Government 2305 Constitution Scavenger Hunt

2. The president is trying to balance the budget to begin reducing the national debt. One part of his program is to raise income taxes. Into which house of Congress must the president try to get his tax increase bill introduced to see it become law? Why? Article_____________ Section__________ Clause_______________

Both branches of Congress must vote in order for the president to raise income taxes. The constitution does not stipulate any only branch to get laws passed. Article 1 Section 8 Clause 1

6. Colorado has six representatives and two senators. How many electors does it have? Why? Article________________ Section_______________ Clause_________________

Colorado has 8 electors. The number representatives plus the number the Senators is the numbers of electors. Article 2 Section 1 Clause 2

21. The president is assassinated. Her vice-president takes office and serves as president for three years. He then runs for president, is elected, and serves another four years. Can this president now run for another term? Why or why not? Amendment____________

He cannot run for another term since he has acted as president for more than 2 years. Amendment 22

14. The president nominates Ms. Kite to an office in his cabinet. Ms. Kite belongs to a small, but unpopular religious sect. Her religious beliefs become an issue during her confirmation hearing in the Senate. Although Ms. Kite's experience and education qualify her for the post, she is denied confirmation by the Senate. Does Ms. Kite have constitutional grounds to protest the Senate's action? Why or why not? Article_______________ Section______________ Clause________________

Ms. Kite has constitutional grounds to protest the decision. Congress is not allowed to pass any laws or make any decisions based on a person's race, color, ethnicity, or religion. Article 1 Section 1 Clause 1

22. The Republican candidate for president wins the election but dies of a heart attack three days before inauguration day. Who becomes president? Amendment_____________

The Vice President shall become president if the presidential candidate dies before the inauguration. Amendment 20

15. The owner of a large newspaper prints some of her political opinions which are critical of the policies of the president. She then appears on television and repeats her views. Could she be arrested for printing or speaking ideas that are opposed to the government? Amendment_____________

The owner of the newspaper has the right to express what she feels about the president. Therefore, she cannot be arrested unless it is in a time of war. Amendment 1

4. The following are possible topics of bills that might be presented to Congress. Determine whether Congress has the power to deal with each topic and explain why or why not. A. Congress raised the national debt ceiling by $1 billion. Article_____________ Section_________________ Clause_________________

Yes because Congress is allowed to borrow money on the credit of the United States. Article 1 Section 8 Clause 2

4. The following are possible topics of bills that might be presented to Congress. Determine whether Congress has the power to deal with each topic and explain why or why not. C. Congress closes an air force base and an army post. Article_______________ Section______________ Clause____________________

Yes. Congress has the ability to control the size of the army. Article 1 Section 8 Clause 12

11. Supreme Court Justice Emerson is alleged to have accepted a bribe in a case concerning a large corporation. If the allegation is true, can Justice Emerson be removed from office? Why or why not? Article______________ Section_______________ Clause______________

Yes. Justice Emerson can be removed from office for large misdemeanors if there is proof that it is true. Article 2 Section 4 Clause 1

12. The United States has a treaty with Canada concerning fishing rights off the coast of the two countries. U.S. officials find boats belonging to a U.S. fishing company in violation of this treaty. Does the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction in this case? Explain Article______________________ Section__________________ Clause______________

Yes. The Supreme Court does have original jurisdiction. They have jurisdiction under laws and treaties made therefore if they feel the treaty is being violated they can investigate. Article 3 Section 3 Clause 1

7. A presidential candidate loses the popular vote in the election but wins a majority of votes in the electoral college. Does she become president? Why or why not? Article_____________ Section______________ Clause_______________

Yes. The popular vote is a vote to determine the most popular candidate. The Electoral College decides who wins the presidency based on the number of electoral votes each candidate receives. Article 2 Section 1 Clause 3

18. During a police drama series on television, two policemen walk into a man's apartment and seize some rifles. The man shows the police the licenses for the guns and the sales receipts to prove that he owns them legally. Despite his protest, the police confiscate the weapons. For what two reasons is it unlikely that his scene would take place in real life? Amendment ______________&__________________

The police need a warrant for searching and seizing items in a house, and every citizen with a license has the right to bear arms. Amendments 4 & 2

16. An executive steals $100,000 from her company. An accountant finds evidence of the crime, but not enough to convict the executive at her trial and she is found not guilty. Three months later, the accountant find documents that would prove conclusively the executive stole the money. Can anything be done about the executive at this point? Amendment_________

A person cannot be charged twice for the same crime. Amendment 5

3. Congress sends the president a bill which calls for an increase of ten percent in Social Security payments to the elderly. The president and his advisers believe that his is a bad idea because it will cause inflation and increase the budget deficit. However, the president is reluctant to veto the bill because a large segment of the population is more than 60 years old and Social Security is important to them. C. The president eventually vetoes the Social Security increase bill. Many members of Congress believe that the bill is vital to their elderly constituents. What can Congress do to make sure the bill is passed in spite of the president's veto? Article________________ Section______________ Clause________________

Congress can overrule the president's veto with a 2/3 majority vote. Article 1 Section 7 Clause 3

1. Mr. Smith would like to run for a Senate seat in Massachusetts. He is 49 years old and has been a citizen of the United States all of his life. He lives in New York and is registered to vote in that state. He owns a house in Massachusetts and visits there occasionally. His business is in Albany, New York. Can Mr. Smith run for the Massachusetts Senate seat? Why or why not? Article________ Section________ Clause______

