Articles 1-3 of the constitution worksheet JMAR (BETTER THAN NOAH'S)

Define amnesty

A pardon to a group of people administered by the president

How many members are there in the Senate?

2 per state (2 x 50=100 representatives right now)

What is the term of office for a representative?

2 years, after that they can run for re-election.

How many members are there to be in the House?

435 members

What is the term of office of a senator?

6 years

Define pardon

A declaration of freedom and forgiveness from punishment administered by the president

Define electoral college

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and Vice President

What qualifications must a person meet to be a Representative?

A person must be 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and live in the state they represent

What is the process by which a bill becomes a law?

Bills originate in the house of reps and need to go to senate for approval. The senate it may propose amendments. Then it must go to the president for approval. If the president does not respond within 10 days (excluding Sundays) it would become law. The president may approve and sign the bill, or raise objections in which case it would go back to the house that originated the bill for reconsideration. If 2/3 of that house approve the reconsideration with the objections, then it gets sent to the other house and if 2/3 of the other house approves then it becomes law. The names and votes of every member of every house shall be recorded

What are the qualifications for the Presidency?

Citizen of US by birth, at least 35 years old, and resident of the US for at least 14 years.

State the military powers given to the president

Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the US and the Militia of states if called upon to serve the states

What power does Congress have to raise money?

Congress can levy taxes, import duties, impost and excises uniformly throughout the US. They can also obtain debt on the US government credit, and can also coin money.

Who determines the size of the Supreme Court? How big is it now?

Congress determines the size (how many justices) of the Supreme Court, right now, it has 9 justices

Who has the power to establish the lower federal courts?

Congress has the power to establish the lower courts.

What military powers does Congress have?

Congress has the power to raise an army/navy and declare war, and to call upon the militia to execute the laws of the union, stop insurrection, and protect from invasions.

What is meant by "delegated powers"? "Reserved powers"?

Delegated powers are the expressed powers grated to the federal govt. in article I section XVIII and includes the power to coin money, regulate commerce, declare war, etc. Reserved powers are the powers that are not expressly stated, but are also not prohibited by law because you cannot include in legislation every act allowed to be carried out by the state. Reserved powers include regulating education, granting licenses.

State the legislative powers given to the president

He can make treaties with 2/3 approval of the senate. He can recommend Congress measures as he may deem appropriate and approve legislation.

What are the four special duties of the President as found in Article 2, Section 2?

He can make treaties, nominate people of power, fill up vacancies in the senate, and be commander in chief of the armed forces.

How might a President be removed from office?

He may be removed from office on impeachment for and on conviction of Treason, Bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors

State the executive powers given to the president

He shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and Consuls and other officers of the US as determined by law. He has the power to fill up vacancies in the senate. He may convene both houses he shall take care that laws may be carefully executed.

How big of a role does the President play in Foreign affairs? What check does the President have on this power?

He shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers he shall appoint ambassadors and consuls, subject to the advise and consent of the Senate.

May a bill become a law without the President's signature? What is a "pocket veto"?

If the president does not respond within 10 days (excluding Sundays) after receiving a bill for consideration, it would become law. A pocket veto is an indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president or a governor by retaining the bill unsigned until it is too late for it to be dealt with during the legislative session.

What are imports and exports? What powers are denied the States in these matters?

Imports are goods that are purchased from overseas and exports are goods that are sold overseas. The states are forbidden from levying taxes and excises on imports and exports for their own enrichment, except to cover the costs of inspections and only if they remit

What effect does the elastic clause have on the power of Congress?

It allows congress to stretch the powers that the founders could have never anticipated.

What is an "Ex post Facto law"

It is a law that states that if you do something that later was made illegal, you will not be held accountable. For example: I sell a certain type of product at a store, later a court decides that it is illegal to sell that product. I will not be held accountable for selling the product in the past, but if I continue to sell it, I will be held accountable

What is meant by Habeas Corpus?

It is meant that a prisoner shall be taken to court in the flesh to show why he was accused (cause for holding the prisoner).

