Upgrade to remove ads
Only $35.99/year

AP Gov Unit 2: The Branches of Federal Gov't

Terms in this set (57)

House of Reps Qualifications
You must be 25 years old, 7 years a U.S. citizen, and a resident of the represented state; serves 2 terms
senate qualifications
30 years of age, 9 year US citizen, Inhabitant of state represented, STAGGERED elections; serves 6 years terms
Senators are meant to be more _____ from the public and any "passions" that might sweep through the populace
insulated; it adds stability to the legislative branch
In the original constitution, who elected senators and which amendment changed it to a direct election by us citizens?
state legislators; 17th amendment (1913) provided for the direct election of the US senators by voters in the state
Pork barrel spending
controversial legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states. While popular with constituents, this type of spending has been criticized for putting narrow interests ahead of those of the nation's voters
How does congress use oversight authority
to ensure that laws are implemented in a way that congress intended or to investigate the president or members of the executive branch for wrongdoing
impeachment
-congress can remove federal officials (pres, vp, federal judges) through impeachment
-house votes to accuse and the senate tries the case
-majority vote in the house is required to pass articles of impeachment
-chief justice of the SC presides over a presidential impeachment and a 2/3 vote is necessary to convict and remove from office
after a majority of the members of the house vote to impeach, a _____ vote to convict is needed in the senate
2/3
how many senate members are there and how are they selected?
100 members, 2 members from each state
-result of equal state representation is that individual voters are unequally represented in the Senate
Ex. the 586,107 citizen of wyoming gets two senators, so do the 39,144,818 citizens of california
-COULD BE CONSIDERED UNDEMOCRACTIC
how many members are in the house of reps and how are they selected
435 members, size of state's representation in the House depends on its pop.
Apportionment
the process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data
gerrymandering
the intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest group or group of voters
Baker v. Carr (1962)
a registered republican challenged the TN state legislature's district boundaries, which hadn't been changed since 1901.
-As a result, some districts contained 10x the pop. of other districts
-TN argued it was a state issue, SC requires TN to REDRAW CONGRESSIONAL BOUNDARIES so that each district had abt the same # of constituents
-"One person, one vote" articulated in Gray v. Sanders and Reynold v. Sims
Malapportionment
the uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts
-is unconstitutional bc it violates the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment
shaw v reno
the court rejected a NC reapportionment plan designed to produce majority-minority districts bc it resulted in a bizarre shaped district and used RACE to such a degree that it could only be interpreted as to separate voters into separate districts on the basis of race
money buys more ....
airtime, advertising and campaign events, which are important for new candidates to get their message out
Money also buys
information- hiring pollsters can help a candidate understand their constituents' preferences
Incumbents usually enjoy ...
higher levels of name recognition than their challengers, which is increased by media coverage
Incumbents perform ....
casework for individual constituents, especially in healing them deal w the federal and state bureaucracy
speaker of the house
only house leadership position mentioned in the constitution
-has a considerable amt of power
-2nd in line of succession
What two positions assist the senate
house majority leader, 2nd in command, and the majority whip (both power players)
whip
a member of Congress, chosen by his or her party members, whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline
-they collect info abt house each member is planning to vote, corral su[port on key votes, and set party strategy
house minority leader
-has far less influence in the house than the speaker but works to coordinate minority party activity, opposition to the majority party, and overall strategy.
-they have their own whips
senate majority leader
most powerful position in the senate
-chosen from the majority party
-not as powerful as the speaker of the house, but plays a key role in shaping the legislative agenda
standing committees
where most of the work gets done
-they are PERMANENT and divided by policy area and members tend to serve on them for mult. terms, developing expertise
select or special committees
temporary and usually called to investigate an issue, sometimes in response to crisis or scandal
the steps of the legislative process
intro, referral to committee, committees and subcommittees, floor consideration, resolution of differences, and presidential action
Referral to committee
-committees are very important to the ultimate success or failure of a bill
-assignment to committee involved strategic political calculations (IMPORTANT)
-bills can be assigned to mult. committees
Discharge petition
is filed in the House; to free a bill from an unfriendly committee and move it to the house floor for a vote if a majority of reps agrees
House rules committee
most powerful and important committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate lasts, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor.
FIlibuster
the power of an individual senator to talk and talk and delay a motion or vote on the floor
discrentionary spending
for programs and policies at the discretion of congress and the president, including defense spending, constituted a much smaller slice of the pie
