# in Each Branch
435 House of Representatives 100 Senators, 9 Supreme Court Justices, and 1 President.
Incumbent
those who currently hold political office.
Ratification
formal and legally binding approval.
Amicus Curiae
a type of brief filed by a "friend of the court" or someone who is not directly involved in the case at hand. Interest groups often file this type of brief to provide information to the Court to assist in its decision-making process.
Joint Committee
a committee composed of members from both the House and the Senate with jurisdiction over specific issues of mutual interest.
Ripe/Ripeness
A common law doctrine concerning the readiness of a case for litigation. The problem is best seen in a twofold aspect, requiring evaluation of the fitness of the issues for judicial decisions and the hardship to the parties of withholding court considerat
Appellate Jurisdiction
the power to review cases originally heard in a lower court. The Supreme Court has both original and appellate jurisdiction.
Judicial Activism
a judicial philosophy that calls for judges to protect the jurisdiction and interests of the Court in a government of separated powers and to invalidate federal and state law when necessary. Those who adhere to judicial activism often interpret the Consti
Rule of four
the Supreme Court's longstanding tradition of agreeing to hear a case if at least four justices favor its review.
Casework/Constituent Services
services provided by members of Congress and their staff to assist constituents in dealing with bureaucratic agencies.
Judicial Restraint
a judicial philosophy that calls for judges to respect the roles of the other branches of federal and state government, to refrain from invalidating federal and state law whenever possible, and to respect stare decisis (the principle of deferring to prece
Rules Committee
A standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the house.
Chief Justice
Head of the Judicial branch at the NATIONAL level.
Current Chief Justice
Roberts
Judical Review
the Supreme Court's power to interpret the constitutionality of any act of Congress, the executive branch, or the states.
Senate Confirmation
the approval, by two-thirds of the senators present, of a presidential nominee.
Cloture
a legislative procedure used in the Senate to bring an end to debate. It requires 60 votes to invoke cloture and end a filibuster.
Jurisdiction
the authority to decide a legal issue or case.
Senate Majority Leader
First-ranking party position, held by a distinguished senior member of the majority party in the Senate. The Senate majority leader schedules floor actions on bills, and helps guide the majority party's legislative program through the Senate.
Current Senate Majority Leader
McConnell
Committee
a group of members of Congress assigned to consider proposed legislation in a given jurisdiction and make recommendations to the full chamber.
Lame Duck
A person still in office after he or she has lost a bid for reelection.
Senate President pro tempore
Honorary position given to member that has been in the senate the longest, senior member of majority party.
Current Senate President pro tempore
Hatch
Concurring Opinion
an opinion that agrees with the conclusion, but not the reasoning, of the majority opinion of the Court.
Levels of Federal Courts
Federal district courts (91 of them. Have original jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases. Hear evidence, use jury to decide verdict, and decide liability in monetary civil cases) --> federal circuit courts of appeals (13 of them. Review appeal of from
Speaker of the House
An office mandated by the Constitution. The Speaker is chosen in practice by the majority party, has both formal and informal powers, and is second in line to succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant.
Current Speaker of the House
Boehner
Conference Committee
a temporary committee composed of members from both the House and the Senate responsible for working out the differences between chamber versions of a bill.
Logrolling
exchanging political favors, such as votes, to achieve mutually beneficial legislative outcomes.
Special Committee
a temporary committee organized around a specific purpose. Also called a select committee or an ad hoc committee, a special committee is usually investigative in nature and lacks the authority to review legislation.
Congressional and Executive terms of office
Executive: 2 four year terms.
Congressional: Representative-2 year terms
Senator- 6 year terms
Majority Opinion
a written opinion that establishes the decision of the Court, offers a legal rationale for that decision, and sets a precedent for future related cases.
Congressional Redistricting/Reapportionment
the process by which seats in the House of Representatives are redistributed to each state to account for nationwide population shifts detected in the decennial census.
Marbury v. Madison
(1803) Marbury was a midnight appointee of the Adams administration and sued Madison for commission. Chief Justice Marshall said the law that gave the courts the power to rule over this issue was unconstitutional. established judicial review
Standing Committee
a permanent committee of the House or the Senate that reviews and reports legislation to the full chamber.
