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126 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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two names for US politcal system
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representative democracy of republic
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people elect officials who are responsible for the day to day operations of the government
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republic
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our national legislature
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congress
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whats the congresses main function
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make laws
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what article is the legislative branch found in
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1
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two houses
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bicameral
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what are the two houses?
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senate and house of representatives
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a meeting called by the president for congress to reassemble after it already ajourned, usually to deal with emergencies
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special session
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how many voting members are in the house of reps?
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435
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how many members in the us house of reps does missouri have?
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9
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distribution of seats in the house of representatives.
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apportionment
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who tells each state how many members it gets in the house?
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congress
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voters are choosing the winners of each political office
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general election
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federal election but no presidential candidates are running
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off year election
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length of a term of a member in the US house of reps
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2 years
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how many terms can a member of the us house of reps serve
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unlimited
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how many members are in the us senate
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100
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how many years is a term for a us senator?
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6 years
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how many terms can us senators serve?
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unlimited
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a viewpoint, or philosophy that the national government has the power to do almost anything unless specifically prohibited by the consitiution
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loose construction
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powers are specifically written down in the constitution
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expressed
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the supreme court case which first broadened the definition of commerce clause
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gibbons v ogden
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power of the government to take private property if it is needed for public use
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eminent domain
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allows congress to stretch its power to cover situations not specifically defined by the constituton
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necessary and proper clause
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another name for the necessary and proper clause
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elastic clause
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interpretation
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implied
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the supreme court case which upseld implied powers
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mcculloch v maryland
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accuse and bring up charges against a public official for some type of improper conduct
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impeach
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in a federal case of impeachment who brings up the charges?
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house of reps
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in a federal case of impeachment who acts as the jury?
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the senate
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a charge by the government on a person, property, or usiness to meet or help pay for a public need
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tax
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national government pays out more money than it brings in
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deficit spending
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all the money borrowed by the government over the years and not yet repaid
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public debt
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the building that houses the congress
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capitol
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a tactic used by senators to monopolize a debate by continually talking in an attempt to delay or block the passage of a bill
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fillibuster
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most powerful position in the house of reps
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speaker of the house
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a peice of proposed legislation
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bill
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majority party in the house of reps
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democrats
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most important committees in congress. each house has about 20 of these permandent committes that cover a broad range of topics that the congress must handle on a year to year basis.
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standing committees
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majority party in senate
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democrats
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most powerful position in the senate
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majority floor leader
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the office and duties of the us pres are described in article
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2
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the president as our top political official, who makes the final decisions that run the country
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cheif executive
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maximum years pres can serve is in what amendment?
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22
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how many electoral votes does missouri have
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11
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method or system of electing the president which allows indirect participation by the people
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electoral college
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describes the prinicples, goals, and stances on isssues, for a political party
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platform
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each state has as many electoral votes as the number of
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members in congress
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total number of electoral votes in the us
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538
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how many electoral votes are necessary to win the presidency
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270
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leader of our military or armed forces
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commander in cheif
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formal or ceremonial head of the country and as such may entertain foreign leaders, attend important social events, athletic events, and funerals.
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cheif of state
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electors of each state are chosen by their
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political party
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practice of awarding government officies and jobs to friends and other political party supporters
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patronage
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who are appointed for life are exempt from removal by the president, but are subject to impeachment.
