Test Four: American Government

instructed delegate

(delegate) one who acts on his/her own conscience and on the broad interests of the society.

executive order

(example of what?) President Obama raised the minimum wage for all temp workers provided to the federal govt through private contracts because Congress would not enact legislation to increase worker compensation.

enumerated powers

(expressed powers) those that are specifically granted to the natl govt by the constitution.

Filibuster

(in the Senate) are used to stop bills from coming to a floor vote.

In the House, the discharge petition is used to...

(what is used to) force a bill out of a committee so that the entire House can vote on it.

The job of a conference committee is to

(who) reconcile House and Senate version of a bill.

When a part of bureaucracy has been "captured"...

An industry regulated by an agency gains substantial power over the agency.

The Supreme Court's power of judicial review was established by...

Court decision I Marbury v. Madison

Laws in the US are based largely on the...

English common-law tradition

After being reported by a committee, but before being sent to the House floor, bills are given to the __________ Committee, which defines the conditions under which the bills are to be considered by the House.

House Rules

Which president vetoed the War Powers Resolution only to have Congress overturn the veto?

Richard Nixon

An impeachment trial is conduct by...

Senate (conducts what?)

The trend toward govt in the sunshine and information has been reversed since...

Sept 11 terrorist attacks

Judicial activism means...

Supreme Court should actively check the other branches of govt when they exceed their authority

Pendleton Act of 1883

The ___ created the civil service system and placed limits on the spoils system.

standing committee

The most important committees in Congress are ____ committees, permanent bodies that possess an expertise due to their jurisdiction over certain policy areas.

Based on the Constitution, the president of the Senate is also the ...

V. President of the US

concurring opinion

When a Supreme Court justice agrees with the decision of the majority but wants to clarify a particular point in the ruling, he/she would prepare...

Weberian Model of Bureaucracy

Which model of bureaucracy says it should be an apolitical organization and explains that individual advancement is supposed to be based on merit rather than political connections?

whistleblower

a clerical worker for the federal govt notices gross negligence in the spending habits of govt agency and the worker feels the need to call this discrepancy to the attention of the media. This clerical worker is an example of a ...

appellate court

a court that has the jurisdiction to review cases that have been previously tried in lower courts.

Judicial restraint

a justice who believes they should yield to the views of the legislative branch when interpreting a federal law.

According to the 25th Amendment, if a president's ability to discharge his normal functions is in question and he is unable to communicate,

a majority of the cabinet, including the Vice President, can declare the president incapable.

Cloture

a motion to end a debate (a filibuster)

A court rule bearing on subsequent legal decisions in similar cases is called

a precedent

Continuing Resolution

a temporary law that Congress passes when a appropriations bill has been decided by the beginning of the fiscal year.

one of the most important differences between public bureaucracies and private corporations is that govt bureaucracy...

are not organized to make a profit, whereas private corp. are.

A major power that Congress has over the federal bureaucracy is...

authority to extend or limit appropriations (funding).

The concept of the constitution being a "living constitution" would be adopted by those who believe in...

broad construction

The president is able to influence the making of laws as __________.

chief legislator

Sunshine laws require agencies to ...

conduct their business regularly in public sessions.

Redistricting occurs when...

district boundaries are redrawn within each state to ensure equal district populations.

The executive and legislative branches are responsible for judicial implementation because the Supreme Court ...

does not have any enforcement powers.

Congress can check the power of the federal judiciary in all of the following ways...

enacting new laws, initiating amendments of the US Constitution, not confirming nominees, confirming nominees. (they CANNOT interpret the law themselves)

As chief executive, the president is constitutionally bound to

enforce laws, treaties, and court orders

The president (as a head of state) is responsible for...

engaging in activities that are largely symbolic or ceremonial in nature. (what position?)

A key difference between a treaty and an executive agreement is that...

executive agreements expire at the end of a president's term in office.

Amtrak and the United States Postal Service are examples of

government corporations

Presidents tend to have legislative success rates that are...

high at the beginning of their administrations with a steep decline at the end.

committee system

how Congress is able to divide up legislative labor to allow members to concentrate on one area of topic.

What effect has the necessary and proper clause had on the federal govt?

it expanded the role of the natl govt relative to that of the states.

Doctrine of Stare Decisis

judges must abide by precedent of earlier cases unless there is a clear reason to distinguish the current case from predecessors.

the acquisitive model of bureaucracy holds that...

leaders of bureaucracies seek expanded budgets and larger staffs.

The ____ veto allows an executive to veto individual items within a piece of legislation without vetoing the entire bill.

line-item (veto)

As chief diplomat, the president

negotiates treaties, recognizes foreign govts, and makes executive agreements.

The Hatch Act of 1939 prohibits federal employees from ...

participating in the political management of campaigns.

A new president may need to appoint several thousand individuals to jobs in the federal govt. When these jobs are rewarded to people because they are faithful members of the same political party, it is an example of...

patronage.

If Congress disagrees with a decision of the Supreme Court concerning the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, it can __________.

propose amendment to the constitution that would negate the Court's ruling.

The main function of the president's cabinet is to...

provide advice to the president to aid in decision making.

When a court case is remanded, it is ...

send back to the court the it originally heard it.

how long is the term for a federal judge?

serves for life

Jurisdiction

the authority of a court to decide certain cases

The seniority system provides that...

the committee member of the majority party with the longest continuous service normally becomes the committee chairperson. (what system?)

One major problem with the role of the instructed delegate is...

the constituents may not actually have well-formed views on many issues.

The House has a large number of members (versus the Senate) as a result...

the greater number of formal rules are needed to govern activity in the House.

An example of a divided govt.

the president is a Republican, the Senate majority is Republican and the House majority is Democratic.

Independent executive agencies report directly to ___, but are not part of ___.

the president, a cabinet department

the merit system refers to...

the selection and promotion of govt employees on the basis of examination.

As commander-in-chief, the president is

the ultimate decision maker in military matters

Since laws are often drafted in very vague terms, it is the job of agencies to determine the best way to carry out these laws. In this sense, the agency becomes a

unelected policymakers

When can a president use a pocket veto?

when Congress adjourns for the session within ten days of the bill being submitted to the president (then)

Negotiated Rulemaking

when federal agencies encourage businesses and public-interest groups to become directly involved in drafting regulations.