Congress I
After the most recent census, Illinois was granted eighteen seats in the House of Representatives. The Democrat-controlled state government created House districts by which Republicans were assured three seats, two were competitive, and thirteen were almost assured of Democratic victory.
Gerrymandering
Although senators serve 6 year terms, this proportion of senators go up for re-election every 2 years.
1/3
While the president is not up for re-election, these elections serve as a referendum on the president
Midterm elections
"Fill out this form in duplicate. Bring it to the tax office. Return with a completed Form 763 from that office and a receipt showing tax paid. Only then can I process your request for an appointment to see the assistant to the associate director"
Red tape
It holds that the Supreme Court possesses the authority to rule acts of Congress unconstitutional
Judicial Review
They are elected by majority vote and serves as the majority party’s leader and agent with the power to appoint committees, make rules, and manage the legislative process
Speaker of the House
The Framers created this feature of the House in an attempt to make the chamber representative of the people
2 year term limits
The president has just issued a rousing inaugural speech. Her approval ratings hover around seventy percent. Being a smart politician, she will use this time to propose legislation she promised in the campaign, knowing her widespread popularity is not likely to return over the next four years.
Honeymoon
"Dear Mr. President-Elect: Congratulations on your glorious victory. I would like to make you aware of my intense effort on your behalf in the most recent election. I personally ensured that the town of Winthrop, Massachusetts, voted for you, thereby winning the Bay State’s electoral votes. I also remind you that the post mastership of Winthrop is now vacant and it would very much please me to have that office for my own"
Spoils system
In this Supreme Court case the court ruled state taxation of federal property or its activities is unconstitutional
McCulloch v. Maryland
To serve in the House of Representatives you must be this many years old
25
This many votes are required for a congressional override of a presidential veto
2/3s in each chamber
Congress has requested that the president turn over certain files on a matter it is investigating. The White House has responded to the request thus: “The presidency requires a certain level of independence and privacy to perform its functions and cannot, therefore, comply with this request in light of the separation of powers inherent in the Constitution.”
Executive privilege
Congress designs procedures that allow interest groups and ordinary citizens to raise an alarm when something has gone wrong
Fire Alarm Oversight
In this Supreme Court case Chief Justice John Marshall demonstrated that the Framers intended that the Court exercise judicial review
Marbury v. Madison
To end a filibuster in the Senate, cloture must be invoked by this many votes
60 votes (3/5)
Members of this type of committee are expected to serve from one Congress to the next, provided they are reelected, and the committee is expected to be around until explicitly disbanded with the same policy area focus.
Standing committee
The Constitution requires the president to deliver this type of address to Congress each year
State of the Union
The 1881 assassination of this president by a distraught office seeker brought about the Pendleton Act in 1883
James Garfield
The 3 layers of the federal judiciary’s organization
District courts, the circuit courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court
This clause provides lawmakers with the single most expansive grant of power in the Constitution so lawmakers have authority over many different spheres of public policy
Necessary and Proper
This maneuver brings a bill directly to the floor without committee approval when signed by a majority of House members
Discharge petition
Presidents can sidestep treaty rejections using these
Executive agreements
The first 3 departments in the executive branch, originally
Treasury, State, and War
This act sharply raised the number of district and appellate courts and thereby created new judgeships for the outgoing Federalists to fill
The Judiciary Act of 1801