Government

Autocracy

a form of government in which a single individual—a king, queen, or dictator—rules

Oligarchy

a form of government in which a small group— landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants—controls most of the governing decisions

The heads of major government departments and agencies collectively make up the

Cabinet

Which first spouse had considerable policy influence while her husband was in office?

Eleanor Roosevelt

More than ____ percent of all court cases in the United States are heard in ____ courts.

99; state

Limited Government

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution.

Which federal judges are appointed for life?

All Article III judges are appointed for life.

Today, ____ seem to view the courts as useful instruments through which to pursue their goals.

Americans of all political persuasions

Which president used town hall meetings to effectively communicate with the American public?

Bill Clinton

How have changes in judicial policy areas and judicial procedure affected the power of the federal judiciary since World War II?

Both policy and procedure changes have expanded judicial power.

Which branch of government has the constitutional power to declare war?

Congress

The modern Supreme Court has nine members because

Congress set the size of the Court at nine members

If you were an outside interest group and wanted to influence the Supreme Court's ruling on a case it will hear next month, what action would have the most influence?

Filing an amicus curiae brief

The Executive Office of the President was established in the administration of

Franklin D. Roosevelt.

President _______________________ acquired significantly more powers due to the United States being in a state of war.

George .W. Bush

Which of the following cases involved the right to privacy?

Griswold v. Connecticut

Power

Influence over a government's leadership, organization, or policies.

Most of the framers of the Constitution opposed choosing the president by way of a direct, popular election. Why did they oppose this method of presidential selection?

It could potentially make the presidency too powerful.

Which of the following American wars was approved of by Congress through a resolution and not a formal declaration of war?

Korean War

Which of the following court cases set the precedent for judicial review?

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Judicial review was established in the case of ____

Marbury v. Madison.

The textbook authors argue that, today, every president is strong. What do the authors mean by this?

Modern presidents have more institutional resources than presidents before them.

The most important and largest agency in the Executive Office of the President is the

Office of Management and Budget

Which of the following is an example of inherent presidential powers?

President Lincoln mobilizing troops at the outbreak of the Civil War

Which of the following is an example of delegated powers?

The Environmental Protection Agency interprets and enforces the air pollution laws enacted by Congress.

Which amendment provides for the vice president to assume the presidency in the event of the chief executive's death or incapacity and sets forth the procedures that would be followed?

The Twenty-fifth Amendment

Which of the following would not be accurately characterized as a traditional limitation on the power of the federal courts?

The president can dissolve the Supreme Court if it oversteps its powers

What is a signing statement?

The president signs legislation while also noting how the new law will be interpreted; the president may also express concerns over particular provisions.

Why does the solicitor general have such a strong influence on the Supreme Court?

The solicitor general screens most cases being appealed by agencies of the federal government and only lets some cases advance.

President Nixon vetoed the ___________________________, but Congress overrode the veto. Subsequent presidents have tended to ignore this law.

War Powers Resolution

Members of the ____________________________ tend to be very close personal and political associates of the president.

White House staff

If a president claims that his or her election victory amounts to an order from the American people to enact new economic policies, he or she is claiming

a mandate

Senatorial courtesy refers to

a norm whereby the president consults senators of his party from a state where he is appointing a district court judge.

Popular Sovereignty

a principle of democracy in which political authority rests ultimately in the hands of the people

U.S. district court decisions are made by

a single federal judge.

Representative Democracy/Republic

a system of government in which the populace selects representatives, who play a significant role in governmental decision making

Constitutional Government

a system of rule in which formal and effective limits are placed on the powers of the government

Authoritarian Government

a system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits but may nevertheless be restrained by the power of other social institutions

Totalitarian Government

a system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it

Democracy

a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the election of key public officials

Direct Democracy

a system of rule that permits citizens to vote directly on laws and policies

Equality of Opportunity

a widely shared American ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential

Which of the following is a brief submitted to the Supreme Court by someone other than one of the parties in the case?

amicus curiae

laissez-faire capitalism

an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit with minimal or no government interference

Presidents George Herbert Walker Bush and Bill Clinton negotiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Instead of treating that agreement like a treaty, Clinton submitted it for a simple majority vote of Congress. What President Clinton did was

an executive-congressional agreement

Presidential high-level political appointments are

an institutional resource of presidential power.

