AP Government Jeopardy –
Judiciary, Budget, and Policy
“Con
Law”
It’s in
the
Budget
Decisions
Decisions
“Chief”
among
Equals
Jurisdiction
Policy
Points
Mis-cellany
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
Final Jeopardy! Question
Judiciary, Budget, and Policy
Selection of
Federal Judges
Article III
Creates the Supreme
Court, but not the
federal court system –
also gives Congress the
power to create federal
courts below the
Supreme Court
“Con Law”
100
Judicial activism
Philosophy that the
Supreme Court should
play an active role in
determining national
policies, especially
those related to social
and political issues
“Con Law”
200
Judicial restraint
Philosophy that holds
that the Supreme Court
should avoid taking
initiative on social and
political issues
“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
Judicial checks on
Executive Branch
Can interpret executive
orders and federal
regulations, can nullify
an executive order or
federal regulation by
declaring it
unconstitutional
“Con Law”
500
Monetary policy
Federal Reserve efforts
to control the money
supply, primarily
through interest rate
changes, to stimulate
the economy
It’s in the
Budget 100
Incrementalism
Gradual
increases/decreases in
funding that produce
major changes over
time
It’s in the
Budget 200
Authorization
Legislative process that
produces laws granting
the expenditure of
money for specific
programs
It’s in the
Budget 300
Appropriations Process
Legislative process that
distributes money to
programs in order to run
the government and
carry out public policy
It’s in the
Budget 400
Continuing resolution
Used to continue
funding the government
when an appropriations
bill has been stalled by
gridlock in Congress or
a presidential veto
It’s in the
Budget 500
Majority opinion
An opinion that
summarizes the opinion
of the court and
provides a precedent for
future decisions in
similar cases
Decisions,
Decisions
100
Concurring opinion
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
Decisions,
Decisions
200
Dissenting opinion
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
Decisions,
Decisions
300
Precedent
How previous cases that
involved similar issues
were decided
Decisions,
Decisions
400
Amicus curiae brief
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
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 80-150 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