American Government Test 3

Describe the members in the House of Representatives.

Describe the Senate chamber.

Reallocation of seats in the House of Representatives on a basis of changes in the state's population since the last census

What are five reasons that incumbents often win reelections?

the now illegal practice of drawing legislative district boundaries to benefit an incumbent, a political party, or another group

A legislative district composed of a majority of a given minority community for the intent that it will make it more likely that a minority will be elected to Congress

What are the enumerated judicial powers of Congress?

What are the economic enumerated powers of Congress?

What are the enumerated national security powers of Congress?

What are the enumerated regulatory powers of Congress?

What are the enumerated administrative powers of Congress?

A model of representation in which a member of Congress should articulate and vote for the position that best represents the views of the constituents (Statesman)

A model of representation in which legislators, as representatives of their constituents, should vote in keeping with the constituents' views, even if those views contradict his or her own (politician)

What are the limits to being in Congress?

Legislators' appropriations of funds for special projects located in their congressional district

Personal work by a legislator on behalf of a constituent or group of constituents, typically aimed at geting the government to do something the constituent wants done

Where the legislative branch "checks" the executive branch to ensure that the laws Congress passed are being administered in the right way

determination by Congress of which public issues the government should consider for legislation

A pernament committee with a defined legislative jurisidiction (ex. Homeland Security)

A committee that decides the length of debate and the scope of amendments that will be allowed on a bill

The fourth step in passing a bill where this group reconciles two versions of a bill passed in both the House and the Senate

the primary committee considering a bill

the system in which the member with the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is given preference when the committee chooses its chair

congressional committees created to consider specific policy issues or adress a specific concern (temporary)

A bicameral committee composed of both chambers of Congress to study a piece of legislation

A subordinate committee in Congress that typically handles specific areas of a standing committee's jurisidiction

What four actions do a subcommittee perform when they favor a measure?

The most important committee in the House, which decides the length of debate and the scope of amendments that will be allowed on a bill

What are the three implied powers of the presidency?

a written message that the president issues upon signing a bill into law which can contradict what the bill says

an international agreement between the United States and other nations, not subject to Senate approval and only in effect during the administration of the president who negotiates the agreement

the president's selection of a running mate who brings diversity of ideology, geographic religion, age, gender, and race or ethnicity

exclusive power shall be vested in a president that he will "take care" thaat the laws will be faithfully executed

The right of the president to withold information from Congress or the courts, or the right to refuse to appear before legislative and judicial bodies

the power to speak out and have their news listened to

any organization with a hierarchal structure

a bureaucratic service where people work for the public

an executive branch untreated by Congress and the president that is responsible for a narrowly defined function over a particular department

an executive branch commission responsible for developing standards of behavior within specific industries and business (ex. Consumer Product Regulation, FCC)

a government entity that is allowed to make its own money (ex. Post Office)

somewhat independent, but has duties that cross the lines (ex. NASA, FDA)

a system of hiring and promotion based on an individual's competence

bureaucrats hired through the merit-based personnel program

this ivil servant can go to their supervisor and report mismanagement, fraud, corruption, etc

putting an ending date for a law (ex. Voting Rights Act)

a law that gives bureaucracies and other government entities the legal authority to spend money

legislation that opens up government functions and documents to the public

the highest court with limited jurisidiction whose decisions may not be appealed; it serves as the last resort in the U.S. Judiciary

the middle level in the federal court structure, also called the court of appeals

the court with original jurisidiction where facts are tried

when the Supreme Court decides what is legal or not; established by John Marshall

the process by which cases are brought and decided in the American legal system

a conflict between private individuals in which the plantiff alleges that some action or inaction by the defendant has resulted in harm to him or her

a case brought by the government or a prosecutor against a defendant, alleging that he or she has engaged in conduct resulting in injury to another person, and that his injury is so signifigant, it harms not only the individual but also the larger society

a wrongful act involving a personal injury or harm to one's property or reputation

the party seeking to have a lower court's decision reviewed by an appellate court; also called an appellant

the party opposing the hearing of a case by an appellate court; also called an appellee

law made by judges who decide cases and articulate legal principles in their opinions; based on the British system

laws created by legislators to regulate the behavior of individuals and organizations

Describe felonies.

Describe misdemeanors.

Where four justices that review every appeal handed to them agrees to hear a case if four or more agree to it

What is the criteria to the Rule of Four?

an order to a lower court to produce a certified record of a case to help judges decide the case before them

a document submitted by parties interested in a certain case or issue in an attempt to provide the court with information that may be used to decide the case (a.k.a friend of the court)

A judicial opinion agreeing with how a majority decides but disagreeing with at least some of the legal interpretations or conclusion s reached by majority

A judicial opinion disagreeing both with the majority's disposition of a case and with their legal interpretations and conclusions