PLS Midterm

• voting directly on propositions raised by fellow citizens
• often at state level

• principals "hire" agents to do a task for them, but the principal can't be sure the agent is acting faithfully
• ex: a car mechanic or chef

• system of shared powers between 2+ levels of government where subunit governments are independent of national government and can't be compelled to do anything
• voluntary compliance
• has serious collective action issues, inhibit achieving goals for common good

• rulings go beyond interpreting the law in order to promote their agenda
• ideologies interfere with objectivity in rulings

state level voting during term of elected official  to vote them out of office

state or local level, funds for special projects (school lunch program, new transportation, etc.)

• case was brought there on appeal by plaintiff or defendant after decision in lower level court
• no new evidence or witnesses allowed
• make decision based on the soundness of  procedures in lower level court decision
• SCOTUS can have both original and appellate jurisdiction, depending on nature of case and parties involved

• briefs submitted by "friends of the court" (people who don't have a stake in the outcome)
• letters supporting one side of the other, sometimes requested by Court from experts to write academically on matter

• Voting in line with your party to advance the general agenda of the party
• without this, nothing would get decided because votes would be scattered
• also can help avoid collective action problems

• "winner takes all"
• 2 parties will always naturally happen
• minority rule causes small party voters to want to vote for a big party
• people also start voting against they don't like

request of information by SCOTUS for case information if 4/9 justices approve to hear case

• party leaders control agenda and force members to vote a certain way
• role of the rules committee

• security under different factions
• large factions unable to take away power from smaller ones
• better off with reps for people rather than direct democracy

redrawing district lines so that a party can get a voting advantage

• a situation where the goals of one individual conflict with those of the group
• government can help solve these by creating rules; without these rules, chaos would ensue
• ex: without government, services like police and firefighting would be upderprovided

sum of money given by the national government; no limits on how it's spent, so long as the purpose fits in broad goals set by national government

strategic interaction where each party would be better off with cooperation, but each are incentivized not to

a court with this means the case originated in that level of court

• primarily focused on black's rights
• focused on unjust laws in south, signaled a movement away from courts
• resulted in Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965)

power to decide if law or act of government is constitutional

law described in documentation, judges have authority to declare how law is interpreted when deciding cases

• opinion written by justice in minority about why the minority disagrees
• good for future reference with similar cases

• based on SCOTUS clause, federal courts have authority to overturn state court decisions and decide their constitutionality
• Fletcher v. Peck was first time SCOTUS declared state law unconstitutional
• SCOTUS saw danger in different interps of same law and declared the need for authoritative court to coordinate single interp.

• "stand by the things that have been settled"
• basis for common law system
• decisions in similar cases of the past will be referenced for precedent on how to rule on case

judge believes their role is to interpret the law based on the original intentions for writing the law

• further legal action won't make much of a difference 
• -ex: that one about a kid suing for college admission unfairness, and then getting accepted during lawsuit