AP Gov Test
an attempt by Congress to place limitations on presidential power through legislation led to
A signing statement by the president that declared that the legislation would not limit presidential power
In 1973, the United States Supreme Court handed down the controversial Roe v. Wade decision striking down state laws banning abortion. In response, many pro-life groups have organized to have the decision overturned. What represents an action that these groups are most likely to take to achieve their goal?
Become more actively involved in presidential campaigns so that presidential candidates will pledge to appoint justices who favor overturning Roe v. Wade.
On January 30, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring that for each new regulation added, at least two existing regulations be eliminated. Which combination of government actors has the power to fulfill President Trump's executive order?
Bureaucratic departments and agencies
Which is a likely response by another branch of government to a controversial decision such as Engel v.Vitale (1962) which declared that school-sponsored prayer was a violation of the First Amendment?
Congress could strip the Supreme Court of appellate jurisdiction on cases dealing with prayer in school.
What powers do the Senate have that may help defeat a bill?
Filibuster and cloture
Name the term limits for COngressman
House-2 years Senate-6 years
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)
In a press briefing, the White House press secretary issues a statement criticizing members of Congress who refuse to act on the president's judicial nominees to the federal courts. This scenario best illustrates
Members of the White House staff are strategically used to help the president pass an agenda.
What 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
What was the ruling of Shaw v Reno
Racial gerrymandering violates the 14th ammendment
On July 31, 2018, the United States Department of Education announced in the Federal Register its intention to establish a committee focusing on the implementation of federal programs. Which is the likely product of this committee's work?
Rule-making
On September 23, 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a proclamation mandating the use of Arkansas National Guard members and federal armed forces to enforce the United States Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) in Little Rock, Arkansas. Which limitation on judicial power is demonstrated in this scenario?
State and local government can refuse to enforce Supreme Court decisions.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was a law passed by Congress prohibiting discrimination based on sex. Which of the following describes how the policy is being implemented?
The bureaucracy will create rules for enforcement and will have the discretion to implement those rules.
What is likely to occur as a result when Congress refuses to act as a check on the power of the president?
The president will be able to push the limits of constitutional authority.
In its 2003 decision, McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (2003), the Supreme Court upheld the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act's (BCRA) restriction on independent campaign spending by corporations and unions. However, in a 5-4 decision in the case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), the Supreme Court overturned this decision when it ruled that the government cannot ban independent political spending by a corporation or union because it is protected by the First Amendment. Which is the most likely explanation for the Supreme Court's deciding to overturn the precedent it established just 7 years earlier?
There were ideological changes in the composition of the members of the Supreme Court due to presidential appointments.
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
Controversial decisions by the court are often challenged and action is sometimes required to ensure
enforcement by other branches of government.
Interest groups work with Congress and the bureaucracy to determine
how best to regulate an industry.
The HR Rules committee decides
how long debate will be on most bills
The House must initiate
revenue bills
The Senate ratifies
treaties
President Theodore Roosevelt took his case directly to the American people to gain public support for his progressive reform initiatives by appearing in a movie newsreel. This type of presidential communication is an example of
utilizing the bully pulpit
When deciding Marbury v. Madison (1803), which excerpts from The Federalist No. 51 could best be used to help Chief Justice John Marshall write the argument in favor of judicial review?
"But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others."
What clauses of the Constitution could the Supreme Court have used when deciding the case Marbury V. Madison (1803) ?
"In all other cases before mentioned, the supreme court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact."
stare decisis?
"avoids the instability and unfairness that accompany disruption of settled legal expectations. For this reason, the rule of law demands that adhering to our prior case law be the norm. Departure from precedent is exceptional and requires special justification."
On June 27, 1989, President George H.W. Bush called for the Flag Desecration Amendment, which would prohibit desecration of the American flag. Bush's comments were in response to the United States Supreme Court's 5—4 decision in Texas v. Johnson, which held that a state law banning desecration of the flag was in violation of the First Amendment. Why did the president asked for a constitutional amendment to be passed?
A constitutional amendment would force the Supreme Court to accept the constitutionality of the anti-flag burning laws in subsequent cases.
What is an example of a president using the bully pulpit?
A president making a televised speech to gain public support for a policy initiative
What was the holding in Baker Vs. Carr?
Congressional redistricting is subject to judicial review
During a television interview on July 1, 2018, Senator Lindsey Graham stated that "one of the concepts that really means a lot in America is stare decisis. That means you don't overturn precedent unless there's a good reason." About which ongoing debate was Senator Graham sharing his position?
Judicial activism versus judicial restraint
WHat were the facts of Shaw Vs. Reno?
Redistricting in order to confine minority voters to a majority in one district was challenged under the Fourteenth Amendment. was a case about a state legislature intentionally creating a district that had a majority of African Americans, diluting their representation.
Which of the following best explains the concept of the iron triangle, as illustrated in the diagram?
To show how interest groups, Congress, and the bureaucracy interact in a public policy area
Despite the increased power of the president, the budget authority is still a major feature of
congressional power
One key interaction that Congress has with the bureaucracy as part of the iron triangle is to
increase the budget and authority of the bureaucracy to regulate industry
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