Minimum age for serving in each branch of government.
President/Vice: 35
Senator:30
Representative:25
State of the Union Address
A yearly report by the president to Congress describing the nation's condition and recommending programs and policies
Delegate
a model of representation calling for members of Congress to serve as the mouthpiece of their constituents in the legislative process. As a delegate, a member is expected to directly reflect constituent sentiment.
Senate Minority Leader
The party officer in the Senate who commands the minority party's opposition to the policies of the majority party and directs the legislative program and strategy of his or her party.
Current Senate Minority Leader
Reid
Term
duration of office.
Dissenting Opinion
an opinion that disagrees with the conclusion of the majority opinion of the Court.
Moot
a case is considered moot when the issue at stake has already been resolved or is no longer relevant.
Terms and qualifications for each branch of government
President:2 four year terms. In order to be considered for the office, a presidential candidate must be at least 35 years old, a natural-born U.S. citizen, and have at least 14 years of residence in the United States.
Senator:unlimited 6 year terms.1) the
Divided Government
the situation occurring when one party controls the White House and another party controls the House, the Senate, or both.
Necessary and proper clause
also known as the elastic clause, the portion of Article I, sec. 8 of the Constitution that grants Congress the authority to do whatever is required to execute its enumerated powers.
Trustee
a model of representation calling for members of Congress to protect the interests of their constituents. As a trustee, a member is expected to use his or her best judgment in making legislative decisions.
Executive power clause
the portion of Article II, sec. 1 of the Constitution that grants the president the authority to carry out all laws passed by Congress. The vague language of this clause has been used by presidents to significantly expand the powers of the office.
Order of Presidential succession
vp, speaker of the house, president pro tempore of the senate, president's cabnit in order in which their dept was created
Unified Government
the situation occurring when the same party controls the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the White House.
Filibuster
A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.
Original Jurisdiction
the power to hear a case for the first time. The Supreme Court has both original and appellate jurisdiction.
Veto
Chief executive's power to reject a bill passed by a legislature
Veto Override
If the President vetoes a bill, the Congress may override the veto by a two-thirds majority vote in both houses. The bill would then become law, the President's objections notwithstanding.
Gerrymandering
Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.
Pocket veto
a type of veto that does not require the president's signature. If the president does not sign a bill into law within ten days of receiving it and Congress is in session, the bill becomes law without the president's signature. If the president does not si
War Power(s)
1973. A resolution of Congress that stated the President can only send troops into action abroad by authorization of Congress or if America is already under attack or serious threat.
House Majority Leader
Acts as spokesperson and the keeper of party unity in the House.
Current House Majority Leader
McCarthy
Powers and checks on Powers between three branches.
President: Army, Pass laws, and Veto Laws.
Congress: Make laws, veto override, tax, coin money, and declare war.
Legislative: Interpret the constitutionality of laws, enforce laws.
Whip
members of Congress tasked with enforcing party discipline and ensuring the presence of other members of the party when votes are taken on the floor of each chamber.
House Minority Leader
Leader of the minority party who speaks for the party in dealing with the majority
Current House Minority Leader
Pelosi
Powers of the House
the power to propose all revenue bills, power of impeachment, and elects the president if there is a tie in the electoral college, and initiating impeachment.
Writ of Certiorari
a request from a high court to a lower court for records of a case to be sent for review.
Impeachment
the first step in the process of removing an official from public office by force. It occurs when a legislative body votes to bring charges against the official.House files the charges Senate processes.
Powers of Senate
can introduce any legislation except money bills, can veto legislation, neither chamber has power to override amendant or veto the other , ratifies treating; confirms appointments of cabinet and court judges; holds impeachment trials
Writ of Mandamus
an order issued by the Supreme Court requiring a government agent to carry out a legal duty.
Implied vs Expressed powers
Expressed" means it's actually written down in the constitution.
"Implied" means a reasonable extention of the expressed power, or a power reasonably necessary to carry out the expressed power.
President of the Senate
assigned by the Constitution to the Vice President. Has many of the same duties as Speaker of The House but cannot cast votes on legislation.
Current President of the Senate
Biden