Ch. 7 & 8

If a judge believes that she should defer to the decisions made by elected representatives whenever possible, she likely believes in which of the following?

judicial restraint

Federal district court judges are appointed to __________ terms.

life

What does the Twenty-second Amendment do?

limits the president's terms of office

Which of these powers is a constitutional power that the president shares with the Senate?

making treaties

Which of the following is a judicial power given to the president?

nominating federal judges

Since Lyndon Johnson, presidents have tended to __________.

oppose government growth

Which of the following is the authority vested in a particular court to hear a case first?

original jurisdiction

The Twenty-fifth Amendment was enacted in order to clear up uncertainties over the constitutional provisions surrounding __________.

presidential and vice presidential succession and disability

Which of the following is within the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?

prosecuting diplomats

Why did Justice Souter wait until 2009 to retire?

so that Barack Obama rather than George W. Bush would name a new justice

Which of the following citizens would be ineligible to become president?

someone who has already been elected president twice

According to the principle of __________, a court should not overturn precedent unless it is absolutely necessary.

stare decisis

Which of the following limits judicial power?

stare decisis

In which courts are the vast majority of all cases tried?

state

Which of the following is a collection of executive branch officials who assist the president, but who also fulfill duties required by law and are therefore limited in the extent of their loyalty to the president?

the Executive Office of the President

Which of the following must confirm all federal judges?

the Senate

Which of the following has the most control over the cases it hears?

the U.S. Supreme Court

Where is the entry point for most litigation in the federal courts?

the U.S. district courts

What was intended to give Congress a greater voice in the decision to introduce American troops into hostilities?

the War Powers Resolution

What is common law?

the accumulation of judicial decisions about legal issues

Of the following leadership traits, which is critical to presidential success?

the power to persuade

Who decides whether to appeal a case that the government has lost to the Supreme Court?

the solicitor general

Who is in charge of the federal government's appellate court litigation?

the solicitor general

What is the primary purpose of the Council of Economic Advisers?

to advise the president on economic policy

What is the role of the National Security Council?

to link the president's foreign and military policy advisers

Who breaks a tie in the Senate?

vice president of the United States

When might citizens be particularly concerned about an expansion of presidential power?

when they oppose the president's agenda

How many district courts are in the federal system?

94

Which of the following statements about presidential approval is accurate?

Barack Obama's approval rating was lower in 2012 than when he took office.

A dissenting opinion is written by a justice who agrees with the decision of the majority, but disagrees with the rationale.

False

If Barack Obama wants to disapprove individual items within a spending bill rather than the bill in its entirety, he can use the line-item veto.

False

If a president does not sign or veto a bill within 10 days after receiving it, and if Congress is still in session, the bill does not become law.

False

Litigants have an automatic right to have their appeal heard by the Supreme Court.

False

Only the Supreme Court can review the decisions of district courts.

False

Research concludes that television and newspaper media are systematically biased in favor of the Democratic Party because Democrats receive more and more favorable news coverage than do Republicans.

False

Rosemary Austin wants to run for president. She is a natural-born citizen of the United States. She is 45 years old. She has been a resident of the United States for 10 years. Therefore, she meets the requirements to become president.

False

The Constitution lays out the grounds for impeachment in great detail.

False

The Constitution sets the terms of district court judges at 10 years and court of appeals judges at 20 years.

False

The Framers included a two-term limit for the presidency in Article II of the Constitution.

False

The Governor of Arizona can be removed from office by recall election, but not impeached.

False

The Supreme Court regularly exercises its original jurisdiction.

False

The district courts are appellate courts.

False

The president is not allowed to encourage specific members of Congress to vote for or against a specific bill.

False

The three most useful resources that presidents have to enact their legislative agenda are party ambiguity, a paucity of public support, and legislative patience.

False

Which describes something that Barack Obama did that caused his critics to charge that he has become too powerful?

He used drones to kill terrorist suspects, some of whom were American citizens.

The __________ Act of 1789 established the basic three-tiered structure of the federal court system.

