1
Be able to identify the main traits of U.S. district courts and U.S. courts of appeals. Specifically, be able to answer these questions about those two types of courts:
o U.S. district courts (trial courts) appoint magistrate judges which are limited-term judges that can preside over nearly any kind of non-felony federal trials.
o U.S. courts of appeals deal with rotating three-judge panels preside over cases.
How many federal judicial districts (and, thus, district courts) does Georgia have?
3
In what way are independent executive agencies “independent”?
They aren't subjected to the regulatory authority of any specific cabinet department.
According to Alexander Hamilton, which of the three branches of government is inherently the weakest, and what did this have to do with his case for judicial independence?
Hamilton's second argument for judicial independence argued that since courts have neither the power of the sword nor the power of the purse, they are naturally much weaker than the executive and legislative branches. Thus, if courts are going to be able to declare actions of the other branches of government unconstitutional, they need special protection from attacks from those branches.
What is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact? What is at least one other reform proposal that would affect the Electoral College?
states that join this interstate compact commit through legislation to award their states' presidential electors to the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide, regardless of which candidate received the most votes in their state. Another reform proposal that would affect the electoral college is discarding it and replacing it with a direct national popular vote
What is an amicus curiae brief?
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 on the case.
In what way are independent regulatory agencies “independent”?
They are not under the control of any cabinet department and are also insulated from political pressure from the president
Be able to put the four stages of the presidential selection process in order.
Primaries and caucuses, national party conventions, people voting in the general election, the electoral college convenes to cast vote
What are two examples of government corporations?
United states postal service (USPS) and the National railroad passenger corporation, also known as Amtrak
Know the differences between these kinds of opinions: majority opinions, concurring opinions, and dissenting opinions.
Majority opinion: the Court's official written justification for its decision in a case
Concurring opinion: an opinion written by a justice who agrees with the Court's majority decision on the case but has different reasons for supporting it from that offered in the majority opinion
Dissenting opinion: an opinion written by a justice that explains why they disagree with the Court's majority decision in the case
What is FOIA (the Freedom of Information Act) and how may citizens use it to exercise oversight over the federal bureaucracy?
laws that grant citizens the right to request access to records from any federal agency. Citizens may use it to evaluate how well a federal bureaucracy is performing.
What two states do NOT rely entirely on a winner take all system for allocating their Electoral College votes?
Nebraska and Maine
Under the dual court system, state courts did NOT operate entirely independently from the federal courts in all cases. What condition must be met for federal courts to be able to hear cases from state courts on appeal?
any case has the potential to make it to the federal courts if it invokes the u.s. constitution or federal law. constitutional questions raised by trial are matters for federal courts.
What is the Rule of Four? What does it have to do with granting cert?
o Rule of Four - A supreme court custom in which a case will be heard when four justices vote to do so.
o A court case would be able to reach grant cert if approved by four justices.
When the Supreme Court decides to hear a case on appeal, it is normally called “granting cert.” Why is it called that?
o Granting cert - if four Justices agree to review the case, then the Court will hear the case.
o Writ of Certiorari - a request that the lower court send up its record of the case for a review.
o It is called granting cert because the case is scheduled on the Court's docket.
Be able to define these terms and understand how they relate to each other: jurisdiction, original jurisdiction, appellate jurisdiction, trial court, appellate court, mandatory appellate jurisdiction, and discretionary appellate jurisdiction.
jurisdiction: the authority of a court to hear a legal case and rule on it
original jurisdiction: the authority of a court to be the first to hear a legal case
appellate jurisdiction: the authority of a court to hear a case on appeal from a lower court and possibly change the lower court's decision
trial court: the level of court in which a case starts or is first tried; must have original jurisdiction for the case
appellate court: a court with a appellate jurisdiction, meaning it have authority to review cases already decided by a lower court and to change the lower court's decision
mandatory appellate jurisdiction: when an appellate court is required to hear cases on appeal
discretionary appellate jurisdiction: when an appellate court is allowed to choose whether or not
According to the textbook, what is the most influential check on the Supreme Court provided by the other branches?
Executive and legislative leverage over the implementation and enforcement of its rulings
Checks and Balances
What are some of the political consequences of using the presidential primary and caucus system (instead of the National Party Conventions) to select presidential candidates?
Campaign season has gotten longer and costly. More debates surrounding how the nominee should be. It also has created some opportunities for party outsiders to rise.
What is the Electoral College? How many electors are there?
The system used to elect the president in the general election; 538
Which President was the first to make a conscious effort to make vice presidents a more central part of the President’s policy team?
Jimmy Carter
What does the President do as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces? Do Presidents today typically involve or bypass Congress when engaging in military hostilities?
Hire and fire military commanders and aggressively deploy US military force. Presidents typically bypass congress when engaging in military hostiles
According to the original Constitution, what length and number of terms could Presidents serve? How was this changed by the 22nd Amendment?
In the original constitution, the length of terms was not defined, so it was unlimited. The 22nd amendment limited the presidency to two-four-year terms.
What is the current ideological balance on the U.S. Supreme Court (i.e., how many liberals and conservatives are there)?
3 liberals, 6 conservatives.
What is the Cabinet?
A group of advisors that help the president administer his duties.
Why do justices “bargain” over the reasoning in majority opinions? How can this bargaining process affect the Court’s final decision on a case?
o Justices bargain over the reasoning in majority opinions to give draft opinion.
o bargaining process in which justices demand certain changes to the opinion as a condition of keeping their vote.