Legislative Branch
The Legislative Branch or Congress is made up of what chambers?
The House of Representatives and the Senate
How many Justices serve on the Supreme Court?
9
What is the primary function of the Executive Branch?
Enforce and carry out legislation
The United States Constitution provides that federal judges be appointed for life primarily to
protect judicial decision-making from the influence of political pressure
What is an example of checks and balances?
The Senate approved the President George H. W. Bush’s appointment of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.
The primary purpose and function of the United States Congress is to?
Pass legislation
How many members are in the House of Representatives? How many are in the Senate?
435 in the House of Representatives
100 in the Senate
The President’s authority over the military is denoted in which Presidential Title?
Commander in Chief
The vast majority of Supreme Court cases fall under the category of
appellate jurisdiction.
A system of checks and balances was included in the United States Constitution because the authors were concerned about
one branch of government becoming too strong
The framers of the Constitution made Representatives in the House of Representatives serve shorter terms than the President or Senators because
They wanted them to be the most responsive to the public
What is one power the Constitution grants the U.S. Senate?
The Senate has the power of advice and consent over presidential appointments and treaties, Senators serve for 6 year terms, The Senate has the power to hold trials and remove impeached officials.
What is the purpose of the Electoral College?
Elects the President through electors and acts as a filter between voters and the office of the President
What is a Writ Of Certiorari?
This is a request that the Supreme Court order a lower court to send up the record of the case for review.
Tell us the 6 examples of how each branch checks another.
1. The president can check the powers of Congress by vetoing bills, calling special sessions of Congress, and can control appointments to offices as a check of power over Congress.
2. Congress can overrule the President’s vetoes, refuse to approve treaties or appointments, and can impeach and remove the president.
3. The President can check the Supreme Court by appointing the judges and pardons/reprieves federal offenders.
4. The Supreme Court can limit the powers of the President by declaring the laws or acts of the president/executive branch unconstitutional.
5. The Supreme Court limits the powers of Congress by declaring laws made by Congress unconstitutional.
6. Congress can limit the power of the Supreme Court by: proposing amendments to overrule judicial decisions, impeach and remove judges, and establish the number of judges and lower courts.
A bill can become a law if:
It passes both the House of Representatives and the Senate with at least a majority vote and is signed by the president
What is the difference between an Expressed Power and an Implied Power?
An Expressed power is written in the Constitution, whereas an implied power comes from the Executive Branch expanding the Expressed powers overtime.
What is an executive order?
A law that can be created without going through Congress. Can be changed by the next President.
One way the Supreme Court protects minority interests within the Federal Court System is by:
Requiring only four of the nine justices to agree to hear a case before the Supreme Court. This is known as the "Rule of Four"
The Supreme Court can influence the actions of the other two branches of the federal government by
exercising judicial review
Partisanship has made it more difficult to pass laws because
It causes Democrats and Republicans to be further apart ideologically and less likely to compromise
Presidents have expanded their power over time by
Adding implied or inherent powers
The Presidential Cabinet exists to:
To provide expertise and advice to the president
How is a Dissenting opinion different from a concurring opinion?
The justices that disagreed with the majority vote may issue one or more dissenting opinions, explaining their reasons for disagreeing.
Sometimes, one or more justices may be on the majority side but disagree with the reasoning behind the decision, and issue a concurring opinion.
If Congress disagrees with a Supreme Court decision that declares a law unconstitutional, they can
Propose a Constitutional amendment by ⅔ majority in both chambers of Congress