Judiciary

In which of the following cases did the Supreme Court first claim the right of judicial review?

Marbury v. Madison

In which way do modern presidents differ from the original intentions of the Framers?

Modern presidents are much more influential in the legislative process than the Framers originally intended.

Which of the following reviews potential legislative proposals suggested by executive agencies and assesses their budgetary implications?

Office of Management and Budget

Who attempted to expand the number of Supreme Court justices in 1937?

President Roosevelt

How did the expectations for the vice presidency change starting with Walter Mondale?

Presidents are more likely to use their vice presidents as close policy advisers.

How might rally events affect presidential politics?

Rally events tend to temporarily increase presidential approval ratings, providing presidents with a window of opportunity to press their agenda.

In 1987, the Senate refused to confirm the nomination of __________ to the Supreme Court.

Robert Bork

At President Roosevelt's urging, Congress passed dozens of laws designed to end the Depression. Why did the Supreme Court initially overturn these New Deal policies?

The Court believed that federal intervention in the economy was unconstitutional.

Which is one reason why the power and responsibility of the presidency has increased?

The United States has increased its prominence on the world stage.

Which statement about the news is generally true?

The news is often framed in themes that simplify the issues and provide continuity from story to story.

A divided government occurs when the president is of one party and a majority in either house of Congress is of the other party.

True

Civil law consists of both statutes and common law.

True

Congress has the sole authority to declare war.

True

Judges in Arizona must stand a retention election.

True

Marbury v. Madison significantly expanded the power of the federal judiciary.

True

Most people do not consider opposition to a Supreme Court nominee's ideology a valid reason for senators to vote against his or her confirmation.

True

Presidents have failed less than half of the time to appoint the nominees of their choice to the Supreme Court.

True

Presidents tend to begin their terms of office with higher approval ratings than at the end of their terms.

True

Presidents tend to have high approval ratings at the beginning of their term.

True

Rotating three-judge panels typically decide cases in the federal courts of appeals.

True

The Constitution sets no specific requirements for judges and justices.

True

The Judiciary Act of 1789 established the federal circuit courts and district courts.

True

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a constitutional court.

True

The increasing polarization of partisan politics in recent years has made the confirmation process for court of appeals judges longer and less certain.

True

The president may grant pardons for federal offenses (except impeachment).

True

The press and presidents have tended to be in conflict as far back as the presidency of George Washington.

True

Those who lose their case in the district court have the right to appeal to a higher court.

True

U.S. attorneys do not have lifetime appointments.

True

When the Framers were designing the presidency, they wanted to be certain to avoid both anarchy and monarchy.

True

When the president makes nominations to the federal courts, ideology is as important as partisanship.

True

Which Court was one of the most active in shaping public policy in the twentieth century?

Warren

The president's chief of staff and press secretary are members of which group?

White House staff

Which of the following is most likely to constitute an impeachable offense?

a president's decision to invade a country solely to increase his or her public support

A(n) __________ brief might be submitted by an interest group hoping to influence the Supreme Court's decision.

amicus curiae

Only a(n) __________ court can review the decisions of a lower court.

appellate

In which capacity have recent vice presidents been particularly influential in American politics?

as an adviser in the policymaking process

What constitutional power does the Governor of Arizona have that the President of the United States does not?

call the legislative branch to Special Session

A writ of __________ is issued by the Supreme Court when it agrees to hear a case.

certiorari

Which type of law concerns the violation of the legal rights of one individual toward another?

civil

Which of the following is an opinion written by a justice in the majority that outlines an alternative basis for the decision?

concurring

Which court hears appeals from independent regulatory commissions?

courts of appeals

The use of __________ in foreign matters is an example of the president acting as a chief diplomat.

executive agreements

The Supreme Court hears cases from state courts only if they involve __________ law.

federal

For a case to be heard in the Supreme Court, a minimum of how many justices must vote to hear the case?

four

How and whether judicial decisions are translated into actual policy is known as judicial __________.

implementation