He cannot run for Senator of Massachusetts because he is not a resident of Massachusetts. He is registered in New York, and therefore cannot be a Senator in a state where he is not registered. Article 1 Section 3 Clause 3

8. Mr. Ziegler wishes to run for president in the 2016 election. He was born in Seattle, Washington in 1990. Mr. Ziegler has worked for an oil company for the last fifteen years and is now stationed with that company in Houston, Texas, where he has established residency. He is a member of the Republican Party. Can Mr. Ziegler by president? Why or why not? Article ________________ Section_________________ Clause________________

He cannot run for president because he is not 35 years old, even though he is a natural born citizen, and he is a part of a political party. Article 2 Section 1 Clause 5

3. Congress sends the president a bill which calls for an increase of ten percent in Social Security payments to the elderly. The president and his advisers believe that his is a bad idea because it will cause inflation and increase the budget deficit. However, the president is reluctant to veto the bill because a large segment of the population is more than 60 years old and Social Security is important to them. B. Reconsider question 3 in light of the fact that Congress has voted to adjourn for the year in five days. What difference will this make to the president's decision on how to respond to the social Security bill? Article______________ Section_______________ Clause_____________

No change will be made to the laws and the president is allowed to ignore the bill. Article 1 Section 7 Clause 2

23. A black woman tries to vote in her home state, but is told she is ineligible. At the polling place she sees only white males voting. She believes her rights have been denied. What two amendments can she use to support her view? Explain. Amendment_______________

No state or state government can deny a person the right to vote based on race, religion, ethnicity, or gender. Amendments 15 & 19

17. A man is held in prison for a year before he is brought to trial. His bail is set at $1 million, much more than he can pay. At his trial he is not told the crime with which he is charged. He asks to have a lawyer, but is told they are all busy at this time. In what four ways was this man's constitutional rights denied? Amendment___________&____________

No. Because he has the right to a speedy and public trial. Also he cannot be given excessive bail and must be given a lawyer. He also must be told what crime he has been charged with. Amendments 6 & 8

4. The following are possible topics of bills that might be presented to Congress. Determine whether Congress has the power to deal with each topic and explain why or why not. B. Congress wishes to give one of the nation's oldest and most respected ambassadors the title of "duke" in recognition of her service to the country. Article_______________ Section______________ Clause_________________

No. Congress cannot give titles of nobility to people. Article 1 Section 9 Clause 8

4. The following are possible topics of bills that might be presented to Congress. Determine whether Congress has the power to deal with each topic and explain why or why not. D. Congress buys 15 new trucks for the U.S. Postal Service. Article________________ Section_____________ Clause_____________________

No. Congress doesn't control buying trucks. Article 1 Section 8 Clause 7

4. The following are possible topics of bills that might be presented to Congress. Determine whether Congress has the power to deal with each topic and explain why or why not. E. Congress wishes to regulate the rates charged by bus lines, railroads, and airlines. Article_________________ Section__________________ Clause__________________

No. Congress is only allowed to control commerce from outside the United States. They do not control the rates for bus lines, railroads, and airlines. Article 1 Section 8 Clause 3

5. The governor of a coastal state claims that her state is being threatened by ships from a neighboring country. To counteract the threat, her state makes a treaty with another foreign nation for mutual defense. Is the governor within her constitutional rights to take this action? Why or why not? Article_______________ Section______________ Clause___________

No. States do not have the right to create treaties. Congress alone holds that power. Article 1 Section 10 Clause 1

10. After World War I, President Wilson went to Europe to help write the peace treaty that ended the war B. Was the treaty binding on the United States as soon as Wilson signed it? Why or why not? Article_______________ Section________________ Clause_______________

No. The Senate did not approve the signing of the peace treaty, Article 2 Section 2 Clause 2

9. One morning, Barack Obama orders 1000 American troops to Afghanistan to serve as military advisors. The president does not ask Congress for a declaration of war and instructs the troops not to engage in combat. Is the president acting within his constitutional powers? Why or why not? Article______________ Section_______________ Clause______________

No. The president cannot send troops to foreign lands without permission from Congress. Article 2 Section 2 Clause 1

10. After World War I, President Wilson went to Europe to help write the peace treaty that ended the war A. Was President Wilson acting within his constitutional powers when he helped negotiate the treaty? Why or why not? Article_____________ Section_____________ Clause__________________

No. There weren't any Senators present in Europe when he signed the treaty. Article 2 Section 2 Clause 2

13. A large number of people in the United States want a constitutional amendment passed that would force the federal government to balance the nation's budget each year. However, the people cannot get a single member of Congress to introduce the amendment. Is there any legal way people can bypass the Congress and still get the amendment passed? Explain. Article________________ Section______________ Clause________________

The people cannot just bypass Congress and still get the amendment passed. Amendments must be voted on in Congress in order to be ratified. Article 5 Section 1 Clause 1

3. Congress sends the president a bill which calls for an increase of ten percent in Social Security payments to the elderly. The president and his advisers believe that this is a bad idea because it will cause inflation and increase the budget deficit. However, the president is reluctant to veto the bill because a large segment of the population is more than 60 years old and Social Security is important to them. A. Can the president simply ignore the bill, neither vetoing nor signing it, and allow it to pass without taking any direct action? Why or Why not? Article__________ Section______________ Clause_______________

The president either has to sign the bill or return it with his objections. He cannot choose to do neither. Article 1 Section 7 Clause 2