Congress basics
Congress in Action
President
Judicial
Election Stuff
100
What are the term lengths for House members and Senators?
House- 2 years
Senate- 6 years
100
Powers that are shared by both the House and the Senate are referred to as __________
Concurrent powers
100
This is a declaration by the President that has the force of law (without going through Congress)
Executive Order
-When the Pres directs federal agency to enforce/carry out a law/policy, without being passed by congress. This is an informal or implied power. Not something that's in the Constitution
100
Which Article in the Constitution outlines the Judicial Branch
III
100
Which two states have the most Electoral Votes
CA (54)
TX (40)
200
Who is the President of the Senate?
The VP! currently JDV
200
Which of the following terms is used to describe the types of committees in Congress that are permanent/remain the same
a. Fixed
b. Joint
c. Select
d. Standing
e. Stable
d. Standing
200
Despite increasing scope and power of the President, there are still 'checks' on the President.
Name 2
-impeachment
-Senate has to approve treaties and appointments
-22nd amendment: 2 term limit! (phew)
-override a veto (2/3 vote)
-Supreme Court can declare an act of the Pres unconstitutional
200
What does jurisdiction refer to?
(in the context of our judicial branch/courts)
Jurisdiction= what cases/types of cases are heard by which courts
200
What is gerrymandering and why is it done?
Redrawing district lines to give one party an advantage. trying to finagle votes to boost house representation by creating districts that give a party more influence than they have strictly by numbers
300
How many members do we have in the House of Reps and how many in the Senate?
House: 435
Senate: 100
300
Besides the President of the Senate (the VP), what is one other leadership role we have in the U.S. Senate?
pres pro temp
majority leader/whip
minority leader/whip
300
What is a pocket veto?
Pres doesn’t decide within 10 day period (when Congress is adjourned)→automatic veto. (can’t be overridden by Congress)
300
What does the term Precedent refer to? (in the context of the judicial branch)
Precedent: A legal decision or ruling from a previous case that serves to guide how future cases should be decided.
300
Name one your CA senators
Alex Padilla
or
Adam Schiff
400
What district are we in and who is our House of Reps member?
37!
Sydney-Kamlager Dove
400
What are 3 of Congress' enumerated powers?
-Budget: raising revenue (taxes) and passing a federal budget
-Military: declare war and fund the military
-Regulate interstate commerce (trade and any buying/selling across states)
-Oversight of exec branch and fed agencies: approval of appointments
-Determine the process for naturalization
400
Describe what an Executive Agreement is
Executive Agreements: These are agreements between the president and another head of state that do not require Senate approval, unlike treaties. only last as long as the pres is in power so they are more so politically binding than legally binding
400
There are two main types of jurisdiction we went over. These represent the types of cases that the court has the authority to hear.
Name and describe the two types
Original Jurisdiction: Court hears a case first (e.g., disputes between states, ambassadors); it’s trial by judge and jury
Appellate Jurisdiction: Court reviews cases on appeal from lower courts; Three judges review the decision
400
In SCOTUS: Baker v. Carr (1962). Which amendment did Baker's argument rely on?
Reminder: Baker petitioned the Court, asking for their involvement in redistricting, arguing that rural areas with decreasing population had more voting power because TN hadn't reapportioned based on population changes
14th amendment was violated “One person, one vote” doctrine– States must apportion reps based on pop so that each vote carries the same weight
(Court ruled on the matter (redistricting is justiciable issue– courts can intervene))
500
Why is the House of Representatives sometimes understood as the 'People's branch'?
(In contrast to the Senate)
Provide 2 reasons
-In the OG Constitution- House was only branch directly elected by voters
-Close and accountable to people: 2 year terms
-Represent a relatively small area w/ a smaller constituency. (ex: CA senators have to appeal to the whole state so they campaign around larger ideological issues-- House members have to make the constituents of their specific happy so they get reelected!)
500
Although the House and Senate together make up our Legislative Branch, they each have individual functions.
What is an exclusive power/role that each branch has and what is one concurrent that they share?
House-- bills of revenue/appropriation (start in), draft impeachment, vote on pres if not electoral majority
Senate--approve/reject pres treaties, appointments, impeachment trials, vote on VP if no electoral majority
Concurrent:
Pass Legislation, Override Veto, Introduce Amendments, Declare War
500
The President has several different roles/functions, often referred to as ‘hats’
Name and Describe 2 of them
Chief Executive
Chief Diplomat
Commander-in-Chief
Chief Legislator (Legislative leader)
Chief of State (Head of state)
Chief Economist
Chief of Party (Party leader)
Chief Citizen
500
Federalist 78 served to defend the proposed federal judiciary ie- Hami wrote about why the design and function of the Judicial branch was chill and not going to be a tyranny issue.
What were two main points/ideas put forth in Fed 78?
Advocated for an Independent judiciary, not an extension of the other two branches, totally separate
Judges’ lifetime appointments protect them from political influence
Courts should have power to review laws for constitutionality
Called the judiciary the “least dangerous branch” since it has no control over money or the military
500
Explain the basics of the SCOTUS case Shaw v. Reno: what was it about or what decision was made
North Carolina had a large black population but no black house of reps members. They redrew district lines to try to get majority black districts so they could vote in black reps.
Shaw said that was unconstitutional =racial gerrymandering (Court agreed)