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federal judges
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formal agreement between two or more soveriegn nations
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treaty
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most of our federal work is hired/employed through a merit and examination system
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civil service system
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complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of the us government
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bureaucracu
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presidents right arm
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executive office of the president
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advises the president on any domestic situation which could affect the safety of the american people
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national council
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15 executive departments which emply a large part of the executive bureaucracy and cover some broad field of activity
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cabinet
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all but one of the cabinets heads has the title of
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secretary
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provides benefits for the retired, disabled, handicapped
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social security administration
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helps the pres enforce the law and houses the fbi, federal attorneys, federal marshals, and dea
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department of justice
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oversees the foods and drug administration, medicare, medicaid, and centers for disease control
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health department
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helps carry out the presidents foreign policy and supervises our foreign doplomatic corps
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department of state
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what article describes the judicial branch
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3
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authority of a court to hear or decide a case
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jurisdiction
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majority of federal cases are heard in the lowest level of courts
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district courts
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prosecuting lawyer for the us government at the district court level
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us attorney
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gatekeepers, initiated to relieve the work load of the us supreme court
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us court of appeals
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us court of appeals are also called
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circuit courts
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power of the supreme court to have final say on the constiutionality of a law or action
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judicial review
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supreme court case which upheld judicial review
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marbury v madison
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for the supreme court to hear a case how many of the nine justices must agree that it is necessary
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4
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legal document written by an attorney supporting one side of a case by presenting the relevant facts and other previous cases that back your cause
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breif
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top practicing attorney for the us government who argues it most important cases
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solicitor general
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the supreme courts decision of a case, which also explains why the court ruled a certain way
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opinion
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standards or examples to be used in solving future cases
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precedents
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describes the basic principles and powers of our government
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constitutional law
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detailed, specific laws made by the legislative body
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statutory law
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decisions made by judges/courts which are written down and serve as a basis to solve future cases
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common law
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deals with disputes between individuals, businesses and oragnizations and the outcome is usually a fine--not jail
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civil law
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all rules and procedures law enforcement must follow to make sure alleged criminals are treated fairly
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due process
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a pretrial negotiation between opposing attorneys to avoid a trial by agreeing to guilt for a lesser punishment
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plea bargaining
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trial jury who hears evidence and hopes to make a decision on a case
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petite jury
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concerns the relationship between a government and its citizens
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public law
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a court order authorizing a search of an arrest of a person
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warrant
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does not have a jury and a judge along hears and decides the case
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bench trial
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describes offenses committed against the public and their punishments because the government feels like these wrongful acts endanger other members of society
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criminal law
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occurs when the jury cannot reach an agreement
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hung jury
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court order commanding a witness to appear or supply evidence to a courtroom
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subpoena
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suspended sentence and no jail time, but to live with certain restrictions
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probation
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punishment issued by the court
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sentenc
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whos the prosecutor in a criminal case
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government
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a judge decides if there is enough evidence to hold a person for trial
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preliminary hearing
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sworn affidavit that he/she has enough evidence for a trial
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information
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early release or a prisoner who has served the minimum sentence
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parole
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when either the defense attorney of the prosecuting attorneys questioning their own witnesses and presenting evidence
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direct examination
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the procedure by which the defense attorney questions the prosecutions witness or vice-versa
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cross examination
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allows an attorney to disquality, dismiss a potential juror without giving a reason
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preemptory challenge
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isolating a jury until a trial is finished so it is less likely to be influenced by public opinion
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sequestered
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members of congress who vote with the wishes of their political party
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partisan
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priviledge of a member of congress for free postal service
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franking
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political office who is temporarily in office but has not been reelected
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lamduck
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political official currently holding office
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incumbent
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people who elect a government official and to whom that official is responsible
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constituent
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drawing unusual shaped legislative districts in hopes of giving an advantage to a political party
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gerrymander
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top ranking us diplomat
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ambassador
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presidents power of leniency and mercy in treating federal criminals
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clemency
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document issued by the us government that identifies its citizens and gives permission to travel abroad
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passport
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residence and office of the top ranking us diplomats, usually located in a foreign country
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embassy
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legal forgiveness of a crime
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pardon
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document issued by a foreign country to enter and reside in that country for an extended period
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visa
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private meeting between justices to duscuss a case
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conference
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the one half hour an attorney is given to support his/her side of a case befroe the supreme court
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oral argument
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judge looks at past cases/decisions to help solve a case
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stare decisis
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wrongful act which injures a person of their property
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tort
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anaccused is brought before a judge in a public courtroom, indicted and ask to make a plea
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arraignment
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not guilty of all charges
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acquittal
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person who files suit in a court case
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plaintiff
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a decisions
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verdict
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to put in prison
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incarcerate
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opposing sides in a law suit
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litigant
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severe crime punishable by spending more than one year in jail
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felony
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formally charging a person with a crime
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indict
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