Three Branches of Government Review
Congress
1. Qualifications for the House of Representatives – 25 years old, citizen at least 7 years, live in the
state representing…based on population/ at least one per state
2. Qualifications for the Senate – 30/ 9 years/ live in state…2 from each state
3. Wesberry v. Sanders ruling – all congressional districts in a State must have the same number of
people so that one person’s vote is equal to another’s
4. Compensation for Congress members – the same for representatives; $165,200 per year~,
special tax deductions, travel allowances, life insurance…
5. Congressional Terms – 6 years Senate, 2 years House
6. Sessions of Congress – regular period of time during which Congress conducts its business, 2
year cycles, mostly meet year round with short recesses, special sessions held to deal with
emergency situations
7. Refusal to seat a member of Congress – only if member does not meet the constitutional
standards of age, citizenship, and residency; they police their own body
8. Minorities in Congress – few but increasing, 41 blacks, 27 Hispanics, 89 women, 8 Asians, 1
Native Americans…Protestants, Catholics, no religious affiliation, Jewish, Muslim
9. Congressional Freedom of Speech – a vital part of legislative debate…guarantees that the courts
may not prosecute members of Congress for what they say in the House or Senate in relation to
congressional business
10. Differences in the House and Senate – size of membership, length of term, size of constituency;
structure, qualifications
11. Congressional Reapportionment – redistribution of seats after every 10 year census, seats sat at
435 after 1929; violates the Constitution if not done…like in 1920
12. Gerrymandering – requires a bipartisan panel elected by the people of the State to draw
congressional districts
13. Why is the Senate the “upper house”? – longer term length, larger size of constituency, higher
qualification of members; they are to look at the big picture; more national in focus
14. 17th Amendment – 1913 Senator would be elected by voters rather than selected by State
legislatures; wealth became less important for election to the Senate
15. 25th Amendment – states the VP becomes Pres. in the case of Presidential disability; there was
no plan prior to this amendment
16. Delegates – votes how folks back home want…
17. Trustees – vote based on conscience and judgment
18. Partisans – vote with the platform and party leaders; most popular
19. Politico – combination of all 3 voting styles
20. Interest groups – private organization whose members share common purpose that works to
shape public policy; and Congress…both check up on one or more branches of government
21. Speech or Debate Clause – the Framers’ agreement to keep the proceedings of the
Constitutional Convention secret; can’t be sued for libel or slander for comments relating to
Congressional proceeding
22. Roles of the President –all equal in importance; chief legislator, chief executive, chief of state,
chief citizen, commander in chief, chief of party, chief diplomat, chief administrator
23. Election of 1800 – the election had to be decided in the House because of a tie; the electoral
system broke down because of the rise of political parties
24. Presidential Electors – are chosen by popular vote; least number a state can have is 3
25. President’s maximum years in office - 10
26. Differences in primaries and Caucuses – primaries voter stress preferences for a
nominee…voters meet in local caucuses to choose delegates; number of states that hold
caucuses, ways chosen, number of steps in choosing delegates
27. Nomination process – political battles are most likely to occur in the party out of power
28. National Convention – held to unify the party, pick presidential candidate, adopt a platform
29. Electoral College System – delegates selected from each state and DC to cast votes for
President; FLAWS: popular vote does not always declare the winner, electors may vote for their
choice, a strong third party candidate could move the election to the House
30. Presidential Succession Act – determines the order of succession to the presidency after the VP
31. Reform of the Electoral College – most widely supported plan is the direct popular election plan
32. Incumbent –candidate that currently holds a political office
33. Presidential Qualifications – 35 years old, “natural born citizen”, lived in the U.S. for 14+ years
34. Presidential Term – 4 years
35. Revision of Presidential Terms –a single 6 year term would free the President from the demands
of a second term campaign
36. Presidential Disability – the VP and a majority of the cabinet may challenge the President’s
ability
37. “balancing the ticket” – selecting a running mate to compensate for their weaknesses
38. Election of 1796 – the President and VP were from opposing parties; Adams and Jefferson
39. Name recognition – little known candidates are at a disadvantage
40. “winner-take-all” – could cause a drop in voter turnout
41. Legacy – Judges appointed by a President are a living legacy
42. Docket – list of cases to be heard by a court
43. Federal Judge Tenure of office – life tenure to protect them from the concern that they may be
dismissed if their rulings are unpopular; to insulate them from politics
44. 30-minute oral argument rule – is closely adhered to by the Court to conserve time and be fair
to both sides
45. Court of Federal Claims – hears trials involving claims for damages against the Federal
Government, Congress appropriates money to satisfy upheld claims, Judges are appointed by
the President and approved by the Senate
46. Weakness of the Articles of Confederation – it did not provide for a national judiciary
47. Original jurisdiction – the Supreme Court had both original and appellate jurisdiction; first
hearing of a case
48. Appellate jurisdiction –
49. The Supreme Court is the High Court because – it is the final court in which federal questions
can be decided
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Marbury v. Madison – established the Court’s power of judicial review
Why did the U.S. need a national court system –each state was interpreting law for itself
Federal Marshals – federal officers who make arrests, secure jurors, and serve legal papers
Judicial Review – by most federal and state courts