poly sci final

There are ___ circuits in the US court of appeals

12

The president appoints judges of courts under congress' Article I power for:

15 years

Which of the following would the Supreme Court likely refuse to hear because the case lacked "ripeness"?

A case involving a citizen suing the social security administration for failure to deliver social security benefits prior to the time the citizen was scheduled to receive the benefits.

Which of the following would the supreme court likely refuse to hear because of "mootness"?

A case involving a student who was first rejected but then, later, admitted to a state-run university suing that university for discrimination in the admission process.

__________ and ___________ are the two MOST common types of civil law cases.

Contracts; torts

The three components of presidents' "administrative strategy" have been enhancing the power of the ____, increase control over the federal _____, and expanding the role of ______ and other instruments of direct presidential governance.

Executive office, bureaucracy, executive orders

Which of the following statements about state and federal courts procedures is MOST accurate?

Federal courts are required to provide a grand jury, a 12-member trial jury, and a unanimous jury verdict while state courts are not.

The office of the presidency was established by Article __ of the constitution

II

What distinguishes lobbying from other strategies of influence?

Lobbyists try to exert pressure directly on the government officials themselves.

What does the Supremacy Clause assert?

The constitution and all laws made under it are superior to any state laws

The office of management and budget is important because

The constitution requires that the president receive its approval for every administrative rule change and tax increase that he or she prepares

Which of the following best describes a way in which the house differs from the senate?

The house is more centralized and organized than the senate.

A single lawsuit involving thousands of smokers suing a tobacco company would be an example of:

a class action suit

AN iron triangle is made up of the alliance between

a legislative committee, an interest group, and an executive agency.

The term whip in discussions of congress refers to

a party member in the house or senate responsible for coordinating the party's legislative strategy, building support for key issues and counting votes.

A pocket veto is a

a presidential veto that is automatically triggered if the president does not act on a given piece of legislation passed during the final 10 days of a legislative session

The kind of representation that takes place when constituents have the power to hire and fire their representative is called _____ representation

agency

Lobbying is

an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of Congress or a state legislature.

A grassroots lobbying campaign occurs when

an interest group mobilizes its members and their families throughout the country to write their representatives in support of the group's position.

The term pork barrel refers to

appropriations made by legislative bodies for local projects that are often not needed but are created so that local representatives can win re-elections in their home districts.

Congress is a ______ legislature with _____ total members.

bicameral, 535

The main political value of the vice president is to

bring the president votes in the election from a group or region that would not otherwise be a likely source of support.

The president has the power to appoint which of the following positions?

cabinet secretaries.

The primary constitutional task of the vice president, besides succeeding the president in case of death, resignation, or incapacitation is to

cast tie-breaking votes in the senate.

A benefit that is sought by an interest group and that once achieved cannot be denied to nonmembers is called a ________.

collective good

______ powers exist when both the state and national governments share authority in certain domains.

concurrent

The structure of American Federalism

contributed to the longevity of the U.S. government by allowing many divisive policy decisions throughout American history to be made by states.

The government is always the plaintiff in ___________ law

criminal

The supreme court struck down state laws in the cases of Brown v. Board of Education and Pavan v. Smith becuase the statutes in question:

denied citizens equal protection of the law

The president's power to "grant reprieves and pardons" is an example of an ________ power, while the president's power to remove executive branch appointees is an example of an inherent power.

expressed; inherent

The system of shared powers, divided between a central government, and the state governments, is called

federalism

In order to overcome the ____ problem, interest groups often provide ____ to their members

free rider; selective goods

The ______ and the _______ clauses of the U.S. Constitution involve the relationship between and among the various states

full faith and credit; privileges and immunities

Activist judges believe that federal judges should

go beyond the words of a constitution or statute to consider the broader societal implications of their decisions.

What is it called when a state grants a city the ability to govern its own local affairs?

home rule

The main different between inherent and implied powers is that

implied powers can be traced to the powers expressed in the actual language of the constitution, while inherent powers derive from national sovereignty.

A senator or representative running for re-election is called the ________.

incumbent

The increased number and importance of interest groups

is a response to an increase in the size and activity of the government.

The Teamsters and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) are examples of _____ groups

labor

The state of the union address is

mandated by the Constitution

Gerrymandering refers to the

manipulation of electoral college districts to serve the interest of a particular group.

When membership in an organization allows for a reduction in the price of museum tickets, it is called a ________.

material benefit

The term stakeholders refers to

organizations affected by a government policy

A state's government's authority to regulate the safety, health, and morals of its citizens is called a _____ power.

police

Interest groups are concerned with the ________ of government, while political parties are concerned with the ________ of government.

policies; personnel

The chief justice of the supreme court

presides over the court's public sessions and private conferences.

Shay's Rebellion was an attempt to

prevent the state of Massachusetts from foreclosing on the lands of debt-ridden farmers.

The primary function of a PAC is to

raise and distribute funds to election campaigns

In a federal system, governmental responsibilities are

shared by both state and federal governments.

The doctrine of ___________ requires courts to follow authoritative prior decisions when ruling a case.

state decisis

Which level of government writes the majority of criminal laws?

state governments

The full faith and credit clause of the Constitution requires the

states to honor each other's public acts and legal decisions.

Conference comittees are

temporary, involve members from both houses of congress, and are charged with reaching a compromise on legislation once it has been passed by both the house and the senate

Oversight can be best described as the

the efforts of congress to supervise the manner in which its laws are implemented by the executive branch

Which two constitutional provisions have been at the heart of constitutional struggles between federal and state powers throughout American history?

the elastic clause and the Tenth Amendment

The decision to assign jurisdiction over controversies between citizens of different states to the Supreme Court was significant because it meant that

the federal judiciary, rather than the state courts, would ultimately become the primary venue for resolving disputes.

The president's pro tempore of the senate is usually

the majority party member with the most seniority.

What is cloture?

the process by which three-fifths of the Senate can end a filibuster.

The power of the supreme court to review state actions and legislation is implied by

the supremacy clause of Article VI

The solicitor general is the __________-ranking official in the ____________

third; Department of Justice

The first court to hear a criminal case involving a violation of a state law is called a __________ court

trial

The role that the U.S. senate plays in impeachments can be best compared with that of a

trial jury

What is required for congress to override a presidential veto?

two-thirds of both houses of congress

The filibuster

was rarely used throughout most of american history but has become a frequent used tactic in the US senate in the last 20 years.