Court case is
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the written explanation of the Supreme Court's decision in a particular case.
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Which of the following best describes the role of the solicitor general?
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The solicitor general is the third ranking official in the Justice Department but the top government lawyer in virtually all cases before the Supreme Court in which the government is a party. The solicitor general controls the flow of cases by screening them before any agency of the federal government can appeal them to the Supreme Court.
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