“Con Law” It’s in the BudgetDecisions “Chief” among Equals Juris- diction Policy Points Mis-cell- any AP Government Jeopardy – Judiciary, Budget, and Policy

Final Jeopardy! Question Judiciary, Budget, and Policy Selection of Federal Judges

Creates the Supreme Court, but not the federal court system – also gives Congress the power to create federal courts below the Supreme Court Article III “Con Law” 100

Philosophy that the Supreme Court should play an active role in determining national policies, especially those related to social and political issues Judicial activism “Con Law” 200

Philosophy that holds that the Supreme Court should avoid taking initiative on social and political issues Judicial restraint “Con Law” 300

Judicial checks on the Legislative Branch Can interpret the meaning of laws, nullify laws or parts of laws by declaring them unconstitutional “Con Law” 400

Can interpret executive orders and federal regulations, can nullify an executive order or federal regulation by declaring it unconstitutional Judicial checks on Executive Branch “Con Law” 500

Federal Reserve efforts to control the money supply, primarily through interest rate changes, to stimulate the economy Monetary policy It’s in the Budget 100

Gradual increases/decreases in funding that produce major changes over time Incrementalism It’s in the Budget 200

Legislative process that produces laws granting the expenditure of money for specific programs Authorization It’s in the Budget 300

Legislative process that distributes money to programs in order to run the government and carry out public policy Appropriations Process It’s in the Budget 400

Used to continue funding the government when an appropriations bill has been stalled by gridlock in Congress or a presidential veto Continuing resolution It’s in the Budget 500

An opinion that summarizes the opinion of the court and provides a precedent for future decisions in similar cases Majority opinion Decisions, Decisions 100

An opinion from one or more justices who agree with the majority on the end result but disagree with the reasoning in the majority opinion Concurring opinion Decisions, Decisions 200

Opinion from one or more justices who disagree with the reasoning and end result of the majority opinion; there can be more than one of these in a case Dissenting opinion Decisions, Decisions 300

How previous cases that involved similar issues were decided Precedent Decisions, Decisions 400

Submitted to an appellate court by interested parties or “friends of the court” who have an interest in the case and want to influence the decision Amicus curiae brief Decisions, Decisions 500

Chief Justice Presides over the Supreme Court but has no more real power than associate justices (as all of them get one vote) “Chief” among Equals 100

Marbury v. Madison (1803) Marshall Court decision that established the principle of judicial review; declared a portion of the Judiciary Act of 1791 unconstitutional “Chief” among Equals 200

Warren Court Liberal court from 1953 to 1969 that expanded the rights of the accused and pushed forward civil rights Ex: Brown v. Board of Education, Gideon v. Wainwright “Chief” among Equals 300

Burger Court Court from 1969 to 1986 that edged toward a more conservative view, though it continued to take some activist positions such as Roe v. Wade “Chief” among Equals 400

Roberts Court Current Supreme Court, distinguished by more conservative ideology; created limiting language in areas with previous liberal decisions “Chief” among Equals 500

Writ of certiorari Order by Supreme Court directing a lower court to send records of a case for review; the SCOTUS issues per year Jurisdiction 100

Original jurisdiction Authority of courts to hear new cases; for the SCOTUS, this includes disputes between state governments or cases involving foreign governments Jurisdiction 200

Appellate jurisdiction Authority of courts to hear appeals of decisions made in lower courts; the Supreme Court is the ultimate and final court with this kind of jurisdiction Jurisdiction 300

U.S. District Courts Have original jurisdiction in the federal court system and never hear appeals; 94 of these in the U.S. conduct both civil and criminal cases Jurisdiction 400

U.S. Courts of Appeals Have only appellate jurisdiction, never conduct trials; 13 of these in the U.S., each serving a region called a circuit Jurisdiction 500

Agenda setting The process of forming the list of matters that policymakers intend to address Policy Points100

Public policy Government actions to solve a problem or accomplish an objective Policy Points 200

Environmental impacts statement Required studies of likely environmental consequences, filed with the Environmental Protection Agency prior to the beginning of a project Policy Points 300

Entitlement program Payments made to people meeting eligibility requirements, such as Social Security Policy Points 400

Deficit spending When government expenditures exceed revenues, requiring borrowing of money; common because public projects are popular but taxation is not Policy Points 500

Fiscal policy Use of taxing and spending by the government to stimulate the economy Mis-cell-any 100

Senatorial courtesy The traditional practice of giving senators veto power over the nomination of U.S. District Court judges; meant to maintain a good working relationship between the President and Congress Mis-cell-any 200

Worcester v. Georgia (1832) Supreme Court ruled that state government actions violated Cherokee sovereignty established by federal treaties; ruling was ignored by Andrew Jackson, who refused to enforce it Mis-cell-any 300

Rule of Four Procedure for deciding whether or not the Supreme Court will hear a case; named for the number of justices that must agree Mis-cell-any 400

Mandatory spending 2/3 of the federal budget is devoted to paying for entitlement programs such as Social Security, interest on national debt, etc., leaving little for discretionary spending – or spending cuts Mis-cell-any 500

What are the formal qualifications for federal judges, and what is their typical background? What factors does the President consider when choosing federal judges? FINAL JEOPARDY

There are no formal qualifications for federal judges listed in the Constitution, but they usually have experience as private lawyers, federal or state judges, law professors, and/or district attorneys. The President chooses judges that share his/her judicial philosophy, and looks for balance of race, gender and religion, but most importantly looks for a well-respected individual free from scandal (and therefore likely to gain Senate approval). Senatorial courtesy is used for district courts. FINAL JEOPARDY