What qualifications are there to be a Federal Judge?

It is not specified in the constitution

What does "necessary and proper" mean? Why is Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 called the "elastic clause"?

Necessary and proper means anything that may not have been said explicitly in the constitution but which may need to be added later on depending on future circumstances. It is called the elastic clause because it allows congress to stretch its powers.

Who may vote for members of the House?

People from which the state the nominee is representing

State the judicial powers given to the president

President can appoint Judges of the Supreme Court and other Judicial roles

How many terms may a President serve? (Both prior to and then after Amendment #22)

Prior to amendment 22, it wasn't specified in the constitution how many terms a president could serve. Article 2 only states the length of the term, which is 4 years. After amendment 22, the maximum number of terms became 2.

What actions are forbidden to the States?

States cannot do any action reserved for the federal govt. such as entering treaties, alliances, coin money and pass any bills of attainder, levy taxes unless for the use of the fed., Govt. declare war, etc etc

Who is the presiding officer of the Senate? Can he vote?

Vice President of The US. They can not vote unless to break a tie.

What is the title of the presiding officer of the House?

The Speaker of the House

In what cases does the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction? Appellate jurisdiction?

The Supreme Court has Original jurisdiction in cases involving ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls and those in which a state shall be a party. In all the cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction

What is the only court established under Article 3? What jurisdiction was given to the federal courts?

The Supreme Court is the only court established. The federal courts have jurisdiction on anything relating to the constitution; ambassadors, consuls and officers; maritime/admiralty disputes; treaties, interstate disputes and Controversies involving the US.

What is the impeachment power of the House? Define impeachment.

The impeachment power is the right to bring charges against an official. Impeachment is to accuse government officials of wrongdoing, put them, on trial, and, if necessary, take them out of office.

Describe the method used in electing the President and Vice President. How was this process changed by Amendment #12?

The method consists of determining electors by state based on the number of representatives to congress who then shall vote for a presidential candidate and submit their ballots to the Senate. The person getting the majority of the votes becomes President or if their is no majority the Senate may elect the President among the candidates in certain circumstances. The VP would be elected by the Senate from among the remaining candidates. Amendment 12 changed this because it required separate electoral ballots for President and Vice President.

How do we determine the number of Senators from each state?

The number of senators is always 2 per state

What is the only "crime" defined in Article 3? How is it defined? How is it punished?

The only crime specified is treason against the US. It is defined as "levying war against them (US), or adhering to their enemies giving them aid and comfort". No one shall be convicted of treason unless the same testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or Forfeiture except during the life of the person attained

How does the President make appointments to office?

The president nominates and appoints judges and various officers but he needs the consent of the senate, unless Congress has determined minor offices for which he can appoint alone.

What role does the Senate play in impeachment cases? How may a convicted official be punished?

The senate will vote on impeachment cases and will decide if the charged officer is guilty. When the charged officer is the President, 2/3s of the vote are required to impeach. If found guilty, the impeached officer will be removed from office and can no longer serve for the government and will be charged and separately according by law.

What is the term of office for a Federal Judge?

Their term of office is "as long as their in good behavior" (life)

What special privileges do Senators and Representatives have? What restrictions are placed on them?

They are paid an annual salary by the treasury and currently it is $174,000. They can't be arrested while attending, or traveling to or from, a session of their respective houses unless they have committed Treason, felony, or breach of peace. They cannot be appointed to any other civil office while serving their elected office.

What war powers are denied to the States?

They cannot keep troops or ships of war or declare war.

What are the qualifications for the office of Senator?

They have to be at least 30 years old and have been a citizen of the US for at least 9 years and have lived in the state they represent when elected.

How do we determine the number of representatives to which each State is entitled?

We determine it by the population of the state

Define Original Jurisdiction

a court has the authority to be the first court to hear a case

In which house of Congress must revenue bills originate? Why?

all bills relating to revenue (taxes) must originate in the House of Representatives. This ensures that the representatives that are elected every two years are the ones making decisions regarding taxes.

Define Appellate jurisdiction

cases appealed mostly in lower courts.