Battles between the president and Congress over federal court nominees have ____ over time.

become more common

Political Culture

broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function. American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and democracy

Which of the following is not included in the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?

cases involving challenges to the constitutionality of state laws

Opinion assignment when he or she is in the majority is an important power of the ____.

chief justice

Each _____ court exercises _____ jurisdiction over cases heard by the district courts within its region.

circuit; appellate

A ____ is a legal action by which a group of individuals with common interests can file a suit on behalf of everyone who shares that interest.

class-action suit

Politics

conflict over the leadership, structure, and policies of governments

Justices appointed by presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush have moved the Court in a more ____ direction on issues, including affirmative action and abortion.

conservative

In what kind of case does the plaintiff charge that it has suffered because of another's violation of a specific agreement between the two?

contract

Cases of ____ law are those in which the government charges an individual with violating a statute that has been enacted to protect public health, safety, morals, or welfare.

criminal

In ____ cases, the government is always the plaintiff.

criminal

Unlike in ____ cases, the losers in ____ cases cannot be fined or sent to prison, although they may be required to pay monetary damages for their actions.

criminal; civil

Generally speaking, popular support for a president

declines over time

Justices who disagree with the majority decision of the Court may choose to publicize the character of their disagreement in the form of a

dissenting opinion.

Why did Congress confer on federal courts the authority to issue writs of habeas corpus?

distrust of southern courts after the Civil War

When is it most likely that presidential powers would increase?

during wartime

The U.S. Supreme Court is made up of one chief justice and ____ associate justices.

eight

A treaty requires a two-thirds Senate ratification vote. Presidents often use _______________________ to avoid this challenge to their foreign policy.

executive agreements

Federal court jurisdiction extends to

federal statutes, treaties, and the U.S. Constitution.

Why was Joe Biden chosen to be the vice presidential nominee on the Democratic ticket under Barack Obama in 2008?

foreign policy experience

Liberty

freedom from governmental control

Known as the Great Writ, ____ is guaranteed by the Constitution and can be suspended only in cases of rebellion or invasion.

habeas corpus

As the leading actor in U.S. foreign policy, the president is known as

head of state.

Citizenship

informed and active membership in a political community

In times of crises, presidents have issued executive orders without consulting Congress on the basis of

inherent powers

Government

institutions and procedures through which a territory and its people are ruled

The Cabinet, consisting of heads of all major federal government departments,

is not discussed in the constitution

The doctrine of stare decisis

is reasoning from precedent

The power to __________________________ can be categorized as a judicial power of the president.

issue pardons

Which of the following concepts is the least related to the other concepts?

judicial review

Establishing the court that has the power to hear and decide a particular case is called

jurisdiction

What is the term for a court's sphere of power and authority?

jurisdiction

Stare decisis is a Latin phrase that means

let the decision stand.

The Constitution gives the Supreme Court ____ jurisdiction in cases involving foreign ambassadors and issues in which a state is a party.

original

A two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate is required to do the following:

override the president's veto

The president's power to _____________________ is absolute; Congress plays no role in this power.

pardon

As a tool for achieving political goals, presidents have found ___________________ to be mostly unreliable.

party members

A negotiated agreement in a criminal case in which a defendant agrees to tell the court that he or she is guilty in return for the state's agreement to reduce the severity of the criminal charge or prison sentence the defendant is facing is known as a

plea bargain.

A ____________ veto can occur when the president is presented a bill during the last ten days of a legislative session and ____________ be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress.

pocket; cannot

When the Senate refuses to confirm a Supreme Court nominee, it is typically because of his or her ____, not his or her ____.

political ideology; qualifications

The three steps in the Supreme Court's procedures are, in order,

preparing briefs, giving oral argument, making and writing opinions

Sections two and three of Article II of the Constitution establish the

presidential powers and duties.

What is the name for the practice whereby the president, before formally nominating a person for a federal judgeship, seeks the indication that senators from the candidate's own state support the nomination?

senatorial courtesy

Because the Supreme Court has so much influence over American law and politics, virtually all presidents have made an effort to select justices who ____.

share their political philosophies

What major public event do modern presidents use to propose new legislation?

the State of the Union Message

Presidents today are most likely to rely upon ____________ for advice.

the White House staff.

Political Efficacy

the ability to influence government and politics

Majority rule, Minority rights

the democratic principle that a government follows the preferences of the majority of voters but protects the interests of the minority

According to the U.S. Constitution, the president is selected by

the electoral college

Politcal Equality

the right to participate in politics equally, based on the principle of "one person, one vote"

Which of the following influences the flow of cases heard by the Supreme Court?

the solicitor general and law clerks

What are expressed powers in the Constitution?

the specific powers granted in the Constitution to Congress and to the president

Pluralism

the theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government; the outcome of this competition is compromise and moderation

Executive orders may be used by the president for which of the following objectives?

to more effectively manage the executive branch and carry out existing laws and policies