Category 1
This is the clout that allows presidents to leverage media visibility and public attention.
What is the bully pulpit?
These come from the president and direct federal agencies without congressional approval, carrying the force of law.
The Constitution grants the president authority to convene extraordinary sessions of ____________ during national emergencies.
What is Congress?
The ____________ of the ___________ address fulfills a constitutional obligation to report to Congress, functioning as the president’s primary agenda-setting moment.
What is the State of the Union?
Congress can override a presidential veto with a ________-_______ vote in both chambers, though overrides are historically rare.
What is two-thirds?
Once both chambers approve identical text, the bill goes to the president, who may sign it, ______ it, or let it become law without signature.
What is veto?
The ___________ serves as the sole court for impeachment trials, requiring a two-thirds vote to convict and remove an official.
What is the Senate?
This consists of the head of 15 executive departments who advise the president and manage their agencies' operations.
What is the cabinet?
Cabinet secretaries face divided loyalty between the president and _________.
What is Congress?
The president holds sole power of __________ recognition, deciding which foreign governments the United States formally acknowledges as legitimate.
What is diplomatic?
The __________ power grants absolute authority to forgive federal criminal offenses, with no congressional override or judicial review possible.
What is pardon?
The Baker case rejected the political question barrier, opening federal courts to malapportionment claims and setting up one ______, one _____.
What is one person, one vote?
____________ manipulates district lines for partisan advantage, using packing to concentrate opposing voters and cracking to split them across districts.
What is gerrymandering?
Following reapportionment, _________ redraws district lines within each state, and most legislatures control it, making the process inherently political.
What is redistricting?
This office prepares the president's annual budget proposal and reviews all agency regulations.
What is the Office of Management and Budget?
This entity houses specialized advisory agencies serving the president directly.
What is the Executive Office of the President?
This claims confidentiality over internal White House communications, shielding presidential deliberations from congressional or judicial demands.
What is executive privilege?
________ v. _________ (1993) held bizarrely shaped, race-driven districts must survive strict scrutiny, even when intended to help minority voters.
What is Shaw v. Reno?
_________ v. ________ (1962) challenged Tennessee districts unchanged for sixty years, where rural votes carried far more weight than urban ones.
What is Baker v. Carr?
Committees may hold hearings, amend the bill through __________, and vote to report it favorably to the full chamber.
What is markup?
The __________ allows a senator to delay or block a vote through extended debate, exploiting the chamber’s tradition of unlimited floor speech.
What is the filibuster?
This council coordinates foreign policy and defense advice among military and diplomatic intelligence.
What is the National Security Council?
They control access to the president and manage internal operations
Who is the White House Chief of Staff?
These accompany legislation at signing, allow presidents to declare how they intend to interpret the law.
What are signing statements?
These let presidents make binding deals with foreign governments,
What are executive agreements?
The _______ _______ Clause obligates the president to faithfully execute the laws, framing enforcement as a constitutional duty rather than a discretionary choice.
What is Take Care?
__________ requires 60 votes to end debate and force a final vote, making the filibuster a powerful minority obstruction tool.
What is Cloture?
A bill can be introduced in either chamber, except revenue bills, which must originate in the House under the _________ _______.
What is the Origination Clause?
Who argued that presidential power is fundamentally the "power to persuade."
Who is Richard Neustadt?
Presidents may bypass Senate confirmation delays through _________ __________, temporarily filling vacancies when the Senate is not in session.
What are recess appointments?
Both chambers must pass identical bill versions; differences are resolved through a ______ ________ composed of members from each.
What is a conference committee?
After introduction, a bill is referred to a relevant _________ _________, where most bills die without ever receiving a vote.
What is a standing committee?
_________ No. ___ previewed the judiciary’s role as the Constitution’s guardian, foreshadowing what Chief Justice Marshall would formally establish decades later.
What is Federalist No.78?
Alexander Hamilton’s _________ No. ____ (1788) argued that “energy in the executive” is essential to good government, especially during crises.
What is Federalist No. 70?
James Madison’s _________ No. ____ (1787) argued that a large, extended republic best controls the dangers posed by factions.
What is Federalist No. 10?