The Legislative Branch
This type of congressional committee is permanent and is where most of the work on bills, including hearings and markups, takes place.
What is a Standing Committee?
This is an informal power of the President that carries the force of law but does not require Congressional approval, often used to manage the federal bureaucracy.
What is an Executive Order?
This landmark Supreme Court case established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Court to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional.
What is Marbury v. Madison?
This is the fraction of both houses of Congress required to override a Presidential veto.
What is two-thirds (2/3)?
In Federalist No. 78, Alexander Hamilton argues that this is the "least dangerous" branch because it possesses neither the "sword" nor the "purse."
What is the Judicial Branch?
This unique Senate power allows a senator to speak indefinitely to delay a vote on a bill, and it can only be ended by a cloture motion.
What is a Filibuster?
This constitutional role makes the President the civilian head of the U.S. military.
What is Commander in Chief?
This legal principle, meaning "let the decision stand," encourages judges to follow precedents set by previous court rulings.
What is Stare Decisis?
The Senate exercises this "check" on the President by confirming judicial nominees and high-level cabinet positions.
What is Advice and Consent?
This Federalist Paper argues that a "feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government" and advocates for a single, energetic president.
What is Federalist No. 70?
This specific House position is the only legislative office mentioned in the Constitution and is responsible for assigning bills to committees and presiding over the chamber.
Who is the Speaker of the House?
In Federalist No. 70, Alexander Hamilton argued for this type of executive to ensure accountability and decisive action.
What is a Unitary Executive (or Single Executive)?
These are the three components of an "Iron Triangle" that work together to create and implement policy.
What are Congressional Committees, Bureaucratic Agencies, and Interest Groups?
This is the process by which a President or federal judge is formally charged with "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" by the House of Representatives.
What is Impeachment?
In this 1993 case, the Supreme Court ruled that while redistricting may be conscious of race, it cannot be the "predominant factor," especially if the resulting district is so bizarrely shaped that it can only be viewed as an effort to separate voters based on race.
What is Shaw v. Reno?
This 1962 Supreme Court case ruled that the "political question" doctrine did not apply to redistricting, establishing the "one person, one vote" principle and allowing the federal courts to intervene in state legislative districting.
What is Baker v. Carr?
This is the President's ability to use the prestige and visibility of the office to guide or enthuse the American public toward a specific policy goal.
What is bully pulpit
This is the authority of bureaucratic agencies to choose how to implement a law because the law itself is often written in broad, vague terms.
What is Discretionary Authority (or Administrative Discretion)?
This act, passed in 1973, was a congressional attempt to limit the President's power to commit troops to combat without a formal declaration of war.
What is the War Powers Resolution?
According to Federalist No. 78, the "permanency" of this specific feature of the federal judiciary is necessary to ensure an independent branch that can protect the Constitution.
What is Life Tenure (or "during good behavior")?
According to Federalist No. 70, Hamilton argues that this branch should be "energetic", but the Constitution ensures the Legislative branch is the most powerful to prevent tyranny. Name the specific power Congress has to "check" the Executive's budget.
What is the Power of the Purse?
The 22nd Amendment was passed in response to this President's four-term tenure, officially limiting a President to two terms.
Who is Franklin D. Roosevelt?
In Federalist No. 78, Hamilton argues that the Judicial branch is the "least dangerous" because it lacks these two powers possessed by the other branches.
What are the Power of the Purse (Legislative) and the Power of the Sword (Executive)?
This "check" occurs when the Supreme Court rules that a bureaucratic agency has overstepped its authority or violated the Constitution.
What is Judicial Review?
In Federalist No. 70, Hamilton argues that this benefit of a single executive allows for "decision, activity, secrecy, and dispatch."
What is Energy?