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