Constitutional Foundations
This 1803 Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review.
Marbury v. Madison
This presidential power allows the executive to reject legislation passed by Congress.
The veto
In Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), the court held that students do not 'shed their constitutional rights' at the schoolhouse gate. Which amendment was at issue?
The First Amendment (free speech)
This theory holds that voters choose candidates based on rational cost-benefit calculations of expected policy outcomes.
Rational choice (or rational-choice voting theory)
What term describes the federal government's authority to attach conditions to grants given to state governments?
Conditions of aid (or categorical grants with strings attached)
What constitutional principle divides powers between national and state governments?
Federalism
In INS v. Chadha, the Supreme Court ruled that this congressional tool was unconstitutional.
The legislative veto
The 14th Amendment's due process clause has been used to apply most Bill of Rights protections to the states through this doctrine.
Selective incorporation
What term describes voters who consistently support the same party election after election based on party identity?
Party identification (or straight-ticket voters)
Block grants differ from categorical grants in what key way?
Block grants give states broad discretion; categorical grants fund specific programs with strict rules
The 10th Amendment reserves all powers not delegated to the federal government to these two entities.
The states and the people
Which branch holds the power to declare war under the Constitution?
Congress (Article I)
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) overturned the 'separate but equal' standard established by this earlier case.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
An iron triangle consists of which three actors?
Congressional committees, federal agencies/bureaucracy, and interest groups
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the GAO, and inspectors general are all examples of what function within the bureaucracy?
Congressional oversight (or bureaucratic accountability/oversight tools)
This clause in Article VI establishes that federal law takes precedence over conflicting state law.
The Supremacy Clause
The 1974 War Powers Resolution requires the president to notify Congress within how many days of committing troops to combat?
48 hours
This landmark 1965 legislation, signed under Lyndon Johnson, prohibited racial discrimination in voting practices.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
The process by which media outlets choose which issues to highlight, shaping what the public perceives as important, is called agenda-setting — but what is it called when outlets influence how topics are framed?
Framing
What policy tool allows the president to direct federal agencies without congressional legislation?
Executive orders
The elastic (necessary and proper) clause grants Congress the power to do what?
What term describes a president's ability to set the national agenda through speeches, press conferences, and public persuasion?
The bully pulpit (going public / public leadership)
The Supreme Court's ruling in Engel v. Vitale (1962) struck down school-sponsored prayer on grounds that it violated this clause.
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
Under what constitutional provision does Congress regulate federal campaign finance law?
The Commerce Clause and the First Amendment (Congress's authority to regulate elections)
The regulatory process by which federal agencies publish proposed rules for public comment before finalizing them is required under what 1946 law?
The Administrative Procedure Act (APA)