SCOTUS Cases
This 1962 landmark case established the "one person, one vote" principle, ruling that redistricting issues are justiciable under the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause.
What is Baker v. Carr?
Written by James Madison, this essay argues that a large, representative republic is the best defense against the dangers of factionalism because a multitude of interests prevents any single majority from dominating.
(Must provide the document #)
What is Federalist No. 10?
Expressly listed in Article I, Section 8, these powers granted to Congress are also known as "expressed powers".
What are enumerated powers?
Article II designates the President as the head of the military under this official constitutional title.
What is Commander in Chief?
This extremely powerful House committee acts as a "traffic cop" by controlling the floor debate agenda, assigning rule guidelines, and scheduling votes.
What is the House Rules Committee?
This 1819 landmark case established the implied powers doctrine by ruling that Congress had the authority under the necessary and proper clause to create a national bank.
What is McCulloch v. Maryland?
This Anti-Federalist paper warned that a vast, centralized national government—equipped with the Necessary and Proper Clause and the Supremacy Clause—would inevitably strip state governments of their sovereignty and liberty.
(Must provide the document #)
What is Brutus No. 1?
Located at the end of Article I, Section 8, this clause gives Congress the authority to make all laws required to execute its enumerated powers.
What is the Necessary and Proper Clause (or Elastic Clause)?
A person must meet these three constitutional requirements to be president:
be a natural-born citizen, reside in the U.S. for 14 years, and be 35 years old.
In the Senate, this procedure requires 60 votes (three-fifths supermajority) to end debate on a bill and break a filibuster.
What is cloture?
In this 1993 case, the Supreme Court ruled that creating congressional districts based solely on race violated the Equal Protection Clause.
What is Shaw v. Reno?
Famous for declaring that "if men were angels, no government would be necessary," this document argues that dividing power across distinct branches and enabling each to check the other will keep government power in balance.
(Must provide the document #)
What is Federalist No. 51?
All bills dealing with revenue or tax proposals must originate in this specific chamber of Congress.
What is the House of Representatives?
Unlike formal treaties, these pacts made directly between the President and another head of state do not require a two-thirds Senate vote.
What are executive agreements?
If 218 House members sign this, a bill can be forced out of a reluctant committee directly onto the House floor for debate.
What is a discharge petition?
This landmark case limited federal power under the commerce clause after the Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not use the clause to regulate gun possession in school zones.
What is United States v. Lopez?
Alexander Hamilton argues in this paper that a single, energetic executive is essential to ensure decisive decision-making, secrecy, and accountability in national defense and government administration.
(Must provide the document #)
What is Federalist No. 70?
Ratified in 1913, this constitutional amendment broadened democracy by allowing citizens to directly elect their U.S. Senators.
What is the Seventeenth Amendment?
This inherent right claimed by presidents allows them to withhold information or advice from Congress and courts to protect executive confidentiality.
What is executive privilege?
This temporary committee composed of both House and Senate members is formed to iron out differences between conflicting versions of a bill.
What is a conference committee?
In this 1974 executive privilege case, the Supreme Court unanimously ordered President Nixon to turn over subpoenaed audio tapes for a criminal investigation.
What is United States v. Nixon?
Serving as America's first governing framework, this document established a loose "league of friendship" among sovereign states, but famously lacked an executive branch, a national judiciary, and the power to directly tax citizens.
What are the Articles of Confederation?
This key constitutional clause gives Congress the authority to regulate trade with foreign nations, among the several states, and with the Indian tribes.
What is the Commerce Clause?
In Clinton v. City of New York (1998), the Supreme Court struck down this presidential power, ruling that eliminating individual spending lines required a constitutional amendment.
What is the line-item veto?
This procedure used in the Senate allows a single senator to delay or prevent a vote on a bill by extending debate indefinitely.
What is a filibuster?