AP Gov - Exam review

Which of the following clauses of the Constitution could the Supreme Court have used when deciding the case Marbury v. Madison (1803) ?

"The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made."

Which of the following best demonstrates how political parties serve as linkage institutions?

Parties may organize activities to identify supporters, increase registration, and get out the vote.

Using social media, individuals are increasingly able to communicate their political views to a wide audience. However, some messages over social media have led to certain individuals being arrested for making credible threats. This issue is most related to which of the following cases?

Schenck v. United States (1919)

"If, then, the courts of justice are to be considered as the bulwarks [defensive walls] of a limited Constitution against legislative encroachments, this consideration will afford a strong argument for the permanent tenure of judicial offices, since nothing will contribute so much as this to that independent spirit in the judges, which must be essential to the faithful performance of so arduous a duty."

created a large republic with many factions that would cancel each other out

Racial gerrymandering violates the Fourteenth Amendment.

Members of the White House staff are strategically used to help the president pass an agenda.

Which of the following best explains how political parties use party platforms?

The platform is used to define the party's general stance on political issues.

According to the passage, an attempt by Congress to place limitations on presidential power through legislation led to which of the following?

A signing statement by the president that declared that the legislation would not limit presidential power

Which of the following scenarios best represents the model for party-line voting?

Despite not recognizing the name, a candidate votes for the Democratic Party candidate because he is a Democrat.

Which of the following cases was most likely to derive the basis of its decision from the argument presented in The Federalist No. 78 that states: "that, accordingly, whenever a particular statute [contradicts] the Constitution, it will be the duty of the judicial tribunals to adhere to the latter and disregard the former"?

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

A Pentagon contractor named Daniel Ellsberg stole a report, which later became known as the Pentagon Papers. The report had classified information about the conduct of the war in Vietnam. He gave this report to several major media outlets. The government tried to use prior restraint to prevent the outlets from publishing these excerpts. The Court allowed the media outlets to publish the excerpts in which of the following cases?

New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

Which of the following best explains the role of parties in Congress?

Parties organize government by selecting chamber leadership and determining committee membership.

According to the passage, which of the following occurred as a direct result of the congressional resolution authorizing action against al-Qaeda?

President Bush interpreted it broadly to allow him to conduct the war on terrorism without much further consultation with Congress.

Which of the following is the best example of a president using technology to communicate and obtain public support for a public policy agenda?

President John F. Kennedy outlining Cold War challenges and urging Americans to civic action in his inaugural address

A citizen cast her vote for the candidate in a congressional election based on the candidate's promise to reform the health care system. Which voting behavior model best characterizes the citizen's choice?

Prospective voting

Which of the following was the ruling in Shaw v. Reno (1993) ?

Racial gerrymandering violates the Fourteenth Amendment.

Which of the following correctly describes the facts in Shaw v. Reno (1993) ?

Redistricting in order to confine minority voters to a majority in one district was challenged under the Fourteenth Amendment.

On February 13, 2016, following the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement that the Supreme Court vacancy should be left to the next president of the United States, who would be elected that November. Nonetheless, President Obama nominated circuit judge Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy. The Senate judiciary committee never held a hearing nor was a vote scheduled on the nomination. The scenario demonstrates that

because federal judges are lifetime appointments, Senate confirmation can oftentimes be challenging

Prior to his confirmation, Democrats on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions questioned President Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price about the ethics of some of his investments. He was eventually confirmed with support of Republicans in the Senate. This check on presidential power illustrates that

the process of confirming members of the president's Cabinet can lead to conflict with members of the Senate

A popular news website obtains transcripts of confidential discussions in the White House regarding how the National Security Agency should collect private data of citizens. Even though the president urges the website not to publish the story, the website does so anyway because it believes the conversation does not reveal information that poses a risk to national security. Which of the following cases would the news website most likely cite if it had to argue the case that it can publish the story without permission from the president?

New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

Which of the following quotes from the Federalist Papers best supports the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ?

"If, then, the courts of justice are to be considered as the bulwarks [defensive walls] of a limited Constitution against legislative encroachments, this consideration will afford a strong argument for the permanent tenure of judicial offices, since nothing will contribute so much as this to that independent spirit in the judges, which must be essential to the faithful performance of so arduous a duty."

"Presidents tend to assert their power and if Congress does not claim its duty to check and balance the executive, then the balance tilts heavily toward the executive branch. For example, the congressional resolution authorizing the United States to respond to the al-Qaeda attacks against the United States in 2001 was applied far beyond the initial campaign in Afghanistan. It was interpreted by George W. Bush's administration as justifying findings that the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war did not apply in the war on terrorism; that harsh interrogation tactics were permissible . . . ; and that the use of intercepts of telephone conversations between American citizens and people abroad was condoned. . . . When, after the Supreme Court ruled in 2006 . . . that the Bush administration was in fact violating the Geneva Conventions, . . . Congress was compelled to pass new laws on detainee treatment. Bush signed the law but then added a separate 'signing statement.' . . . President Bush declared that he would implement the law 'in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President to supervise the unitary executive branch and as Commander in Chief . . . [in order to protect] the American people from further terrorist attacks.'" Which of the following is likely to occur as a result when Congress refuses to act as a check on the power of the president, according to the main idea of the passage?

The president will be able to push the limits of constitutional authority.