“Con Law”
It’s in the
Budget
DecisionsDecisions
“Chief” among Equals
Juris-diction
Policy Points
Mis-cell-any
100 100 100 100 100 100 100
200 200 200 200 200 200 200
300 300 300 300 300 300 300
400 400 400 400 400 400 400
500 500 500 500 500 500 500
AP Government Jeopardy – Judiciary, Budget, and Policy
Final Jeopardy! QuestionJudiciary, 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 JusticePresides 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 CourtLiberal 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 CourtCourt 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 CourtCurrent Supreme Court, distinguished by more conservative ideology;
created limiting language in areas with previous
liberal decisions
“Chief” among Equals 500
Writ of certiorariOrder by Supreme Court directing a lower court to send records of a case for
review; the SCOTUS issues 80-150 per year
Jurisdiction100
Original jurisdictionAuthority of courts to hear
new cases; for the SCOTUS, this includes disputes between state governments or cases
involving foreign governments
Jurisdiction200
Appellate jurisdictionAuthority 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
Jurisdiction300
U.S. District CourtsHave original jurisdiction in the federal court system and never hear appeals; 94
of these in the U.S. conduct both civil and
criminal cases
Jurisdiction400
U.S. Courts of AppealsHave only appellate
jurisdiction, never conduct trials; 13 of these in the
U.S., each serving a region called a circuit
Jurisdiction500
Agenda settingThe process of forming the list of matters that policymakers intend to
address
Policy Points100
Public policyGovernment 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 programPayments made to people
meeting eligibility requirements, such as
Social Security
Policy Points 400
Deficit spendingWhen government
expenditures exceed revenues, requiring
borrowing of money; common because public projects are popular but
taxation is not
Policy Points 500
Fiscal policyUse of taxing and spending by
the government to stimulate the economy
Mis-cell-any100
Senatorial courtesyThe 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 FourProcedure 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