delegate role
the idea that the main duty of a member of congress is to carry out constituents' wishes
trustee role
the idea that members of congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgment
politico role
representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents and parties in making decisions
descriptive representation
where members of congress mirror some of the more frequent experiences and outward manifestations of belonging to the group
-this is to make a more accurate reflection of america within congress
increasing descriptive representation in congress also increases....
membership of a particular group, like women and ethnic minorities, who remain under represented in proportion to their share of the pop.
Yaser Hamdi
-was an american citizen
-was accused of aiding the taliban in operations against the US military in Afghanistan
-was moved to a series of US military facilities where he was held as an "enemy combatant" without an attorney or the right to challenge his detention in US courts (NO DUE PROCESS)
writ of habeas corpus
court order requiring the gov't to describe the charges and produce evidence against someone charged w/ a crime
what made a lot of american uncomfortable
obama's administration deciding to use drone attacks on american citizens
-americans believed it violated due process
Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001
-the obama administration argued that the targeted killing was the only option to protect national security
-passed after 9/11, presidents had the authority ot use military force against terrorists and their associates
formal (enumerated) powers
powers that are given to the president explicitly in the constitution
Fed 70
-written by hamilton
-addresses the concerns abt creating a single executive with too much power
-focuses on the importance of having a single, energetic executive. Having more than one executive decreases the ability to take strong, decisive action. Easier for the public to blame one person
22nd amendment
-Limits the president to two terms.
-george washington chose to step down after 2 terms, setting this precedent
what can the president do as chief diplomat in terms of treaties
-authorized to make treaties, appoint ambassadors and receive them, subject to a 2/3 ratification vote in the senate
veto
President's power to reject a bill passed by a legislature
-even a threat of veto can shape legislation
-can be overriden by a 2/3 vote in both houses
commander in chief
-the president is at the top of the military chain of command, including the strategic nuclear forces of the nation
-congress is given the power to declare war, but the nation might not be able to respond quickly to threats if Congress isn't in session
-therefore, president was also given the role in war making
executive agreements
Agreements with a president and another nation that doesn't have the same durability as a treaty but does not need senate approval (non-binding)
war powers resolution
-A law passed in 1973 spelling out the conditions under which the president can commit troops without congressional approval.
-once introduced the president is required o notify congress within 48 hours of the circumstances necessitating armed forces
-unless war is declared or passed authorization, the president must withdraw forces within 60 days, with a 30-day extension if necessary to withdraw forces safely
Trump's Travel Ban
issued a travel ban on immigrants from 7 predominantly Muslim countries.
-the SC upheld parts of the ban and blocked others
- in response, the trump administration revised the travel restriction, dropping iraq from the ban and eliminating language that expressed a reference for certain religious groups
25th Amendment
(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
the executive office of the president
-great depression and WWII forever altered the power of the presidency under FDR
-presidential scholar fred greenstein argues that these changes are so profound that it warrants a new label: the modern presidency
1. the president now regularly initiates legislation
2. many unilateral powers have bee delegated to the president by congress, including greater authority over trade policy and war
3. the president is now the focus of public attention
4. there is a large staff directly working for the president in the EOP- which contains the president's closest advisors
bargaining and persuasion
an informal tool used by the president to persuade members of CONGRESS to support his or her policy initiatives
ex. phone calls, face to face interactions, etc
going public
a tactic through which presidents reach out directly to the American people (the PUBLIC) with the hope that the people will, in turn, put pressure upon their representatives and senators to press for a president's policy goals
what can dramatically change a president's public approval ratings
sometimes unanticipated events can quickly change public approval ratings
ex. George w. bush after 9/11- approval rating rose to 90% - highest ever recorded however it declined as time went on w skepticism over his handling of the war in iraq and an economic recession
presidential power and the war on terror
-the question of presidential power has grown more complex and controversial in the age of terrorism
-the ability to act first and act alone is a tool unique to the president
hamdi v. rumsfield (2004)
the SC considered the petition by yaser hamdi's father, challenging his son's detention in guantanamo bay
-sandra day o'conner delivered the court's opinion, concluding that "a state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens"
-the decision asserted that yaser hamdi has the right to a hearing before a neutral decision maker
-even in times of war, the president may not act unilaterally if doing so violates the consitutional rights of americans
Sets found in the same folder